Leadership Intelligence - by Caroline Webb (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"Invaluable . . . a terrific book for leaders"--Jonathan Haidt
"Tools simple enough to remember and powerful enough to reshape how you work"--Daniel Pink
"Will help you understand your own brain, and bring out the intelligence of those around you"--Kim Scott

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A Next Big Idea Club MUST-READ for September 2026 - A Porchlight BEST NEW BUSINESS BOOK

From the acclaimed author of How to Have a Good Day, a powerful argument for developing the human strengths that will be vital for leading effectively in the age of AI.

In times of great change, great leadership is crucial--and our current times are no exception. Today, along with the demands that leaders have always faced--balancing short-term progress with long-term planning; delivering strong results without burning people out--we're also in an era of major technological disruption. As that change accelerates, the instinct to lean hard into AI can feel more urgent than anything else.

But the best leaders know better. As AI capabilities become more universal, the leaders who stand out won't be those who only use technology well--it will be those who can also draw out and develop the best of the human intelligence on their teams, by maximizing distinctly human strengths like critical thinking and interpersonal insight.

In Leadership Intelligence, economist and former McKinsey partner Caroline Webb shows readers how to rise to this challenge. Rooted in fresh insights from behavioral science, and brought to life by the personal stories of accomplished senior leaders, the book provides an integrated system of new frameworks and tools for mastering common workplace situations.

Built around three key strengths of an effective leader--making wise choices, inspiring people to perform at their best, and building resilience to ups and downs--Webb distills her decades of work advising senior executives into concrete guidance on 21 critical topics, including:

• How to make difficult decisions and tradeoffs
• How to strengthen team collaboration
• How to lead through uncertainty and upheaval
• How to give feedback that drives action
• and many more

Written in a clear, engaging style that makes it both useful and enjoyable, Leadership Intelligence is a powerful playbook that readers will return to as their roles and responsibilities grow--today and into whatever the next era holds.

Review Quotes

"A terrific book for leaders. Every page offers invaluable advice drawn from Webb's long experience as an executive coach, all grounded in current research on how the brain processes information, rewards, and threats--and I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of her advice. If you want to become a wiser, more inspiring, and more resilient leader, this is the best book you can read."--Jonathan Haidt, Professor of Ethical Leadership at NYU Stern School of Business, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Anxious Generation and The Righteous Mind

"Caroline Webb captures the texture of modern leadership with the accuracy of someone who has lived it. Then she offers a suite of tools so well designed that using them feels less like following advice and more like seeing clearly . . . simple enough to remember and powerful enough to reshape how you work."--Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret and Drive

"Leadership Intelligence provides a great system of principles and tools for leading your team well, and for converting tough challenges into genuine learning and progress. Backed by behavioral science and vivid real-world stories, this is an essential guide for anyone who wants to lead with greater clarity, impact, and humanity."--Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, author of Right Kind of Wrong and The Fearless Organization

"Caroline Webb is candid about why leading can feel so exhausting and lonely; she's also inspirational about its joys. Packed with practical, tactical advice as well as relatable stories, this book will reassure you that you are not alone because she is in your corner."--Kim Scott, bestselling author of Radical Candor and Radical Respect

"Caroline Webb is one of the best leadership coaches in the world. I know this because I've worked alongside her and seen her help leaders tackle some of their hardest business and behavioral challenges. Leadership Intelligence captures what makes Caroline so effective as a coach. It's smart, insightful, practical--and it will immediately improve the way you lead."--Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 Hall of Fame executive coach, New York Times bestselling author of Triggers and What Got You Here Won't Get You There

"A gold mine for leaders who want to keep raising their game . . . unusually comprehensive, and full of the kind of frameworks and insights that I have seen make a difference in real-world settings."--Dominic Barton, Chairman of Rio Tinto, former Global Managing Partner of McKinsey & Company, former Canadian Ambassador to the People's Republic of China

"Leadership Intelligence is an amazing book--a veritable trove of knowledge, insights and practical advice. It answers real questions that managers struggle with, and does it in a systemic, science-based manner. It deserves to become a classic, and I look forward to recommending it to every manager I meet for years to come."--Olivier Sibony, Professor of Strategy at HEC Paris, New York Times bestselling co-author of Noise and author of You're About to Make a Terrible Mistake!

"Caroline Webb's Leadership Intelligence is a bible for leaders, as richly practical as it is deeply insightful. Highly recommended."--Adam Alter, Professor of Marketing, NYU Stern School of Business, New York Times bestselling author of Irresistible and Anatomy of a Breakthrough

"A masterful guide to creating the conditions for people to thrive and contribute their best. Webb shows us that the core leadership principles of building wisdom, inspiring others, and sustaining resilience can help any leader unlock the human magic that lives within their team. In a world that desperately needs purposeful, human-centered leadership, this book is an essential compass."--Hubert Joly, former CEO of Best Buy, bestselling author of The Heart of Business, senior lecturer at Harvard Business School

"Leadership Intelligence is exactly what I look for in a leadership book: science-based, pragmatic, and genuinely useful."--Ethan Kross, bestselling author of Chatter and Shift

"Caroline Webb has done it! Leadership Intelligence is rigorous without being cold, and practical without any of the trite slogans that make most leadership books unreadable. I'll be recommending this book to everyone I know who has to lead people."--Scott Barry Kaufman, author of Transcend and co-editor of Leading for Tomorrow

About the Author

Caroline Webb is a leadership coach, economist, and author of How to Have a Good Day. She is a Senior Advisor on leadership to McKinsey & Company, where she was previously a Partner. Her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Economist, Financial Times, Fortune, and Time, among others.