High-Stakes Leadership

Conclusion

The Highest Stakes of All

Throughout this book, I have described leaders at the top of different types of organizations—large and small, as well as publicly owned, privately held, and not-for-profit. This was a deliberate choice, made so that you, the reader, could see the commonality among leaders who rise to the challenges of high-stakes situations—as well as among those leaders who do not. Further, you can see that assuming the calm of the status quo will continue unabated is a foolish dream, but it’s one we can be lulled into.

There is a significant benefit to being in a high-stakes situation when it is obvious that the stakes are elevated. A crisis or looming challenge makes us alert. Of course, that does not mean our readiness ...