When Execution Isn't Enough: Decoding Inspirational Leadership - Hardcover

by Claudio Feser (Author), 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.

Front Jacket

Great leadership drives organizational health and performance. So what makes a great leader? A special research initiative by McKinsey & Company analyzed twenty leadership behaviors to learn that it takes "top down leadership" to keep organizations out of trouble, and great execution to build strong organizations. However, "top down leadership" and execution are not sufficient to build great organizations. To build great organizations--organizations that innovate, outperform competitors, engage their members, attract great talent, and outperform investors' expectations--one more ingredient is needed: inspiring leadership.

Identifying the leadership behaviors that inspire excellence and drive growth with research-based insight is nothing short of catching lightning in a bottle, and no one is more qualified to present the groundbreaking findings than McKinsey's own head of leadership development, Claudio Feser. Inspiring people comes down to keying into the neurological and psychological triggers in all of us. With simple clarity, he shows you the secrets to harnessing the power of human behavior by increasing your emotional intelligence and psychological sensitivity and equips you with intuitive frameworks and tools to better understand how people are inspired. This single resource is all you need to inspire individuals, large groups, and entire organizations--and as you'll see inside, the key is knowing when and how to apply this influential toolbox for optimal value. If you don't consider yourself a "people person," this guide is especially for you because the behaviors to inspire can be taught. All the material inside comes to life in the fictional parable of a leader at an international health-care corporation, including:

• What inspirational leadership is, why it works, and how to use it
• How to identify a person's emotions and values and tap into them to inspire action
• How to inspire entire organizations to action

When Execution Isn't Enough empowers you with the knowledge and soft skills to lead through inspiration and accelerate change at scale.

Author Biography

CLAUDIO FESER is a senior partner in the Zurich office of McKinsey & Company. He is the leader of McKinsey Academy, a practice of the firm that focuses on helping organizations develop leaders. He is the author of Serial Innovators: Firms That Change the World, published by Wiley.