Great leaders know that the most important lessons come from trial-and-error. Mistakes are part of taking healthy risk. They provide us with new ways of thinking and give us new insights into how we can improve as leaders. Real failure doesnt come from making mistakes; it comes from avoiding errors at all possible cost. But in todays business world, we dont talk about failure; we celebrate success and hide mistakes. To be a fast-track leader, failure is not an option. In fact, there are only a limited number of mistakes you can make before falling from the corporate ladder. Paradoxically, in order to succeed you need to know failure. How can you get around this problem? Professor Laurence G. Weinzimmer and respected business leader Jim McConoughey argue that leadership ability actually results from two distinct practices: following patterns of successes and developing skills to learn from and avoid failures. You need to understand what has worked and has not worked in the past--and why. And you can learn both through your own direct experience and, more important, through clear-sighted analysis of other leaders failures. Based on a seven-year-long study in which the authors surveyed almost a thousand managers and interviewed C-level leaders--including: Jim Owens (CEO, Caterpillar Inc.), Jeff Hoffman (cofounder, Priceline.com), and George Ruebenson (former president, Allstate)-- the authors identify three critical areas where aspiring leaders typically fail and offer practical ideas to help you proactively avoid mistakes in those areas: Unbalanced Orchestration at the organizational level-- Trying to be all things to all people, roaming outside the box, putting efficiencies before effectiveness Drama Management at the team level - Becoming a bully leader, pursuing harmony among your team at the cost of effectiveness, losing sight of the dynamics of a team. Personality Issues at the individual level - hoarding responsibilities, rather than delegating them; becoming disengaged from your purpose; falling in the trap of self-absorption. Filled with untold stories of leaders whove made mistakes in these areas and learned from them, FAILURE OPTIONAL shows you how to learn from their failures without having to experience them personally and pay the price. This how-not-to leadership guide is essential to your ultimate success.
