The Heart of a Leader - by Kristin Harper (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Most employees are taught to work hard then wait to be recognized and rewarded. This has left millions of employees disappointed, dissatisfied, and stuck. Advancing your career requires not only technical competence (the "what") but also careful skills (the "how"). While some employees are lucky enough to have mentors to guide them along their career journey, even fewer have sponsors. This leaves a huge gap for millions of employees who aspire for more in their careers but lack a personal guide to help them navigate an uncertain and often treacherous job terrain. The Heart of a Leader: 52 Emotional Intelligence Insights to Advance Your Career uncovers insider secrets on leadership for go-getters who aren't satisfied with status quo careers. Authored by Kristin Harper, the book is based on over 20 years of firsthand experience climbing the proverbial corporate ladder. When Harper graduated from business school, she had the technical skills to succeed, but she wasn't equipped to navigate the politics, personalities, and changing priorities that accompany the work environment. Through a combination of hard work, sound guidance from mentors, and a commitment to continuous improvement, she was named vice president of a Fortune 15 company in her 30s. Strengthening her emotional intelligence (EI) was a critical enabler of her success. Now, she's sharing these insights with you"--

Book Synopsis

The Heart of a Leader: Fifty-Two Emotional Intelligence Insights to Advance Your Career uncovers insider secrets on leadership for go-getters who aren't satisfied with status quo careers. Authored by Kristin Harper, the book is based on more than twenty years of firsthand experience climbing the proverbial corporate ladder. Each chapter in The Heart of a Leader focuses on leadership and emotional intelligence competencies, actionable tools, bite-sized insights, and inspiring quotes to reference throughout your career.

Whether you're an aspiring leader new in your career or a seasoned employee ready for the next level, adopting the time-tested insights in The Heart of a Leader will help accelerate your career.

Review Quotes

"Harper, CEO of the leadership development company Driven to Succeed, covers the "what" and "how" of successful business leadership in her helpful debut. Using case studies based on her experience working for such companies as Proctor & Gamble, Hershey's, and Coca Cola, she covers 12 skills one needs to be a successful leader--social awareness, emotional self-control, positive outlook, adaptability, and conflict management, among others. Her advice is organized into 52 leadership and emotional intelligence insights and includes tips on how to "control the controllable," "prosper where you're planted," and "extend grace." She also covers navigating office politics and personalities, getting along with one's boss, establishing a 90-day plan for starting a new job or taking on a new role, the importance of self-management, and how to deal with disappointment. For instance, in order to "cultivate influence" within one's office, she recommends developing and pitching plans, soliciting feedback, and using the information to align the interests of others within the office. Useful tables, lists, and practice scripts round things out. This action-oriented guide will be useful to anyone looking to climb the corporate ladder." --Publishers Weekly

"[Harper] describes and analyzes the skills needed to be a successful manager using emotional intelligence.The four domains of emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.... In addition to using emotional intelligence competencies and case studies to illustrate them, she includes a quick reference guide to 52 insights across 12 emotional intelligence competencies among which are know thyself, forgive frequently, experience is the best teacher, leadership can be lonely, be patient for growth, act confident when you feel confident, try to make your manager look good, and extend grace. .... This informative, detailed guide to using emotional intelligence on the job is tailored to those in midcareer, seeking careers in business, or wishing to learn more about emotional intelligence. Business administration students could use this as supplemental reading for management courses." --Library Journal

"[Harper shares] her well-earned wisdom, pragmatic tools and keen insight about leadership and emotional intelligence. Comprised of insider career-building secrets Harper has garnered while leading some of the world's most iconic brands . . . this book is for high-achievers who intend to keep climbing the ladder of success." --The Network Journal

"At the heart of a leader are traits like speed, grit and getting lost in the team. This quick, practical read is a great reminder about these habits that serve us well as leaders." --Mike Kaufmann, CEO, Cardinal Health

"A must read! You will undoubtedly consult these pearls of wisdom innumerable times in your career. Kristin unlocks the secrets that will empower and transform every professional from interns to mid-level managers to executives. I've personally witnessed Kristin model these strategies and embody this philosophy. Prepare for next level success with this treasure!" --Tramayne Whitney, HR Executive, Google

"The Heart of a Leader is a concise pocket-guide reference for navigating the career ecosystem. The author has successfully created a toolkit to support leaders through the trenches of professional development." --Ariana Martin, D.O., Co-author of "Her story; Heartache, Happiness, and Hiccups Along the Way"

"If it comes from the heart, it sticks in the mind, and Harper has provided the glue: 52 high-EQ insights to help you ascend in a way that lets you keep your soul." --Scott Mautz, keynote speaker, author of "Make it Matter" and "Find the Fire"

"Certainly a must read, but also a must have daily reference guide, for any emerging or seasoned leader looking to up their EQ game." --Erika L. Jurrens, Executive SVP of Strategy and Commercialization, ABB Optical Group

"So you want to do better, and you want do good in this world. This is the book for you - and me. Kristin Harper's message and memoir tell us what it takes to succeed and how to be 'truly human.'" --David Lawrence, retired Miami Herald publisher and chair of The Children's Movement of Florida

[Harper shares] her well-earned wisdom, pragmatic tools and keen insight about leadership and emotional intelligence. Comprised of insider career-building secrets Harper has garnered while leading some of the world's most iconic brands . . . this book is for high-achievers who intend to keep climbing the ladder of success.

[Harper] describes and analyzes the skills needed to be a successful manager using emotional intelligence.The four domains of emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.... In addition to using emotional intelligence competencies and case studies to illustrate them, she includes a quick reference guide to 52 insights across 12 emotional intelligence competencies among which are know thyself, forgive frequently, experience is the best teacher, leadership can be lonely, be patient for growth, act confident when you feel confident, try to make your manager look good, and extend grace. .... This informative, detailed guide to using emotional intelligence on the job is tailored to those in midcareer, seeking careers in business, or wishing to learn more about emotional intelligence. Business administration students could use this as supplemental reading for management courses.

Harper, CEO of the leadership development company Driven to Succeed, covers the "what" and "how" of successful business leadership in her helpful debut. Using case studies based on her experience working for such companies as Proctor & Gamble, Hershey's, and Coca Cola, she covers 12 skills one needs to be a successful leader--social awareness, emotional self-control, positive outlook, adaptability, and conflict management, among others. Her advice is organized into 52 leadership and emotional intelligence insights and includes tips on how to "control the controllable," "prosper where you're planted," and "extend grace." She also covers navigating office politics and personalities, getting along with one's boss, establishing a 90-day plan for starting a new job or taking on a new role, the importance of self-management, and how to deal with disappointment. For instance, in order to "cultivate influence" within one's office, she recommends developing and pitching plans, soliciting feedback, and using the information to align the interests of others within the office. Useful tables, lists, and practice scripts round things out. This action-oriented guide will be useful to anyone looking to climb the corporate ladder.

A must read! You will undoubtedly consult these pearls of wisdom innumerable times in your career. Kristin unlocks the secrets that will empower and transform every professional from interns to mid-level managers to executives. I've personally witnessed Kristin model these strategies and embody this philosophy. Prepare for next level success with this treasure!

At the heart of a leader are traits like speed, grit and getting lost in the team. This quick, practical read is a great reminder about these habits that serve us well as leaders.

Certainly a must read, but also a must have daily reference guide, for any emerging or seasoned leader looking to up their EQ game.

If it comes from the heart, it sticks in the mind, and Harper has provided the glue: 52 high-EQ insights to help you ascend in a way that lets you keep your soul.

So you want to do better, and you want do good in this world. This is the book for you - and me. Kristin Harper's message and memoir tell us what it takes to succeed and how to be 'truly human.'

The Heart of a Leader is a concise pocket-guide reference for navigating the career ecosystem. The author has successfully created a toolkit to support leaders through the trenches of professional development.

About the Author

Kristin Harper is CEO of Driven to Succeed, LLC, a leadership development company that provides keynote speaking and brand consulting for businesses, organizations, colleges and high achieving individuals around the world.

Kristin built her career at Procter & Gamble, The Hershey Company, and Cardinal Health, a $120B Fortune 15 healthcare company. She's known for building successful brands including Crest(R), Oral-B(R), and Hershey's KISSES(R), and helping people accelerate their careers.