What enables some talented people to rise to the top and live their
full ambitions at work and in life, while others stop short?
In 2007, Joanna Barsh led a team at McKinsey & Company to answer that
very question. In the process, they uncovered what distinguishes leaders
who are successful from those who achieve true greatness, developing an
approach called Centered Leadership. They drew on research from across
the academic fields of leadership, organization behavior, neuroscience,
evolutionary psychology and positive psychology. In addition, Barsh
interviewed over 160 leaders from many fields - including business,
government and the arts - and from many countries. With quantitative
research, the team learned that these leaders have mastered practices to
find their balance in the midst of chaos and lead from their most
resourceful selves, unleashing the potential of others. In 2009, Johanne
Lavoie joined to lead development of programs that help executives build
these capabilities. Their research and development work continues as
more and more leaders experience Centered Leadership.
In the business bestseller, How Remarkable Women Lead, Barsh
described Centered Leadership's five capabilities and the research that
underpins it. Here, with colleague Johanne Lavoie, Barsh provides a
practical, actionable field guide for implementation.
In Centered Leadership, Barsh and Lavoie will guide you through the
Centered Leadership program. You'll find the interactive tools,
exercises, and practices that have helped the men and women participants
in Centered Leadership programs gain the skills, courage and confidence
to lead. And, along the way, you'll read inspiring stories of remarkable
men and women leaders who demonstrate the power of these skills in
action.
Those early in their careers will learn how to use these skills to
explore their passions and accelerate their professional development.
Those forming families will be able to use them to reconcile manage work
and life to get the most out of both. And those who have already
achieved success will be able use these practices to reach their next
leadership horizon.
No matter what stage you are currently at in your career, or what level
of leadership you aspire to, this book will equip you with the tools to
unlock your own Centered Leader and achieve more positive impact at work
and outside it.