How to Be Exceptional

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.