The Leap to Leader - by Adam Bryant (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The chasm separating managers from leaders is widening, because the responsibilities of leaders, and the skills required to be effective in the role, are growing in number and complexity. But you are ambitious. You want to cross that chasm. And your organization needs you to cross it in order to build its bench of leaders who will lead with empathy and humanity and ground the organization's strategies in a broader sense of mission and purpose. The Leap to Leader is your trusted playbook for making the biggest jump of your career. Foregrounded by compelling stories of those who've made the leap, this book describes what it takes to become a confident leader. Successful CEOs and other C-suite leaders share their strategies and tactics for building a loyal following, winning promotions without asking for them, developing a legacy by helping others make the leap to leader, and much more. Written by Adam Bryant, creator and former author of the iconic Corner Office column in the New York Times, now managing director at The ExCo Group, The Leap to Leader draws on his work with hundreds of fast-rising executives and shares the leadership-development frameworks, tools, and approaches that have helped these leaders succeed. The leap to leader doesn't have to be a leap of faith. If you're ready to make the jump, start here"--

Book Synopsis

Get ready to make the biggest jump of your career.

The chasm separating managers from leaders is widening as the skills required to be an effective leader grow in number and complexity. But you're ambitious. You want to cross that chasm. And your organization needs you to cross it in order to join its bench of stars who will lead with empathy and humanity and ground the organization's strategies in a meaningful, mission-driven, and purposeful way.

The Leap to Leader is your trusted playbook for making the biggest jump of your career. You'll learn from more than a hundred successful leaders who share their powerful insights and compelling stories of how to make the leap, along with practical strategies and tactics for building a loyal following, moving up quickly to broaden your impact, and making the subtle but crucial mindset shifts that are required to lead others effectively.

As senior managing director at the ExCo Group, Adam Bryant has worked directly with hundreds of fast-rising executives, sharing the leadership development frameworks, tools, and approaches that are at the heart of this book. He draws on the collective wisdom of the one hundred mentors at his firm--all former CEOs or global business leaders--who know what it takes to make the leap to leader. As the creator of the iconic Corner Office column in the New York Times, Bryant has spoken with more than a thousand leaders over the years about the challenges and nuances of leadership.

The leap to leader doesn't have to be a leap of faith. If you're ready to make the jump, start here.

Review Quotes

"The Leap to Leader is not just a book; it's a roadmap for professionals seeking inspiration and practical advice to continue to broaden their leadership skills, not only for promotion but also implementing best practices." -- PM World Journal

Named a Top Voice in Leadership by LinkedIn

Advance Praise for The Leap to Leader:

"Adam Bryant expertly identifies why leading is completely different from managing. Drawing on intimate conversations with transformational, inspiring leaders, Bryant deftly lays out what every manager should know--and do--to make the leap. An indispensable guide for rising managers and for leaders who aspire to do even more." -- Laszlo Bock, cofounder, Humu and Gretel; former Chief Human Resources Officer, Google; New York Times bestselling author, Work Rules!

"Adam Bryant delivers again! In The Leap to Leader, he offers a three-part guide, full of practical tips, insights, and stories for those wishing to graduate from management to leadership. He not only poses the key question--Are you drawn to the fire?--but also describes the mindset shift that all great leaders must master." -- Deborah Lee James, 23rd Secretary of the Air Force; author, Aim High

"Leadership is a privilege because it provides an opportunity to make a huge impact by influencing others. And it's a challenge because leaders must learn how to influence others by inspiring them rather than telling them. Bryant captures this theme brilliantly, and if you want to become an impactful leader, this book is for you." -- Niren Chaudhary, CEO, Panera Brands

"With his journalistic approach to demystifying leadership, Adam Bryant has created an intensely practical guide filled with compelling insights, memorable stories, and actionable tips from CEOs. It will help anybody who aspires to lead." -- Marla Beck, cofounder and former CEO, Bluemercury

"The Leap to Leader has all the signature elements of Adam Bryant's work: an eye for the candid anecdote, an ear for different voices in a world of business where most of us sound the same, and an instinct for what can actually help people become better leaders in every phase of their lives. It has little details and big ideas, and it is the distillation of a lifetime of talking and listening to all sorts of leaders about their deepest hopes and fears." -- Glenn Kelman, President and CEO, Redfin

About the Author

Adam Bryant is senior managing director and partner at the ExCo Group, where he works with hundreds of ambitious leaders rising through the ranks. As the creator and former author of the iconic Corner Office column in the New York Times, Bryant has mastered the art of distilling real-world lessons from his hundreds of interviews and turning them into practical tools, presentations, and exercises to help companies strengthen their leadership benches. He also works with executive leadership teams to help drive their transformation strategies, based on a best-practices framework he developed for his widely praised book, The CEO Test: Master the Challenges That Make or Break All Leaders.

Connect with the Adam Bryant at @AdamBBryant on Twitter.