How to Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success By Magnifying Your Strengths

How to Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success By Magnifying Your Strengths

by John Zenger, Joseph Folkman, Sherwin, Barbara Steel
Released June 2012
Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
ISBN: 9780071791496

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Book description

One of The Globe & Mail's Top 10 Business books of the Year!

Rethink Everything You Know About Leadership Strengths

"A must-read for anyone wanting to positively stand out in an organization or for leaders wanting to raise the overall performance of the organization." -- Cindy Brinkley, Vice President, Global Human Resources, General Motors

"Zenger Folkman's findings related to companion behaviors is exciting. It enhances what's been presented in prior books and makes extraordinary leadership seem like an achievable goal. I would recommend this book to anyone committed to the journey." -- Pam Mabry, Director, Human Resources, The Boeing Company

"The authors take the groundbreaking concept of driving leadership effectiveness by building our strengths to a whole new level of practical implementation, providing us with a brilliantly clear road map. I have found this body of work to be absolutely invaluable . . . I cannot imagine a person in a leadership role today who would not find value from reading this book cover to cover." -- Loren M. Starr, Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Invesco Ltd.

How to Be Exceptional is a milestone in the emerging business case for evidence-based management. Building on two decades of earlier research, the authors brilliantly lay out a simple, concrete, scientifically validated model for achieving consistently superior business results through leadership. . . . Its magic is its simplicity, pragmatism, and focus." -- Eric Severson, Senior Vice President, Talent, Gap Inc.

"How to Be Exceptional is the best book on professional development I have read in decades. It reinforces the emerging wisdom that the path to greatness is really about building profound strengths, rather than through relentlessly focusing on one’s weaknesses. This is a great road map for any leader seeking to optimize their growth and impact." -- Michael A. Peel, Yale University, Vice President, Human Resources and Administration

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. How to be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success by Magnifying Your Strengths
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents
  5. Foreword
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction
  8. Part I What Leaders Can Learn from Their Strengths
    1. Chapter 1 Organizations Flourish with Strong Leaders The Measurable Impact of Being Exceptional
    2. Chapter 2 Why Emphasize Strengths? The Complex Interplay Between Strengths and High-Performing Leaders
    3. Chapter 3 Strengths Can Be Developed Diverse Ways to Take Your Strengths to the Next Level
    4. Chapter 4 Leadership Cross-Training The Revolutionary Approach to Developing Leadership Skills
    5. Chapter 5 Benefits from Developing Strengths Why Focusing on Weaknesses Doesn’t Create Exceptional Leadership
  9. Part II How Exceptional Strengths Are Developed
    1. Chapter 6 Where to Start Targeting Strengths to Develop
    2. Chapter 7 Transitioning from Poor Performance to Good A Linear Plan for Enhancing Your Skills
    3. Chapter 8 The Role of Feedback in Developing Leadership Strengths A Surefire Medicine
    4. Chapter 9 Building Strengths at Work Integrating On-the-Job Activities into Your Growth as a Leader
    5. Chapter 10 Sustaining Strengths Building Follow-Through into Your Development Plan
  10. Part III Special Considerations
    1. Chapter 11 Individual Contributors Building on Strengths Is the Foundation of Success at Every Level
    2. Chapter 12 Getting Out of the Pit When to Fix Weaknesses and Fatal Flaws
    3. Chapter 13 Can Strengths Be Taken Too Far? Addressing a Common Misperception
    4. Chapter 14 Building Strengths with Multi-Rater Feedback Why 360-Degree Assessments Can Be Your Best Tool
  11. Appendix A Are Leaders Born or Made?
  12. Appendix B History of the Strengths Movement
  13. Notes
  14. Index

Product information

  • Title: How to Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success By Magnifying Your Strengths
  • Author(s): John Zenger, Joseph Folkman, Sherwin, Barbara Steel
  • Release date: June 2012
  • Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
  • ISBN: 9780071791496