Leadership is hard. How can you balance compassion for your people with effectiveness in getting the job done? A global pandemic, economic volatility, natural disasters, civil and political unrest. From New York to Barcelona to Hong Kong, it can feel as if the world as we know it is coming apart. Through it all, our human spirit is being tested. Now more than ever, it's imperative for leaders to demonstrate compassion. But in hard times like these, leaders need to make hard decisions—deliver negative feedback, make difficult choices that disappoint people, and in some cases lay people off. How do you do the hard things that come with the responsibility of leadership while remaining a good human being and bringing out the best in others? Most people think we have to make a binary choice between being a good human being and being a tough, effective leader. But this is a false dichotomy. Being human and doing what needs to be done are not mutually exclusive. In truth, doing hard things and making difficult decisions is often the most compassionate thing to do. As founder and CEO of Potential Project, Rasmus Hougaard and his longtime coauthor, Jacqueline Carter, show in this powerful, practical book, you must always balance caring for your people with leadership wisdom and effectiveness. Using data from thousands of leaders, employees, and companies in nearly a hundred countries, the authors find that when leaders bring the right balance of compassion and wisdom to the job, they foster much higher levels of employee engagement, performance, loyalty, and well-being in their people. With rich examples from Netflix, IKEA, Unilever, and many other global companies, as well as practical tools and advice for leaders and managers at any level, Compassionate Leadership is your indispensable guide to doing the hard work of leadership in a human way.

What makes a truly exceptional leader? Discover the practical, fail-proof tools that will help you to fine-tune your leadership skills, solidify respect among your workforce, and ensure your company’s lasting success. When Martin G. Moore was asked to rescue a leading energy corporation from ever-increasing debt and a lack of executive accountability, he faced an uphill battle. Not only had he never before stepped into the role of CEO; he also had no experience in the rapidly evolving energy sector. Relying on the practical leadership principles he had honed throughout his thirty-three-year career, he overhauled the company’s culture, redefined its leadership capability, and increased earnings by a compound annual growth rate of 125 percent. In No Bullsh!t Leadership, Moore outlines these proven leadership principles in a clear, direct way. He sweeps away the mystical fog surrounding leadership today and lays out the essential steps for success. Moore combines this tangible advice with honest, real-world examples from his own career to provide a no-nonsense look at the skills a true leader possesses. Moore’s principles for no bullshit leadership focus on: Creating value by focusing only on the things that matter most Facing conflict, adversity, and ambiguity with decisiveness and confidence Setting uncompromising standards for behavior and performance Selecting and developing great people Making those people accountable, and empowering them to do their best Setting simple, value-driven goals and communicating them relentlessly Though the steps aren’t easy, they are guaranteed, if implemented, to lift your leadership–and your organization–to a higher level. Wherever you are in your career, No Bullsh!t Leadership will help you develop the skills and form the habits needed to become a no bullshit leader.

A comprehensive blueprint for the enlightened leader The Leadership Contract is the modern leader's handbook for organizational renewal. Leaders are no longer "rulers," nor are they accidental—in today's business climate, leadership is both a trait and a specific set of skills. It's about trust, commitment, communication, and drive. This book shows you how to become the leader your organization needs. You'll go beyond adopting the habits and practices of an effective leader and actually put it in writing to establish a leadership contract that ensures the success of your company. This revised and updated edition includes new coverage of accountability, personal and organizational levels of the leadership contract, new Gut Check summary questions after each chapter, and additional opening and closing remarks to provide key insight into what the leadership role entails. Recent studies show that only 7 percent of employees have trust and confidence in their senior leaders. How can organizations succeed without the support of their employees? This book aims to build better leaders and establish a true leadership culture that inspires the entire organization. Learn why a leadership contract is needed and what it entails Discover the real impact of your decisions and work ethic Motivate and inspire by making the right connections Facilitate a vibrant, positive culture that innovates and thrives Exceptional leadership is the heart of a successful organization. Employees need to be able to trust in the skills, strategy, judgment, and motivation of those steering the ship. The Leadership Contract provides a blueprint for today's leaders, and guides you toward becoming the leader your employees deserve.

Iron-Sharpened Leadership, Transforming Hard Fought Leadership Lessons into Action is a leadership book the reader will find valuable and inspiring. This leadership book is based on real-world operational experience including life and death decisions from the caldron of fierce combat. The book is peppered with inspirational stories along with actions one can take to become a more effective leader. Each chapter stands on its own and a leader will find valuable life-changing leadership lessons with the turn of every page.Gronski takes a values-based approach to leadership effectiveness and the book is oriented along the lines of his leadership philosophy which includes character, competence, and resilience.

“A perceptive and practical book about why our calendars so rarely reflect our priorities and what we can do to regain control.”—ADAM GRANT “Carey’s book will help you reorganize your life. And then you can share a copy with someone you care about.”—SETH GODIN You deserve to stop living at an unsustainable pace. An influential podcaster and thought leader shows you how. Overwhelmed. Overcommitted. Overworked. That’s the false script an inordinate number of people adopt to be successful. Does this sound familiar: ● Slammed is normal. ● Distractions are everywhere. ● Life gets reduced to going through the motions. Tired of living that way? At Your Best gives you the strategies you need to win at work and at home by living in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. Influential podcast host and thought leader Carey Nieuwhof understands the challenges of constant pressure. After a season of burnout almost took him out, he discovered how to get time, energy, and priorities working in his favor. This approach freed up more than one thousand productive hours a year for him and can do the same for you. At Your Best will help you ● replace chronic exhaustion with deep productivity ● break the pattern of overpromising and never accomplishing enough ● clarify what matters most by restructuring your day ● master the art of saying no, without losing friends or influence ● discover why vacations and sabbaticals don’t really solve your problems ● develop a personalized plan to recapture each day so you can break free from the trap of endless to-dos Start thriving at work and at home as you discover how to be at your best.

As public schools face hard times, disenchantment and the continual barrage of criticism call for more successful schools. The "soft" sides of leadership-trust, imagination, creativity, respect, and dignity-are the critical intangibles that connects people in deep and rewarding relationships to improve the climate for children and their ability to learn. Leaders who connect with people and build exciting relationships are needed, as teachers and other educators feel the loss of public support and esteem. Soft leadership begins with an introspective inquiry into leadership and the obligation leaders have to people, purpose, and relationships. Through the use of poetry and philosophical principles, Soft Leadership for Hard Times provides practitioners with a clear understanding of relationships that touch people and connect them to their calling and purpose. It addresses the need for leadership that does not take a re-engineering and a metrical approach to creating exciting places for teachers and students. This book will be of interest to superintendents, principals, and students of leadership.

Leadership matters more than ever in this turbulent moment in American higher education. During these unprecedented times, glaring internal inefficiencies, communication breakdowns, and an overriding sense of cultural inertia on many campuses are too often set against a backdrop of changing consumer preferences, high sticker prices, declining demand, massive tuition discounting, aging infrastructure, technological and pedagogical alternatives, and political pressure. Strategic leadership in such a complex environment needs to be exercised in nuanced ways that differ from those embraced by corporate cultures. In Leadership Matters, W. Joseph King and Brian C. Mitchell argue that the success of higher education institutions depends on strategic leaders who can utilize the strengths of their institutions and leaders to balance internal pressures, shifting demographics, global education needs, and workforce preparation demands beyond the college gates. Drawing on their extensive experience, the authors guide senior administration, trustees, and presidents on how to lead during immense financial, demographic, and social challenges. King and Mitchell believe that, to survive, colleges must be well run—flexible, effective, and forward thinking. The authors begin with a fundamental premise—that colleges and universities must evolve and adapt by modernizing their practices, monetizing their assets, focusing on core educational strategies, and linking explicitly to the modern world. Discussing a broad range of leadership positions, including presidents, provosts, and board chairs, Leadership Matters touches on strategic planning, management and operations, stakeholder relations, campus and community, accreditation and athletic conferences, and much more. The authors offer an optimistic assessment based upon frank and stark conclusions about what colleges must do—and must not do—to remain relevant in the coming decades.