Practical Lessons in Leadership offers career and start-up guidance for aspiring or new leaders, and pragmatic recommendations for leaders who want to develop strong teams and drive outstanding results. Practical Lessons is geared for leaders at all stages of the leadership lifecycle (new, early career or experienced) struggling to cope with a hypercompetitive global environment and a rapidly changing, inexperienced and highly mobile workforce. These visible and predictable macro trends require that the need to identify and develop leadership talent is at the top of every organization's strategy plan. Tomorrow's knowledge worker will face pressure to lead teams, projects and companies, but will lack the experience and guidance for management that the boomers take with them into retirement. Practical Lessons fills a critical gap in existing leadership content, by posing leadership as a conscious choice and then providing the tools and approaches necessary for professionals at all stages of the leadership lifecycle to understand their role, establish fundamental practices, integrate their actions with the organization's strategy, motivate and inspire their teams, and drive great results.
In the opening portion of Practical Lessons, the aspiring professional gains a clear vision of the role and responsibilities of a leader, as well as helpful tools to assess whether this difficult role fits with their interests and skills. The remainder and majority of the book arms the new or experienced leader with practical approaches for important topics, including building credibility, starting with a new team, integrating activities with organizational strategy, identifying and developing talent, and creating a culture of innovation and operational excellence.
For the early career professional, aspiring leader or experienced manager, Practical Lessons offers a wealth of insight and direction for succeeding in this most challenging of professions during a period in time when leadership talent is increasingly viewed as a strategic asset.
