The Intangibles of Leadership - Hardcover

by Richard A. Davis (Author)

It's the Subtleties that Matter!

What is the real difference between competent leader and extraordinary executive? Is it pedigree, experience, intelligence? The answer is yes...and much more. Exceptional leadership hinges on a complex interaction between individual psychology and unique business needs. At the top rung of the ladder, where the dynamics are most complicated, subtle adjustments in style can produce outstanding results.

In his new book, The Intangibles of Leadership, Management Psychologist Richard Davis, Ph.D., uncovers patterns in the attributes that truly distinguish those who succeed at the top. What he found was that extraordinary leaders possess certain characteristics that fall between the lines of existing leadership models, yet are fundamental to executive success. Davis explains each of these qualities, the people who exemplify them, how to detect them in others, and most importantly, how to develop the subtle characteristics that will enable them to stand out from the pack.

Learn why...

• It's often better to aim for silver than for gold
• Playing hard to get attracts people to you
• It's important to have a slightly inflated view of your abilities
• Your peripheral vision is so important
• It's ok to get angry with your team
• So many extraordinary executives have gone through crises early in their lives

Front Jacket

WHAT MAKES A GOOD LEADER GREAT?

Businesses have been struggling for decades to identify and develop the qualities that make exceptional leaders. While numerous studies, benchmarks and tests have been successful in identifying the basic traits that narrow the field to people with leadership potential, a crucial gap remains. No single model for leadership holds the promise of working across all businesses and organizations, because there is a spectrum of leadership qualities that informs success in different areas. Not only is leadership highly contextual, but the difference between good leaders and extraordinary ones is subtle, underpinned by thoughtful, often tactical nuances of personality and behavior.

As a partner of RHR International, which is a pioneer in the field of corporate psychology, Dr. Richard Davis has deep first-hand experience providing advice and counsel to companies to increase individual and organizational effectiveness. He brings this rich experience--both within the private and public sectors--to bear in this book.

To distinguish truly exceptional leaders, one must look beyond standard competencies, skills and personality traits. The factors that lie between the lines of existing leadership models must be identified and qualified. These are the keys to success--the intangibles of leadership. In his work assessing and developing top leaders, Dr. Davis has identified ten attributes that help distinguish certain leaders from the rest. In The Intangibles of Leadership, he explores each of these attributes in detail and describes how various leaders cultivate and apply them in their work and in their lives. By using the assessments and implementing the recommended steps and strategies, you can enable the very attributes that are utilized by top leaders. As you will soon see, there are many dividends that will be realized by an organization and its stakeholders guided by revitalized, focused and infectious leadership principles.

There are lots of good leaders; there are few exceptional ones. By revealing the subtle yet powerful traits exhibited by those at the top rungs of the ladder, The Intangibles of Leadership will help you take your own leadership journey as far as it can go.

Back Jacket

WHAT MAKES A GOOD LEADER GREAT?

Businesses have been struggling for decades to identify and develop the qualities that make exceptional leaders. While numerous studies, benchmarks and tests have been successful in identifying the basic traits that narrow the field to people with leadership potential, a crucial gap remains. No single model for leadership holds the promise of working across all businesses and organizations, because there is a spectrum of leadership qualities that informs success in different areas. Not only is leadership highly contextual, but the difference between good leaders and extraordinary ones is subtle, underpinned by thoughtful, often tactical nuances of personality and behavior.

As a partner of RHR International, which is a pioneer in the field of corporate psychology, Dr. Richard Davis has deep first-hand experience providing advice and counsel to companies to increase individual and organizational effectiveness. He brings this rich experience--both within the private and public sectors--to bear in this book.

To distinguish truly exceptional leaders, one must look beyond standard competencies, skills and personality traits. The factors that lie between the lines of existing leadership models must be identified and qualified. These are the keys to success--the intangibles of leadership. In his work assessing and developing top leaders, Dr. Davis has identified ten attributes that help distinguish certain leaders from the rest. In The Intangibles of Leadership, he explores each of these attributes in detail and describes how various leaders cultivate and apply them in their work and in their lives. By using the assessments and implementing the recommended steps and strategies, you can enable the very attributes that are utilized by top leaders. As you will soon see, there are many dividends that will be realized by an organization and its stakeholders guided by revitalized, focused and infectious leadership principles.

There are lots of good leaders; there are few exceptional ones. By revealing the subtle yet powerful traits exhibited by those at the top rungs of the ladder, The Intangibles of Leadership will help you take your own leadership journey as far as it can go.

Author Biography

RICHARD A. DAVIS, Ph.D., is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist and partner at the Toronto office of RHR International. Dr. Davis is called upon by senior leaders to help execute their business strategy through smart decisions about people. He advises executives on senior hiring decisions, integrating leaders into new roles, CEO succession, optimizing teams, M&A decisions and increasing leadership effectiveness. He has a particular specialty in personality psychology and leadership.