Pivot Points

Five Decisions Every Successful Leader Must Make

Wiley, 2014

15 min read

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Great leaders make great, difficult, self-defining decisions at crucial “pivot points.”

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Leadership development is a multibillion-dollar industry, yet genuine leaders remain in such short supply. Consultant Julia Tang Peters conducted in-depth interviews with five respected business leaders and did extensive leadership research with 500 more professionals. She determined that executives establish and validate their leadership by their attitude toward making decisions. Peters defines leaders based on the quality of their choices in five crucial decisions they make at career “pivot points.” Unfortunately, Peters is often repetitive and at times sounds like a cheerleader for the five leaders she spotlights. getAbstract nonetheless recommends her decision-based leadership model as a tool for leadership development, career analysis and self-guidance.

Summary

“Pivotal Decisions”

Consider leadership in the context of the decisions leaders make and their subsequent actions. These choices define the best leaders and demonstrate the parameters of quality leadership. Five pivotal decisions validate the best leaders, and help them learn and grow:

“The launching decision” – A leader commits to acquiring the “mastery of specialized skills” that the job at hand requires.
“The turning point decision” – Under great pressure, a leader makes a daring choice to move a company to an advanced level.
“The tipping point decision” – Leaders at the peak of their knowledge and power decide to embrace a serious risk. They can take this step when their companies run smoothly, due to their leadership, and have little need for top-down directives. Freed of day-to-day responsibilities, leaders leverage their vision and talents to savor “the mantle of power.”
“The recommitment decision” – Leaders at a certain career point must recommit to their businesses or leave it. This normally occurs when they reach “their late 40s or early 50s.” Recommitment may involve their personal lives, rather ...

About the Author

Julia Tang Peters is a business consultant who works with Fortune 100 global corporations and entrepreneurial firms. She is also a licensed family therapist.

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D. H. 7 years ago

A good foundation book to distinguish between manager & leadership - Q: was the research made with USA based leaders?
P. G. getAbstract 10 years ago

A great explanation of the difference between being a leader and a manager.

Julia Tang Peters