Three Commitments of Leadership: How Clarity, Stability, and Rhythm Create Great Leaders

Three Commitments of Leadership: How Clarity, Stability, and Rhythm Create Great Leaders

by Tom Endersbe, Jon Wortmann, Jay Therrien
Released November 2011
Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
ISBN: 9780071775250

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Book description

BE THE KIND OF LEADER PEOPLE WANT TO WORK WITH

“Do you want an engaged and best efforts culture? Do you want to attract and retain the best people? If your answers to those questions are yes and yes, then I highly recommend you read and you practice The Three Commitments of Leadership.”
—DOUG LENNICK, CEO, Lennick Aberman Group and author of the internationally acclaimed Moral Intelligence

“In The Three Commitments of Leadership, the authors offer safe harbor for those in any leadership role that find themselves in rough seas. The text is full of memorable wisdom and important stories, well told. This book moved me; it will move you, too.”
—MARK BRYAN, bestselling author of The Artist’s Way at Work

"The authors of Three Commitments of Leadership have distilled the qualities of leadership into an inspiring essence. You'll not only learn what it takes to become a great leader; you'll learn how to inspire those around you to commit to greatness as well."
—DANIEL H. PINK, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

Every effective leader has his or her own personal style—but they all share one thing in common: Commitment. They know what commitments to make to motivate their teammates, build more productive organizations, and be the kind of leaders people want to work with.

But what exactly are great leaders committed to? The Three Commitments of Leadership delivers the answers that are the foundation of an evolution in the way human beings will lead for the future.

Written by a team of learning and development experts, this groundbreaking book provides a leadership model that will help you know where to pay attention, so every action you take has the impact you hope for. Too many leaders obsess over short-term profits, popularity, and pleasing boards, bosses, and special interests—when they should be obsessing over building lasting relationships and results.

TheThree Commitments of Leadership digs deep into what leaders must focus on to truly be exceptional:

  • CLARITY—Creating a common understanding of what success looks like
  • STABILITY—Providing the resources people need and building a culture of trust
  • RHYTHM—Fostering a flow of work and an environment that feels natural

It’s simple—but not easy. Globalization, competition, and shrinking margins are making it tougher than ever to operate without deep engagement from every member of every team. The solution is a tenacious dedication to a straightforward way of leading that produces the outcomes you need and turns every teammate into a fellow leader, too.

Table of contents

  1. Cover page
  2. The Three Commitments of Leadership
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Content
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Preface
  8. Chapter 1 What Kind of Leader Do You Want To Be?
    1. The Ship Is Sinking
    2. Leaders Create New Realities
    3. How We Learn to Be Leaders
    4. You Can Be a Better Leader Right Now
    5. The Other Jack
    6. What Kind of Leader Do You Want to Be?
  9. Chapter 2 Clarity
    1. What Is the Commitment to Clarity?
    2. Blind Men Baking Bread
    3. Do You Have Clarity?
    4. Dead Men Tell No Tales
    5. Add, Keep, Delete
    6. We Think We've Been Clear
    7. The Sponge and Shortcuts
    8. Asking Why
    9. Puzzle Pieces
    10. End Every Conversation with a Reframe
    11. Simple Assessments: What Does Success Look Like?
  10. Chapter 3 Stability
    1. What Is the Commitment to Stability?
    2. Starting Up a Culture of Stability
    3. Do You Have Stability?
    4. The Nimrod
    5. Radar and the Alarm
    6. Recognize Each Teammate's Fear Response
    7. Free Lunch, No Chores, Unlimited Learning, and Consistent Messages
    8. General Mills
    9. Why Trust Is Essential for Stability
    10. How to Create a Culture of Trust
    11. What to Do with Emotion
    12. Simple Assessments: What Do You Need?
  11. Chapter 4 Rhythm
    1. What Is the Commitment to Rhythm?
    2. The Perfect Work Day
    3. Do You Have Rhythm?
    4. Henry Ford on Thomas Edison
    5. The Foundation of Rhythm Is Freedom
    6. Happiness Equals Rhythm
    7. Regular Measurement
    8. Weekly Reviews
    9. Renewing Rituals
    10. Simple Assessments: What's in Your Way?
  12. Chapter 5 How to Build A Team of Leaders
    1. The Greatest Scientist Whose Name We Don't Remember
    2. The Problem with Opportunities
    3. What Is a Team of Leaders?
    4. The Elephant Approach
    5. How to Assess When Someone's Ready to Lead
    6. First Ask Why
    7. The Ways to Build Confident Leaders
    8. Our Teams of Leaders Are All Around Us
    9. What Leaders Crave
  13. Chapter 6 1,000,000 Leaders
    1. A World of Leaders
    2. Kissing Your Enemy
    3. The Math
    4. The Musician's Village
    5. Leaders for Life
    6. A Community of Aspiration
    7. The Inevitable Doubt
    8. Lead Every Day
    9. Postlude: The Unexpected Prize
  14. Selected Bibliography
  15. Index

Product information

  • Title: Three Commitments of Leadership: How Clarity, Stability, and Rhythm Create Great Leaders
  • Author(s): Tom Endersbe, Jon Wortmann, Jay Therrien
  • Release date: November 2011
  • Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
  • ISBN: 9780071775250