Discovering the Leader in You

This book is based on a simple, obvious point: leadership roles should be filled by people who deliberately decide they want to be in them. Yet many executives and managers find that they have become leaders by default rather than as a result of a personal choice. In fact, a great many people drift into or away from being leaders simply because they have not done the work of matching their own honestly described self with the realities of the leadership role. Not until they are well into their careers do many individuals seriously explore their personal fit for leadership. But by then, it is often too late to prepare for more gratifying roles or to get out of situations that don't make sense for them as individuals.

Discovering the Leader in You offers a planful approach to understanding how aspects of personality, character, vision, home life, values, and skills match with essential leadership activities. This unique system of self-discovery clearly shows what it looks like to fit or not to fit in leadership roles in organizations.

Robert J. Lee and Sara N. King, who developed this approach from their experience at the widely renowned Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina, help leaders and potential leaders examine leadership commitments and development paths in the context of who they are as individuals. They show how to connect the inner self to the demands of leadership by using a set of questions that help (1) clarify the relevant realities and expectations in a leadership role, (2) bring out a personal vision and a leadership vision, (3) base leadership behaviors on personal values, (4) become more authentic in leadership situations, and (5) productively integrate work and personal lives.

Discovering the Leader in You will help all executives--seasoned veterans and those considering leading as a new direction in their careers--to gain more personal insight into what leadership really means to them, to retain more control over their career choices, and consequently to achieve more personal success as leaders.

"In the considerable literature on leadership, this book focuses on something new-how individuals can identify the key attributes of great leadership and link them to their own unique vision, values, and personal strengths. The authors provide a roadmap to...