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The Leadership Contract, 3rd Edition
book

The Leadership Contract, 3rd Edition

by Vince Molinaro
November 2017
Intermediate to advanced content levelIntermediate to advanced
272 pages
6h 59m
English
Wiley
Audiobook available
Content preview from The Leadership Contract, 3rd Edition

Chapter 5Leadership Is a Decision—Make It

Several years ago I worked with a group of senior leaders at a large construction company. We were having a lively conversation about leadership when someone asked me, “Hey, Vince, what is leadership?” I said, “Leadership is a decision.” It was the very first time I had said those words out loud. It was an intuitive response in the moment. But right away Earl, one of the participants, snapped, “Well, I never got to make that decision!”

Earl was the senior vice president of engineering services. He had started his career as an engineer, but the organization soon offered him a supervisory role and a series of promotions. Earl said that he accepted each of these promotions without thinking about whether he truly wanted a new role or whether he was really ready to commit to it.

I looked around the room. Everyone was listening intently. It seemed like Earl's story was striking a chord with the other leaders.

Earl explained that he thought taking on those leadership roles was the logical thing to do. From a practical perspective, it was the only way he could make more money and get more prestige within the company. But he said that every time he took on a more senior leadership role, he moved further and further away from what he really loved to do: engineering.

I have told Earl's story many times, and I have been surprised by how many leaders say they've done the same thing.

Although making more money, expanding your skills, and having more ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781119440536Purchase book