Name My Leadership Development Book Contest

I was pleased to recently be rated #5 in HR Examiner's Top 25 Digital Influencers in Leadership. While that's way cool, I know I'll never achieve true leadership development guru status until I have a best selling book. Well, maybe even an OK selling e-book

I know what I want to write about - A PRACTITIONERS GUIDE TO LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESSION PLANNING. It will be filled with practical advice and tools - an expanded collection of my best posts and more.

What I don't have is a title. Now I've noticed that the books that seem to get the most buzz and sell well have provocative titles.

Here's a few already taken leadership titles from Amazon, keywords "leadership", and "leadership development":

"Get Rid of the Performance Review". Hey, everyone hates performance reviews, so this one worked well for the author.

"The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership". That's it, maybe I need a good number. But is it 1, 2, 4, 21, or 101?

"You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader". This one appealed to the masses and broadened the potential audience. These are good because they get purchased in bulk and handed out as motivational gifts.

"Leadership Secrets of Attila the HunLeadership, Soprano Style" and ". Hmmm...., so maybe pick a lovable bad guy? Maybe BP's Tony Hayward, or Michael Scott from "The Office"?

"Effective Succession Planning: Ensuring Leadership Continuity and Building Talent from Within". Well, it's descriptive, but borrrrring.

"Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if You Lose It". I like the word "mojo", I could just say that all day. Mojo, mojo, mojo....

"Leadership for Dummies". How about "Leadership Development for Morons"? Or Idiots? Pinheads, dorks, muttonheads, boneheads, twits? Naw, that might insult my target audience.

"The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't". A cuss word sure would get attention, although I'm not much of a cusser.

OK, so I need some help from my readers. Here's a few titles that I don't think have been used yet - what do you think? What's your favorite? Can you come up with more?

1. "Kill All the Managers and Replace them with Leaders". Kind of plays on the old "management is bad, leadership is good" clich'e.

2. "Using Social Media to Develop Leaders". I could jump on the social medial bandwagon before it gets old. Although Prince has already declared the internet is over.

3. "Leadership is Underrated". A companion to the bestselling "Talent is Overrated".

4. "Get Rid of Talent Reviews". If we're getting rid of individual performance reviews, the next step should be to get rid of group talent reviews, right? Trashing HR always gets a lot of attention.

5. "How to Develop Leaders in 30 days". I could market it like a weight loss program and make an exaggerated claim.

6. "Leadership Development the Justin Bieber Way". Hey, he's the most searched person on the net. Although I'm not sure about his staying power. Maybe Lady Gaga?

7. "The Vampire's Leadership Development Guide". Vampires are hot, hot, hot.

8. "How to Lose Your Best Employees and Ruin Your Business". Uh, see, it's a book on what "not to do"... get it?

9. "The No Bull%#& Guide to Leadership Development". I've actually written a few "no b.s." guides before, but should I spell it out? A federal court just ruled you can swear on television.

10. "Annie's Guide to Leadership Development". Annie was my lab that's in my profile picture. Dog books seem to be selling well these days too.

How about it? Can you give me a few more ideas? Please comment with your ideas.

I'll send a review copy of the upcoming new book THE ORANGE REVOLUTION: "How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization" (September 21, Free Press) by Chester Elston and Adrian Gostick, coauthors of the New York Times bestseller The Carrot Principle, to the one I like the best. Don't forget to leave your email with your comment if you want to qualify for the book so that I can contact you.