FYI by Michael M. Lombardo Summary

FYI: For Your Improvement by Michael M. Lombardo is a comprehensive leadership development guide that helps professionals identify and improve key competencies for career success. The book covers 67+ competencies including strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, communication, and decision-making, providing actionable strategies for personal and professional growth. Rather than a traditional cover-to-cover read, it serves as a reference manual with self-assessments, developmental goals, and recommended follow-up materials.

FYI: For Your Improvement is essential for leaders, managers, mentors, coaches, and anyone seeking upward career mobility. The book is particularly valuable for newly promoted leaders, business graduates entering their first role, and seasoned professionals wanting to restart their career momentum. Corporate managers frequently recommend it for employee development at all organizational levels, making it ideal for individuals committed to continuous professional growth and leadership excellence.

FYI: For Your Improvement is highly regarded as a must-have leadership resource, with readers calling it "good as gold" for new and seasoned leaders alike. The book provides practical, experience-based strategies for navigating workplace challenges and developing critical competencies. While some find it challenging to read cover-to-cover, its value as a reference tool for ongoing development makes it worthwhile, with many professionals using it regularly for 25+ years.

Michael M. Lombardo is a distinguished leadership development expert with decades of experience at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). He is best known for co-developing the widely adopted Leadership Architect® competency model, which has become a standard framework in talent management. Lombardo has authored several influential books that translate complex psychological concepts into practical, actionable strategies for leadership development and organizational excellence.

The Leadership Architect® framework is a structured competency model that forms the foundation of FYI: For Your Improvement. It identifies specific behaviors, skills, knowledge, and abilities that contribute to successful workplace performance and leadership effectiveness. The framework enables individuals to assess their current competency levels, identify development areas, and create targeted action plans for improvement across multiple dimensions of leadership and professional capability.

FYI: For Your Improvement is best used as a reference guide rather than reading it sequentially. The recommended approach is to skim the book, identify 2-3 key competencies most important for your current role or career goals, then focus deeply on those specific chapters. Readers suggest revisiting the book every few months to select new development areas, take notes, and apply the diagnostic tools and developmental strategies to real workplace situations.

FYI: For Your Improvement covers 67+ core competencies essential for leadership and professional success. These include strategic thinking, organizational awareness, politics, decision-making, vision communication, team building, adaptability, and innovation. Each competency section provides clear explanations, self-assessment tools, developmental goals, and strategies for improvement, with cross-references to related topics. The book also addresses both skill development and avoiding overuse of strengths that can become weaknesses.

FYI: For Your Improvement accelerates career development by providing a systematic framework for identifying strengths and weaknesses across critical competencies. The book offers targeted strategies to develop skills required for advancement, helping professionals navigate complex workplace challenges and enhance leadership capabilities. By working through self-assessments and development plans, individuals can demonstrate measurable improvement in performance, making them stronger candidates for promotion and increased organizational responsibility.

Some readers criticize FYI: For Your Improvement as containing "top level wishy washy advice" more suited for traditional corporate environments. The constant references to the proprietary Lominger Leadership Architect® system throughout the book can feel overly promotional and undermine the practical tips. Additionally, the book's extensive 600+ page length and dense reference format make it challenging to read cover-to-cover, with some feeling people could "live in this book and never get outside of it".

The 6th edition of FYI: For Your Improvement is significantly more condensed than previous versions, making it more accessible while retaining comprehensive coverage of leadership competencies. Readers familiar with earlier editions note this streamlined approach as a positive change, particularly for developing leadership skills efficiently. The updated edition maintains the core Leadership Architect® framework while presenting information in a more concise format that respects busy professionals' time constraints.

FYI: For Your Improvement is specifically designed as a coaching and mentoring tool for managers, mentors, and feedback givers. The book provides structured frameworks to help coaches guide others through competency assessment and development planning. Many professionals use it daily for coaching conversations, performance development plans (PDPs), and team development, with features that facilitate constructive feedback and targeted skill-building discussions. Its comprehensive reference format makes it ideal for ongoing developmental relationships.

FYI: For Your Improvement includes self-assessment tools, diagnostic frameworks, developmental goals, and recommended follow-up materials for each competency. The book provides insights on both developing weak areas and avoiding overuse of strengths, with cross-references connecting related topics. Each competency section offers practical strategies, real-world applications, and resources for continued learning. The format allows users to quickly locate relevant guidance for specific development needs, making it an efficient desk reference for ongoing professional growth.