Exceptional Leadership by Design: How Design in Great Organizations Produces Great Leadership - Hardcover

`When the words; leadership, human, design, empathy and cultural intelligence appear repeatedly, you have a recipe for hope. Right now the world lacks a leader who can give us all hope. This book could provide the answer to "leadership" in the true meaning of the word.' -- Tina Thomson, General Manager Operations at Nygala Corp `Reading this book felt like looking in a special 21st-century mirror which shows my own concerns, challenges and ambitions in transformational leadership. It is clear that I am not alone in this, and that there is no one right way of doing things. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who sees the importance of innovation and is grappling with making it work in their own organisation.' -- Neil Stewart, Chief Executive, Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation `A fresh perspective on how design thinking can help leaders. If you're new to the design thinking approach, the authors provide a valuable summary of the key concepts and methodologies. And even if you've been practising these principles with your team or organization, the book will expand your horizons on how to apply design thinking as a leadership discipline, to look within yourself and how you lead with fresh, open eyes.' -- Gary Gonya, EVP, Director of Culture & Talent `This is a must have book for every Leadership practitioner by their bedside table! A unique and interesting blend of the Art and Science of Leadership with practical tips and anecdotes for use in every situation' -- Himanshu Shah, Global HR Leader, Koninklijke Vopak `Exceptional Leadership by Design is a must-read for leaders who want more than one-time bursts of invention, and seek to truly transform their organizations into sustainable innovation growth engines.' -- Gail M. Jensen, PhD, PT, FAPTA, Dean, Graduate School and College of Professional Studies, Vice Provost for Learning and Assessment `No leader, no matter how inspiring, smart or charismatic, can singularly outpace the exponentially VUCA rate of change. Exceptional Leadership by Design is a must read for leaders who want more than one-time bursts of invention, and seek to truly transform their organizations into sustainable innovation growth engines.' -- Cindy R. Kent, President & General Manager, 3M Infection Prevention Division `A totally fresh yet pragmatic perspective on diverse aspects of organizational leadership... couldn't have imagined that leadership could be potentially designed. Read this book, and learn from the best minds working on this novel idea.' -- Ashoo Khosla, Author of Off the Corporate Bus and into the Creativity Boat `I like this book. Sound underwhelming? Not at all. Leadership books started sounding alike years ago. This one immediately grabbed me as different. It's elegant. Easily memorable. Sweet to spend time with. That's design.' -- Ira Chaleff, Author of Intelligent Disobedience: Doing Right When What You're Told To Do Is Wrong `An exceptional read about exceptional leadership. As a systems thinker it is wonderful to get more insights in to the true design integrity of leadership. Read it!' -- Fons Trompenaars, Keynote, Thought Leader and Bestselling Author

Imagine a world with great leadership. What would that world be like? Would it be a better world or a worse one? Now ratchet great leadership up to exceptional leadership and suddenly we have cause for optimism. But how do we design exceptional leadership, and would we even know it if we saw it? Traditional paradigms of leadership have celebrated decisive top-down control and analytical decision-making. But times are changing. The world is more connected, complex, fluid and interdependent. This book debunks the myth that leaders need to be creative like designers to apply Design Thinking. Applying design approaches and practices to organizational leadership is not just about its leaders becoming more creative. It is definitely not about the person at the top coming up with the grand answer. Design thinking starts with the 'pain point' related to the problem you are trying to solve. You get to the heart of the issue. It is a collaborative effort that neatly leads stakeholders and representatives affected by the problem to design novel leadership solutions that actually work. This collection of stories, examples and narratives about exceptional leadership by design provides readers of all levels of experience with tangible, real, and heartfelt examples of how the design process can be applied to leadership. It will show how we: Inform great leadership with design Strengthen our own leadership by design Redesign hero leadership for more inclusivity Redesign organizations for Fe+Male leadership synergy Design leadership for a VUCA world Design flow-based leadership Design organizations that build resilient leadership Design leadership for innovation Design culturally intelligent leadership Build leadership into our spaces and places