University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
How to Be Exceptional
Book

How to Be Exceptional

Drive Leadership Success By Magnifying Your Strengths

John H. Zenger, Joseph R. Folkman, Robert H. Sherwin Jr. and Barbara A. Steel
McGraw-Hill, 2012
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

If you’ve ever heard someone praise an executive as a “born leader,” you might wonder if anyone is really born to lead. Not really, according to leadership development consultants John H. Zenger, Joseph R. Folkman, Robert H. Sherwin Jr. and Barbara A. Steel, whose extensive research includes data on 27,000 executives. The authors calculate that approximately 32% of leadership ability is genetically based and that the other 68% depends on other factors, such as developing the skills that leadership requires. The authors explain how their research substantiates the merits of “strengths-based” leadership development and cover how that works and what it can accomplish in building leaders for your organization. While this dense, knowledgeable report is sometimes repetitive, the authors offer useful, convincing expertise and information. getAbstract recommends their guidance to all those who want to become “exceptional leaders” and to organizations that want to foster great leadership.

Summary

Are You an “Exceptional Leader”?

Exceptional leaders are absolutely essential to an organization’s success, but what makes leaders exceptional? Leaders in this category have three to five identifiable, outstanding leadership strengths. Unfortunately, a “fatal flaw” – a negative behavior that impedes a leader’s effectiveness – can undermine even good managers. Therefore, before undertaking self-improvement, leaders must eliminate flaws that can have a devastating impact on the perception of their overall effectiveness.

The steps to fixing a fatal flaw are hard but effective: acknowledge and understand the flaw, set up a “measurable” program for change, say you are sorry to anyone you’ve harmed and ask forgiveness, request assistance, and give yourself an award when you succeed. After addressing fatal flaws, focus on your biggest strengths and work hard to improve them.

Even if you have no single, particular area of excellence, you can become a more effective leader if you build one profound strength. People who lack leadership strengths but who work to become great in one area generally move from around the bottom third to near the top third in leadership excellence...

About the Authors

John H. Zenger and Joseph R.  Folkman wrote The Inspiring Leader and The Extraordinary Leader. They cofounded Zenger Folkman, where Robert H. Sherwin Jr. is COO and Barbara A. Steel is senior vice president of leadership effectiveness.

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