The Extraordinary Leader : Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders (Hardcover)

by John Zenger (Author), Joseph Folkman (Author) "While seated at a dinner table recently, it became known that we were writing a book..." (more)
Key Phrases: competency companions, possess multiple strengths, overall leadership effectiveness, Peter Drucker, Marine Corps, Personal Capability (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Secrets for developing leadership and competitive advantage in any organization

The Extraordinary Leader is a research-based book about leadership. It analyzes 200,000 assessments from 20,000 managers and presents new insights that demystify this complex subject. It clearly establishes the importance of developing great leaders versus being satisfied with merely good ones, and highlights the link between leadership behavior and an organization's performance.

From the authors' research, a new model of leadership emerges that challenges long-held beliefs about leadership competencies. The authors identify 16 competencies that tower above all the others-­­the ones that separate great leaders from the average. One of the book's major breakthroughs is its focus on the importance of maximizing strengths as opposed to merely correcting weaknesses. Further, the importance of balanced strengths is introduced: when strengths are clustered in one area, the leader is less effective than he or she could be with strengths in different areas.

From the Inside Flap
A No-Nonsense, Battle-Tested Program for Developing Exceptional Leadership Skills—Both In Your Organization and Yourself

The ability to lead, far more than just a natural gift, is a concrete and learnable skill—one that can be acquired by studying and applying specific proficiencies and attitudes. The Extraordinary Leader draws on responses from 200,000 questionnaires to define the skills that comprise effective leadership, and then provides a systematic and innovative program for attaining, developing, and implementing those skills.

Praise for The Extraordinary Leader:

"The Extraordinary Leader attacks cherished but unsupportable assumptions, and does it persuasively, precisely, and professionally. Through their exceptional research the authors demonstrate and prove that leadership does make a difference, and that you can learn to lead."—James M. Kouzes, Chairman Emeritus, Tom Peters Company, Coauthor, The Leadership Challenge and Encouraging the Heart

"Extraordinarily readable! This book represents some of the best thinking on leadership I’ve seen in a long while."—E. David Spong, President, Military Aerospace Support, The Boeing Company

"This is a ‘must read’ for coaches, leaders, and those who develop them. The Extraordinary Leader goes beyond anecdotes or ‘war stories,’ it builds upon comprehensive research. It is destined to be a classic in our field."—Marshall Goldsmith, Named by Forbes as one of five top executive coaches and one of Wall Street Journal’s "Top 10" executive educators

"Our objective is to provide the reader with an empirical analysis of leadership, a simple and practical conceptual model of what leadership is, and an actionable guide to helping leaders develop ‘greatness.’"—From Chapter 1

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (July 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071387471
• ISBN-13: 978-0071387477
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #145,472 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed With Knowledge!, June 6, 2004

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In this volume, two battle-scarred veterans of what might be called "The Leadership Wars" - that is, the exhaustive effort over several decades to define the elusive nature of leadership and how it can best be nurtured - present insights on leadership that are based on a series of formal surveys conducted with companies nationwide. They also present 16 core competencies that affect the perception of whether you are, or aren't, a great leader. In many ways, they demystify leadership. Being a great leader, they tell us, isn't a matter of genetics or tea leaves: by studying what it takes to be a great leader, you can become one yourself. We strongly recommend this book for followers who want to become leaders, and for leaders who would like to be a little less lonely at the top.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich in Facts, Excellent in Examples, April 27, 2004

By	Leslie C., Business Insights, Inc. (Long Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Unlike many studies of leadership and management, this book roots out how human behaviors affect results - with robust research and anecdotal evidence that provides readers with progressive but comprehensible logic. It is the best business book I have encountered, because it balances reality against theory, and effectively reconciles the two. It is a bonus that the authors did not impose academic terminology on those of us in the real business world.

The great thing is that the authors took the time to quantify and then explain how perceptions of leaders translate into actions by those they lead. The best thing about the book is that it lists specific levels of characteristics and competencies that distinguish adequate from excellent. A reader can quickly paint a self portrait (or picture of fellow leaders, for that matter) that reveals strengths and flaws. Then, one can easily identify what is needed to move up the ladder of respect and esteem. The hard part is that many leaders, as they say in the book, "think that being 'good' is good enough". For those who truly have an interest in greatness, this book gives the recipe.

Easy to follow, it thoughtfully breaks down the elements of leadership, starting with broad categories that are boiled down into actionable behaviors and traits. The Extraordinary Leader also gives some surprising insights based on findings that will hopefully change how business leaders establish value systems and shape company culture.

This book has become an extremely valuable tool in my consulting practice!

24 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on developing leaders - by far!, September 9, 2002

By	Howard Risher Ph.D. "hrisher" (Valley Forge, PA USA) - See all my reviews

For the past two years I have been working as a consultant on the creation of an executive service for the UN. More recently I have played a similar role for the US federal government. I have become a student of the thinking and the books on developing leaders. This book is by far the most important book to read. Its based solidly on research findings but more importantly on intuitively valid conclusions. It makes practical sense.

It takes the current state of the art and moves it forward. It also raises important questions about prevailing beliefs and practices. The ideas developed in this book make you realize why most executive development is not productive.

I see this book as a companion piece to another of the great books on the subject, Results-Based Leadership. Jack Zenger is one of the authors of both books.