The Versatile Leader

In this groundbreaking new book, Bob Kaplan and Rob Kaiser introduce an innovative approach to identifying and correcting lopsidedness in leaders. You will discover how to make optimal use of your strengths and avoid getting trapped in a one-dimensional mindset that results in ?too much of a good thing.? Based on twenty years of research and extensive work with senior leaders, The Versatile Leader is packed with illustrative cases and practical applications. The book is equally useful for self-improvement and for coaching other managers.

In this groundbreaking new book, Bob Kaplan and Rob Kaiser introduce an innovative approach to identifying and correcting lopsidedness in leaders. You will discover how to make optimal use of your strengths and avoid getting trapped in a one-dimensional mindset that results in ?too much of a good thing.? Based on twenty years of research and extensive work with senior leaders, The Versatile Leader is packed with illustrative cases and practical applications. The book is equally useful for self-improvement and for coaching other managers.

In The Versatile Leader, Msuega Tese offers twelve metaphors for effective leadership spanning a broad spectrum of strategic and tactical situations. As a starting point, the physician's diagnosis helps uncover the strategic status. The architect makes a realistic plan for the new organization as builders erect structures that transition startups to the growth stage. Engineers solve existential problems and contribute to continuous improvement. Finally, entrepreneurs obtain excellent results by taking ownership, being optimistic, and taking appropriate risks. On a tactical level, journalists glean information essential for daily operations. Coaches understand the importance of training and delegation. Parents are concerned with the long-term survival of the family line as Judges create a culture of truth and fairness. Pilots know how to navigate turbulent situations. Soldiers are disciplined, courageous, and loyal. Finally, diplomats are good at dealing with sensitive situations. Each of the twelve metaphors is helpful to leaders at different moments. The metaphor-based leadership builds off the concept of situational leadership. It encourages leaders to learn and adapt with integrity continuously. In addition, this approach brings synergy to a team, regardless of size or type.

In The Thoughtful Leader, Jim Fisher provides an invigorating, inclusive and positive framework for teaching current and aspiring leaders in all walks of life.

This is the leadership book you have to read: a barn-storming new take on what makes a versatile, integrated, and effective leader Using stories and examples from the lives of leaders, from the sports stadium to the White House to the office of the CEO, Nicholson shows vividly how the capacity of leaders to see what others do not see frames their actions and allows them to transform, build, destroy, or stabilize. Leaders fail through lack of insight—into themselves and into the worlds they inhabit. The strategic challenge of leadership is to find the right balance between impact and versatility and the successful crafting of an identity that merges the leader and the surrounding culture or 'zeitgeist.' Leaders covered in the book include: George Bush, Tony Blair, George S Patton, Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, Josef Stalin, Hannibal, Elizabeth I, Nelson Mandela, Edith Cowan, Abraham Lincoln, Mohandas Gandhi, Henry Ford, Ernest Shackleton, Barack Obama, Robert Maxwell, JFK, Pope John XXIII, Margaret Thatcher, and Samuel Pepys. This book resonates with insights and searching questions on the nature of human leadership. It will be an invaluable guide to managers, consultants, and people everywhere.

Develop the qualities of strategic leadership and become an active contributor to the short- and long-term success of your organization Today's organizations face two daunting challenges: 1. How to create new sources of competitive advantage to sustain long-term growth, and 2. How to engage leaders at every level of the organization so that they are more proactive and forward-looking in their area of responsibility. The Art of Strategic Leadership uses a unique approach to examine what it means to be a strategic leader. Instead of focusing on the skills, behaviors, and tools found in typical books on strategic leadership, the authors shed light on the attributes and qualities necessary to lead strategic change and help transform a business. Strategic leadership is what modern leadership is all about. Organizations expect leaders to anticipate and be proactive more than ever before. In this book, the authors draw on their vast experience working directly with leaders at all levels and use an intriguing narrative to explain this inside-out approach to understanding strategic leadership. The narrative follows the journey of how one manager discovered these critically important qualities. You will experience first-hand how these values and attributes manifest in the lives of realistic leaders; how they orchestrate long-term strategic change needed for the organization to compete and survive and actively shape the future while delivering short-term results. The Art of Strategic Leadership provides the content that will help you informally assess and reflect on your own strategic leadership qualities—those that are strengths and those that indicate areas you need to develop. It will guide you as you incorporate these values and qualities into your own leadership style and become a more effective catalyst for change. This book will help you in the following ways: Develop a more proactive, forward-thinking approach to leadership Approach strategy from both short- and long-term perspectives Adopt the core values and principles of a strategic leader Model the qualities exhibited by powerful leaders Strategic leaders serve as powerful examples to others in the organization. Their qualities and traits spread rapidly to those around them, empowering people at every level to take a more active role in meeting the demands of the future. The Art of Strategic Leadership will help you deepen and broaden your understanding of the core qualities of strategic leadership, leaving you better equipped to lead yourself and your team to a better place and create greater value for customers, owners, and employees.

Be an transformational leader during times of rapid organizational change The Art of Change Leadership represents a major milestone in the study of change leadership. An approachable yet thorough guide for leaders and team members that illustrates how to increase speed and agility during times of intense technological innovation and fast change, this resource focuses on the ways in which you, as an individual, can harness your unique abilities to lead cultural change and personal leadership in a positive and proactive way. Through eleven comprehensive chapters, explore the need for increased human brain speed, how to improve your focus, the body/mind connection, agility within a team setting, improving productivity, communication with your team, and more. Technology, globalization, evolving business models—these are just some of the variables impacting the competitive landscapes across virtually all industries. To keep up with the changes that these and other factors are creating, it is critical that you are able to understand what change leadership is, why it is important, and how you can leverage it in your workplace to positively impact your company. Explore research on change leadership vs. change management to improve business Leverage technology to improve productivity and adaptability to rapid change Evolutionary approaches to change leadership that include energy management and innovative mindset approaches Discover questionnaires, assessments and quizzes to assess your change leadership agilities The Art of Change Leadership is a (r)evolutionary text that prepares you to increase your team's speed and agility, and to thrive in today's continually evolving business environment.

Senior executives, professionals, politicians, entrepreneurs, and educators are increasingly being evaluated by how well they speak - how credibly, how naturally, and how enthusiastically. They're being judged on their presentation skills. In today's communication-saturated age, the ability to address others effectively has become the essential mark of a leader. How Leaders Speak covers the seven keys to speaking like a leader: preparation, certainty, passion, engagement, and commitment. It's a personal handbook for planning and conveying presentations that will engage and inspire others, from overcoming nervousness to handling difficult questions from listeners. How Leaders Speak: Getting Ready to Present: Know Your Audience Find and Create ?The Nugget' (something your audience doesn't know) Make a Video Rehearsing your Presentation Be Prepared for Anything Don't Rely on PowerPoint (have a print out as well ) Test your Technology Have a Checklist of Materials Before You Leave the Office Pre-Presentation Jitters are a Good Thing! Know Your Environment Beforehand (schedule a run through the day before) Eat and Drink Lightly Just Before Your Presentation How Leaders Speak: During Your Speech Have Water Handy Keep Language Short and Simple Have Your Speech Printed at the Top of Your Page To Keep Eye Contact Connected Most Nervousness Doesn't Show Draw in Your Audience Via Names and Anecdotal Info Ask Questions to Involve Your Audience (and to Relieve Pressure) Speak with Passion!