An ordinary leader is someone who leads a small organization or team that is doing great things. They manage the majority of the world’s workforce, but they don’t lead large corporations or big government agencies. Ordinary leaders are rarely written about in books or quoted in magazines. They are, however, important. Maybe not globally, but in their own realm of influence, their leadership makes a difference. The term “ordinary” is also used to highlight the belief that no one ever arrives as a leader. In fact, if someone thinks of themselves as extraordinary, they will not be a very effective leader. Author Randy Grieser presents 10 key insights for building and leading a thriving organization. These are the principles he identifies as instrumental to success as a leader. Writing for leaders everywhere, he inspires, motivates, and explains how to make each insight a reality in your organization. Become a more passionate, productive, and visionary leader by exploring and embracing these 10 insights: Motivation and Employee Engagement: Organizations flourish when employees go beyond what is expected of them. Passion: A passionate, inspired workforce begins with the leader. Vision: Visionary leaders energize and inspire people to work towards a future goal. Self-Awareness: Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is vital for leading any organization. Talent and Team Selection: The right employees must, first and foremost, fit the workplace culture. Organizational Health: Employees are most engaged when leaders are committed to the emotional well-being of everyone. Productivity: Focusing on how and what things get done increases efficiency. Creativity and Innovation: Building processes for innovation puts creativity to work. Delegation: As you free up your time, you will also increase employee engagement. Self-Improvement: Personal development makes all the other principles easier to achieve. Also included are the perspectives of 10 ordinary leaders from a range of professions, survey feedback from over 1,700 leaders and employees, and a resource section that provides detailed guidance and examples for putting these ideas into action.

Unfortunately, far too many people don’t like where they work. Some organizations are unhealthy and full of disrespectful behavior. Other workplaces are simply uninspiring. For various reasons, countless people feel trapped, indifferent, or bored at work. The authors of this book believe that people should be able to like where they work. When employees like the places they work, it’s not only good for their mental health and well-being, it’s also good for their organizations – both financially and otherwise. When a workplace culture is purposely created to be respectful and inspiring, employees are happier, more productive, and more engaged. By exploring six key elements that make up a healthy workplace culture, The Culture Question answers two fundamental questions: “How does your organization’s culture impact how much people like where they work?” and “What can you do to make it better?” Discover how to create a workplace where people like to work by focusing on these six elements of healthy workplace culture: Communicating Your Purpose and Values. Employees are inspired when they work in organizations whose purpose and values resonate with them. Providing Meaningful Work. Most employees want to work on projects that inspire them, align with what they are good at, and allow them to grow. Focusing Your Leadership Team on People. How leaders relate to their employees plays a major role in how everyone feels about their workplace. Building Meaningful Relationships. When employees like the people they work with and for, they are more satisfied and more engaged in their work. Creating Peak Performing Teams. People are energized when they work together effectively because teams achieve things that no one person could do on their own. Practicing Constructive Conflict Management. When leaders don’t handle conflict promptly and well, it quickly sours the workplace. This book includes survey feedback from over 2,400 leaders and employees and resources for putting these ideas into action.

Although you may see yourself as merely one among millions of Christian women, God has great plans for you to leave an eternal impression on others. He has created and called you to spiritually influence those around you—your children, friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. This practical guide will help you grow in the six fundamentals of spiritual leadership and encourage you on your own journey from ordinary woman to spiritual leader. “I not only recommend this book, I know I will be using it as I minister to women.” —Dr. Beverly Hislop, author of Shepherding a Woman’s Heart and Shepherding Women in Pain “Kay’s own experience and the stories of women that are included illustrate how powerful these truths are and how crucial they are for women who truly desire to serve God in an extraordinary way.” —Susie Hawkins, author of From One Ministry Wife to Another

Explores Reagan's political career, from his role in the California tax revolt to the economic success the United States experienced during his term in office.

We all have the desire to win. We might experience it in our own personal way, but losing hurts. Emotional losses hurt even more than any sort of physical pain we might endure. It hurts so much sometimes, that some of us choose to avoid living altogether. Some of us choose to walk around removing ourselves from ever being at risk of either winning or losing. But is that how we want to live our lives?So, here's a little perspective for you: there will always be more people who are unsuccessful than successful. There will always be more losers than winners, and there will always be more followers than leaders. It's simple math! In Sun Tzu's eyes, a leader wasn't someone who was able to fight and win all the time. A leader was someone who truly understood that winning and losing was neither special nor extraordinary. Losing was an ordinary event that served a single purpose: to teach us how to become better people. The pain of losing exists to teach us how to inspire others, and how to be able to deal with the challenges we'll face again and again during our short time here on this planet. Learning to embrace failing is not easy. It requires courage, encouragement, and some faith that things will work out in the end. But hey, that is leadership: moving forward in the face of uncertainty. Many people criticize The Art of War for being a book about military tactics, killing, and combat. Yes, it can be read that way, but that wouldn't explain why, two thousand years after it was written, it continues to be one of the most widely read books of the modern era.I hope to show you The Art of War as a book for helping us to make sense of why things are the way they are. It won't be able to tell us exactly how to deal with our dramas or be able to lessen the pain that we'll feel, but it will be able to help us make sense of what things mean. Many English authors focus on the literal translation of The Art of War, leaving it up to the reader to understand the lessons and stories behind the text. This is difficult because the work was not intended for modern audiences, and ancient Chinese is a rich and complex language that frequently contains historical references, hidden meanings, and words that are no longer used in modern speech. Add to that the difficulties in finding the exact words to accurately translate context from one language to another, and English readers can only hope to gain a limited and narrow understanding of the meaning and intent behind SunTzu's words. This book is different. Rather than worry about the accuracy of the Chinese translation, I've generalized the principles and lessons behind the text to help you understand how it applies to living richer lives today.

The dangerous work of leading change--somebody has to do it. Will you put yourself on the line? To lead is to live dangerously. It's romantic and exciting to think of leadership as all inspiration, decisive action, and rich rewards, but leading requires taking risks that can jeopardize your career and your personal life. It requires putting yourself on the line, disrupting the status quo, and surfacing hidden conflict. And when people resist and push back, there's a strong temptation to play it safe. Those who choose to lead plunge in, take the risks, and sometimes get burned. But it doesn't have to be that way say renowned leadership experts Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky. In Leadership on the Line, they show how it's possible to make a difference without getting "taken out" or pushed aside. They present everyday tools that give equal weight to the dangerous work of leading change and the critical importance of personal survival. Through vivid stories from all walks of life, the authors present straightforward strategies for navigating the perilous straits of leadership. Whether you're a parent or a politician, a CEO or a community activist, this practical book shows how you can exercise leadership and survive and thrive to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Reassess your leadership style, discover how to connect with people, and become a leader who can make things happen in the real world. Built on a unique four-year experiment working alongside real leaders in real businesses, Living Leadership explodes the myth of the charismatic, transformational leader, to show that real progress comes from the dramatically ordinary aspects of leadership. From building relationships, to working with the grain of the organisation rather than against it, and to knowing our limitations as much as pushing every boundary, the new edition of this book will challenge you to push your leadership skills to a new level. “Living Leadership shows how, when you take away the myths and misconceptions, leading can genuinely be made easier.” Hans Straberg, CEO, Electrolux “A ‘how to’ book that redefines leadership in terms of the realities and choices facing people in organisations today.” Professor Michael Osbaldeston, Director of Cranfield School of Management

What really makes a good business leader? Do you have to be an extraordinarily charismatic hero with a larger than life personality before you can make things happen? What if you’re not? What are the practical and personal lessons of good leadership that will help ordinary managers get the results they want by leading their teams effectively? Living Leadership 2e has the answers. This insightful and motivating book will help you discover how to make real connections with people, and become an effective leader who makes things happen in the real world. Built on a unique four-year experiment working alongside real leaders in real businesses, Living Leadership explodes the myth of the charismatic, transformational leader, to show that real progress comes from the dramatically ordinary stuff of leadership. By observing business leaders in top companies on a day-to-day basis, the authors found out how these top managers really spent their time and how they really made an impact. They saw these leaders holding key discussions with their teams; watched them formulate strategies, plans and visions; observed their behaviours, ambitions and frustrations. What emerged was a powerful set of principles and proven advice for managers everywhere who want to develop their leadership skills. New to this edition: The content is refreshed by using different quotes and examples from the leaders who took part in the original research. Plus there will be updates throughout.

A fresh, effective, and enduring way to lead—starting with your next interaction Most leaders feel the inevitable interruptions in their jam-packed days are troublesome. But in TouchPoints, Conant and Norgaard argue that these—and every point of contact with other people—are overlooked opportunities for leaders to increase their impact and promote their organization's strategy and values. Through previously untold stories from Conant's tenure as CEO of Campbell Soup Company and Norgaard's vast consulting experience, the authors show that a leader's impact and legacy are built through hundreds, even thousands, of interactive moments in time. The good news is that anyone can develop "TouchPoint" mastery by focusing on three essential components: head, heart, and hands. TouchPoints speaks to the theory and craft of leadership, promoting a balanced presence of rational, authentic, active, and wise leadership practices. Leadership mastery in the smallest and otherwise ordinary moments can transform aimless activity in individuals and entropy in organizations into focused energy—one magical moment at a time.