Truly Leading: Lessons in Leadership

"Truly Leading: Lessons in Leadership" is the perfect guide for all campus student leaders.

The second edition has fully-revised and updated the original text, while expanding to twenty-five chapters. Del Suggs manages to cover both the basic skills needed by all leaders, and then includes more advanced leadership skills for personal and organizational leadership.

With chapter titles such as "Leading With Integrity," "Effective Time Management," "The Art of Delegation," "Setting Organizational Goals," and "Conflict Resolution," the reader gets a useful lesson in basic leadership skills. Plus, a complete update of the chapter "Embracing Technology" with lots of great information about Del's leadership hacks.

The new chapters include help to expand the reach into more advanced campus leadership. The chapter titled "Leading With Community Service" offers plenty of ideas about service projects. "Avoiding Burnout" gives your student leaders many ways to help maintain balance in a hectic life. "Creating a Sense of Community" explains the concept of community building, and then covers projects and events that can be implemented. "Improving Your Campus Elections" can help you increase the voter awareness and turnout for all campus elections.

This is the book your student leaders need in order to be effective, efficient, and successful in their campus leadership roles-- and in their own lives. The digital version is available here at BookShop, at the Kindle store, iBook Store, and all other eBook sites. The printed version is available at Del Suggs' website store..

Four years after the initial version, Del's book "Truly Leading: Lessons in Leadership" has just been published in the second edition. Del Suggs' new book is an excellent primer for campus leaders.

Newly expanded to twenty-five chapters, Suggs covers both the basics and more advanced leadership skills. The chapter titles tell it all: "Leading With Integrity," "Effective Time Management," "The Art of Delegation," "Setting Organizational Goals" and "Conflict Resolution" are all perfect examples of the basic skils that all leaders must master. New chapters include "Leading With Community Service", with plenty of ideas about service projects; "Avoiding Burnout," to help you maintain a balance in your life; "Creating a Sense of Community" with many concepts of community building; and "Improving Your Campus Elections." Plus, a complete update of the chapter "Embracing Technology" with lots of great information about Del's leadership hacks.

But Truly Leading goes beyond the basics, and addresses those skills that more advanced leaders need. "How to Inspire Others," "Being a Better Leader," "The Power of Ceremony" and "More Effective Meetings" are aimed at lifting an emerging leader into greater success. Suggs also includes chapters on some very important foundational needs, such as creating a mission statement and some advanced concepts in recruitment. Organizational training needs are addressed in chapters covering both planning and training retreats, along with presenting a full-blown campus leadership conference. "Truly Leading: Lessons in Leadership" is chock full of leadership tips, suggestions, and guidance. It is brisk reading, written in a casual style that reflects the author's personal experiences as a life-long leaders. The foreword was written by Dennis Haskins, perhaps best known as "Mr. Belding" on the hit TV series "Saved By the Bell."

The philosopher Kierkegaard wrote that  "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." 

You might apply that to the career of Del Suggs-- author, singer/songwriter, and recording artist. He was just named one of the “Top Five Artists of the past 25 Years” by Campus Activities magazine, an honor reflecting his stellar career in this field. The second edition of his book "Truly Leading:  Lessons in Leadership" has just been published. The book is a twenty-five chapter course in leadership skills, aimed directly at college and university student leaders.  It has received high praise from those in the higher ed community. The original version had seven printings since 2011.The second edition features updates and new chapters on campus elections, service projects, and more.

He is also the Highest-Rated Speaker in the country, according to the Artist Report Cards submitted by campuses to "Campus Activities" magazine. Del was named a finalist for “Best Campus Speaker 2015” as voted by the member schools of the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities, a title he won in 2010. He's also a finalist for “Best Speaker 2016” in the "Campus Activities" magazine Readers Choice Awards.

The award-winning ASCAP songwriter, singer, and guitarist has cut a remarkable path.  During his thirty-plus year career, Suggs has produced and released five albums of his own songs.  He's also produced over a dozen releases for the independent label The Cascades Recording Company.  He's been named "The Very Best of The Best" in music by Campus Activities magazine.

He's also earned a Masters' degree in Instructional Design and Development from Florida State University, and studied with Dr. Robert Gagne and Dr. Leslie Briggs-- peers of B.F.Skinner.  Suggs has taught at FSU in both the College of Education and the College of Music. And he shares the cover of the 2011 book titled "Roadmap to Success" with Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Kenneth Blanchard (famed author of "The One-Minute Manager").

"I guess I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up," he said in an recent interview.  "The problem is, I want to do everything."

A life-long volunteer leader, Suggs is currently serving as the Chair of Florida's Big Bend Scenic Byway, named the most scenic drive in Florida by "USA Today."  He is also the performing artist representative on the Council on Culture and the Arts (COCA), the state-designated local arts agency for Tallahassee, Florida. He is past president of the Tallahassee Museum, ranked one of the top ten museums in Florida. He received the "Museum Service Award for Outstanding Trustee" from the Florida Association of Museums. He has been on the board of directors of the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA), the Florida Flambeau Foundation, Inc., and the Musicians Association of Tallahassee. He's even been named "Volunteer of the Year" by WFSU-FM, the NPR affiliate in his home town. Del is a Voting Member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (The Grammy Awards), and served on the committee which founded the Florida Chapter of NARAS.

Suggs is a contributing author to the 2008 book "Tour:Smart" by Martin Atkins (Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, et al).  Other authors include Henry Rollins, Zim Zum (from Marilyn Manson), and more rock royalty.  There is also a chapter about Suggs in "Trop Rock Songs: Stories and Tales" by Andy Forsyth (2011). Suggs was the third inductee into the National Campus Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2001.  "Performing Songwriter" magazine described Suggs' music as "Jimmy Buffett jamming with the Indigo Girls and James Taylor."