The End of Leadership as We Know It – What It Take s to Lead in Today′s Volatile and Complex World

Foreword xi Dr. Marshall Goldsmith Preface xv 1 Introduction: Making a Difference in Our Complex Times 1 2 It's Not About You 19 Trap to avoid: Leading through expertise rather than relationships 3 The Vulnerability Paradox 35 Trap to avoid: Projecting confidence at the expense of humility 4 Stop Strategizing and Start Doing 51 Trap to avoid: Separating strategizing from executing 5 Freeing Your People with Purpose- Driven Simple Rules 69 Trap to avoid: Talking about purpose without operationalizing it 6 Why Community Organizers Consistently Beat Superheroes 85 Trap to avoid: Saving the day instead of building teams that solve problems 7 Vive la Résistance! 101 Trap to avoid: Overcoming resistance to change rather than working with it 8 Resilience Beats Efficiency 117 Trap to avoid: Cutting costs to the point of becoming brittle 9 The Siren Song of Certainty 135 Trap to avoid: Seeking certainty at the expense of reality 10 Data- Driven Decisions Still Need a Driver 151 Trap to avoid: Replacing judgment with data 11 When Best Isn't Best 169 Trap to avoid: Assuming "best practices" are right for your situation 12 Conclusion: The End of Leadership in a Quantum Age 185 Notes 193 Acknowledgments 211 About the Authors 213 Index 215

STEVE GARCIA is a Managing Partner at Contemporary Leadership Advisors. He helps clients build and lead faster, higher-impact, and more adaptive organizations in rapidly changing, complex environments. He has extensive experience as both an executive and executive educator. DAN FISHER is a consulting psychologist and Co-founder of the Institute for Contemporary Leadership and a Managing Partner at Contemporary Leadership Advisors. He has significant experience coaching and advising executives and their teams.