When Execution Isn't Enough: Decoding Inspirational Leadership

Claudio Feser, Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries (Foreword by)



The definition of great leadership, backed by ground-breaking research

When Execution Isn't Enough examines the essential leadership skills that go beyond simply executing strategies well. It examines the leadership skills that inspire excellence and drive growth. Great leaders think differently, but their secrets, values, and behaviors can't be bottled—or can they? Is leadership so contextual that it defies standardization? In this book, McKinsey's global head of leadership development draws on ground-breaking McKinsey research to uncover 20 distinct leadership traits. All are important, but some make all the difference in inspiring organizations to exceptional results and growth—and a select few create the vast chasm between strong and weak organizations in terms of leadership effectiveness. Structured as a business parable, this book employs a rich cast of corporate characters to illustrate the critical behaviors of inspirational leadership and the outcomes that become possible.

Attempting to nail down exactly what makes a leader inspirational is like trying to capture lighting in a bottle, but new McKinsey research has identified the behavioral leadership catalysts that inspire greatness. This book describes the behaviors to inspire that can be learned—to turn a good leader into a great leader.

• Understand the neuroscience of inspiration
• Tailor your inspirational approach to different leadership scenarios
• Initiate an inspiration cascade to influence people at scale

The picture of leadership has changed over time. Today's great leaders are authentic, enthusiastic decision-makers with engaging visions, who are quick to communicate and take action. Less than half of all CEOs believe that their training investments will pay off, yet everyone agrees that leadership drives performance—where is the disconnect? It's in the belief that simple leadership behaviors equal results, forgetting that exceptional results only come from inspiration. When Execution Isn't Enough shows you how to attain the missing link of great leadership to bring exceptional results of your organization.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Manfred Kets de Vries
Introduction

PART ONE Inspiring and Influencing

CHAPTER 1 Influ—The Prologue
CHAPTER 2 Inspirational Leadership Matters
CHAPTER 3 The Science of Influence
CHAPTER 4 The Neuroscience of Inspirational Leadership
CHAPTER 5 Influ—The Consultations

PART TWO Inspiring Others

CHAPTER 6 Influ—“I hate school”
CHAPTER 7 How to Inspire
CHAPTER 8 Influ—Finding Empathy

PART THREE Targeting Inspirational Appeals

CHAPTER 9 Influ—“They want you out”
CHAPTER 10 What Are People Like?
CHAPTER 11 Tailoring Influencing Approaches
CHAPTER 12 Influ—Winning Carl Back

PART FOUR Inspiring at Scale

CHAPTER 13 Influ—“We have an offer”
CHAPTER 14 Inspiring at Scale: The Influence Model
CHAPTER 15 Influ—The Epilogue

Afterword

APPENDIX I Leadership Behaviors
APPENDIX II Organizational Health Index
APPENDIX III Personality Markers
APPENDIX IV Emotional Disposition Markers

Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index