A few weeks ago, I read and reviewed Walk The Walk, a book by Alan Deutschman about leadership that proposed that consistency is key. Say it, live it, do it. Simple.

Usually, I'd choose another subject for the next book review; finance, sales, marketing; anything other than leadership. But I'm breaking my own rule because the paucity of leadership is all around us. In government and business, we see people who not only fail to walk the walk but also are unable to genuinely lead and inspire others to do their best for themselves and their stakeholders. I don't think that any book is going to fix this epidemic of venality, duplicity and cowardice, but here are two recent attempts to provide a better understanding of what's at stake and how to remedy the situation.

Fierce Leadership: A Bold Alternative to the Worst ``Best'' Practices of Business Today. Susan Scott. Broadway Books. 336 pages.

Scott is what my mother-in-law would call ``a pistol.'' She's blazingly intelligent, shoots from the lip and is unafraid to call it like she sees it. She also recognizes the enormous gap between words and deeds, theory and practice, and every other thing that businesses and other organizations espouse and make an integral part of their mission statement -- but not necessarily their mission.

It's a provocative book and could aid managers who require a shot of reality and possess the courage to examine what they're doing and how their actions resonate through their organizations. The problem, however, is that the people who would benefit most would probably never consider reading this, making for a self-perpetuating cycle.

Leadershift: Reinventing Leadership for the Age of Mass Collaboration. Emmanuel Gobillot. Kogan Page. 189 pages.

Gobillot, a Frenchman who lives and works in England, looks at the big picture, focusing on the ongoing shifts in culture and commerce that have changed the world. One of the biggest changes, he points out, is the virtual democratization of data and how it affects leadership, as open collaboration becomes the norm. The flattening of traditional hierarchies presents opportunities, he declares, but there are also serious challenges that can and should be handled in a proactive manner.

Though junior employees may no longer be satisfied with merely implementing and fulfilling tasks ordered by senior managers, true leadership -- in the very traditional sense -- is not only necessary, the author argues, but more critical than ever.

A speaker and consultant, Gobillot is also a fine writer. Though based ``over there,'' his frame of reference is global and he cites plenty of U.S. businesses and other cultural touch-points, so even the most xenophobic among us shouldn't feel alienated or confused.

In addition to his own thoughts on leadership and its continuing importance to the success of organizations and enterprises, Gobillot wisely offers a very worthwhile list of resources and references that reflect and amplify his observations and admonitions. Along with notes at the end of each chapter (which are much more useful there than stuck in the back of the book), this smart and readable volume was a very pleasant surprise. I hadn't previously heard of Gobillot (my bad!), but I'll be sure to keep track of him henceforth.

Leadership -- not just management -- is more important than ever, and this book proves it by showing the difference between the two.

To receive business book reviews by e-mail or join the Business Monday Book Club, e-mail Richard Pachter at rap@richardpachter.com. To read more of Pachter's musings, go to www.richardpachter.com and follow him on Twitter @rpachter.

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