Joseph Folkman – författare

Secrets for developing leadership and competitive advantage in any organization

The Extraordinary Leader is a research-based book about leadership. It analyzes 200,000 assessments from 20,000 managers and presents new insights that demystify this complex subject. It clearly establishes the importance of developing great leaders versus being satisfied with merely good ones, and highlights the link between leadership behavior and an organization''s performance.

From the authors'' research, a new model of leadership emerges that challenges long-held beliefs about leadership competencies. The authors identify 16 competencies that tower above all the others-­­the ones that separate great leaders from the average. One of the book''s major breakthroughs is its focus on the importance of maximizing strengths as opposed to merely correcting weaknesses. Further, the importance of balanced strengths is introduced: when strengths are clustered in one area, the leader is less effective than he or she could be with strengths in different areas.

These quick reads, based on McGraw-Hill bestsellers, are designed to meet the needs of busy people. Titles in the series focus on each book''s main themes and action ideas, reduced to a manageable page count for on-the-go readers.

A workplace-tested prescription for encouraging the behaviors and key drivers of effective leadership, from one of today''s top training teams.

People can learn how to lead. This was the position John H. Zenger and Joseph R.Folkman took when they wrote their now-classicleadership book The Extraordinary Leader—and it’sa fact they reinforce in this new, completely updatededition of their bestseller.

When it was first published, The ExtraordinaryLeader immediately attracted a wide audience ofaspiring leaders drawn to its unique feature: theextensive use of scientific studies and hard data,which served to demystify the concept of leadershipand get readers thinking about the subject ina pragmatic way.

Now, Zenger and Folkman revisit the subject to addressleaders’ most pressing concerns today. Theresult is an up-to-date, essential leadership guidefor the twenty-first century that includes:

The Extraordinary Leader is a remarkable combinationof expert insight and extensive research.The authors analyzed more than 200,000 assessmentsdescribing 20,000 managers—by far themost expansive research ever conducted for a leadershipbook.

Zenger and Folkman have created the leadershipbook of the ages. The Extraordinary Leader explainshow to build leadership skills that will take you andyour organization to unimagined success.

One of The Globe & Mail's Top 10 Business books of the Year!

Rethink Everything You Know About Leadership Strengths

"A must-read for anyone wanting to positively stand out in an organization or for leaders wanting to raise the overall performance of the organization." -- Cindy Brinkley, Vice President, Global Human Resources, General Motors

"Zenger Folkman's findings related to companion behaviors is exciting. It enhances what's been presented in prior books and makes extraordinary leadership seem like an achievable goal. I would recommend this book to anyone committed to the journey." -- Pam Mabry, Director, Human Resources, The Boeing Company

"The authors take the groundbreaking concept of driving leadership effectiveness by building our strengths to a whole new level of practical implementation, providing us with a brilliantly clear road map. I have found this body of work to be absolutely invaluable . . . I cannot imagine a person in a leadership role today who would not find value from reading this book cover to cover." -- Loren M. Starr, Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Invesco Ltd.

How to Be Exceptional is a milestone in the emerging business case for evidence-based management. Building on two decades of earlier research, the authors brilliantly lay out a simple, concrete, scientifically validated model for achieving consistently superior business results through leadership. . . . Its magic is its simplicity, pragmatism, and focus." -- Eric Severson, Senior Vice President, Talent, Gap Inc.

"How to Be Exceptional is the best book on professional development I have read in decades. It reinforces the emerging wisdom that the path to greatness is really about building profound strengths, rather than through relentlessly focusing on one’s weaknesses. This is a great road map for any leader seeking to optimize their growth and impact." -- Michael A. Peel, Yale University, Vice President, Human Resources and Administration

One of The Globe & Mail''s Top 10 Business books of the Year!

Rethink Everything You Know About Leadership Strengths

"A must-read for anyone wanting to positively stand out in an organization or for leaders wanting to raise the overall performance of the organization." -- Cindy Brinkley, Vice President, Global Human Resources, General Motors

"Zenger Folkman''s findings related to companion behaviors is exciting. It enhances what''s been presented in prior books and makes extraordinary leadership seem like an achievable goal. I would recommend this book to anyone committed to the journey." -- Pam Mabry, Director, Human Resources, The Boeing Company

"The authors take the groundbreaking concept of driving leadership effectiveness by building our strengths to a whole new level of practical implementation, providing us with a brilliantly clear road map. I have found this body of work to be absolutely invaluable . . . I cannot imagine a person in a leadership role today who would not find value from reading this book cover to cover." -- Loren M. Starr, Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Invesco Ltd.

How to Be Exceptional is a milestone in the emerging business case for evidence-based management. Building on two decades of earlier research, the authors brilliantly lay out a simple, concrete, scientifically validated model for achieving consistently superior business results through leadership. . . . Its magic is its simplicity, pragmatism, and focus." -- Eric Severson, Senior Vice President, Talent, Gap Inc.

"How to Be Exceptional is the best book on professional development I have read in decades. It reinforces the emerging wisdom that the path to greatness is really about building profound strengths, rather than through relentlessly focusing on one’s weaknesses. This is a great road map for any leader seeking to optimize their growth and impact." -- Michael A. Peel, Yale University, Vice President, Human Resources and Administration

Lead your teams to greatness with scientifically proven best leadership practices

Two leading guides in one convenient ebook!

Basing their strategies on a potent mix of expert insight, comprehensive research, and vast experience, the leadership gurus of Zenger | Folkman provide what you need to take your leadership skills to the next level.

The Extraordinary, Inspiring Leader conveniently combines Zenger and Folkman’s two most innovative books into a single package—so you can access their invaluable lessons anytime and anywhere. This comprehensive ebook package contains:

The Extraordinary Leader

“This is a ‘must read’ for coaches, leaders, and those who develop them. The Extraordinary Leader . . . is destined to be a classic in our field.”—Marshall Goldsmith, named by Forbes as one of five top executive coaches and by The Wall Street Journal as one of the “Top 10” executive educators

The Extraordinary Leader makes extensive use of scientific studies and hard data to demystify the concept of leadership. The authors analyzed more than 200,000 assessments describing 20,000 managers—by far the most expansive research ever conducted for a leadership book—to provide a broad and universal model for achieving exceptional results.

Fully updated to help you meet today’s unique challenges, the second edition of this essential leadership guide includes:

The Inspiring Leader

The Inspiring Leader reveals the authors’ newest proprietary research on how top leaders inspire teams to greatness. It discusses the behaviors exhibited by the most successful leaders and includes advice on how to implement them. Drawing from statistically significant data and objective empirical evidence, the book shows how to:

Seize the competitive advantage by building speed into your leadership DNA

The rapid pace at which change occurs in business today is unprecedented. Speed has become a major source of competitive advantage. Leaders who act quickly and inspire others to do the same are the ones who ultimately win the day. But achieving increased levels of speed is not always easy. 

Culled from the data of one million 360-degree feedback assessments, Speed provides valuable insights into the qualities that make a leader successful and productive. Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman reveal eight essential leadership behaviors shown to improve performance and ultimately drive organizational effectiveness.

The authors will help you assess the pace at which you work and determine how you stack up against others in their firm’s database. You’ll discover tactics for speeding up critical elements of your day and learn how you can use the eight companion behaviors—including innovation, develop courage, initiate action, and set stretch goals— to help you increase your speed. 

Seize the competitive advantage by building speed into your leadership DNA

The rapid pace at which change occurs in business today is unprecedented. Speed has become a major source of competitive advantage. Leaders who act quickly and inspire others to do the same are the ones who ultimately win the day. But achieving increased levels of speed is not always easy.

Culled from the data of one million 360-degree feedback assessments, Speed provides valuable insights into the qualities that make a leader successful and productive. Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman reveal eight essential leadership behaviors shown to improve performance and ultimately drive organizational effectiveness.

The authors will help you assess the pace at which you work and determine how you stack up against others in their firm’s database. You’ll discover tactics for speeding up critical elements of your day and learn how you can use the eight companion behaviors—including innovation, develop courage, initiate action, and set stretch goals—to help you increase your speed.