Mind of the Leader

Join the global movement that's making corporations more people-centric to achieve great results.The world is facing a global leadership crisis. Seventy-seven percent of leaders think they do a good job of engaging their people, yet 88 percent of employees say their leaders don't engage enough. There is also a high level of suffering in the workplace: 35 percent of employees would forgo a pay raise to see their leaders fired.This is an enormous waste of human talent--despite the fact that $46 billion is spent each year on leadership development.Based on extensive research, including assessments of more than 35,000 leaders and interviews with 250 C-level executives, The Mind of the Leader concludes that organizations and leaders aren't meeting employees' basic human needs of finding meaning, purpose, connection, and genuine happiness in their work.But more than a description of the problem, The Mind of the Leader offers a radical, yet practical, solution. To solve the leadership crisis, organizations need to put people at the center of their strategy. They need to develop managers and executives who lead with three core mental qualities: mindfulness, selflessness, and compassion.Using real-world inspirational examples from Marriott, Accenture, McKinsey & Company, LinkedIn, and many more, The Mind of the Leader shows how this new kind of leadership turns conventional leadership thinking upside down. It represents a radical redefinition of what it takes to be an effective leader--and a practical, hard-nosed solution to every organization's engagement and execution problems.

"An excellent how-to with exercises and coaching on presence, awareness, and focus." -- Associations Now"lays out succinctly and in clear language a three-part approach to leadership…Books like this should be required reading in business schools everywhere." -- Mindful magazineAdvance Praise for The Mind of the Leader:Dominic Barton, Global Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company--"The Mind of the Leader has captured some of the essentials of leadership in the twenty-first century: being mindful, selfless, and compassionate. With these, we are better able to engage our people and we bring more value to our clients."Kathleen Hogan, Chief People Officer, Microsoft--"A forward and practical guide for companies wanting to evolve their leadership capabilities to engage both the minds and the hearts of today's workforce."Francine Katsoudas, SVP and Chief People Officer, Cisco--"How leaders communicate, engage, and show up to their teams has never been more important. Creating a world-class team and environment where people can do their best work is the number-one job of a leader, and more than ever leaders are being asked to elevate team performance through innovative leadership. The Mind of the Leader shares important insights and perspectives and lays a path for how you make this happen."Loren I. Shuster, Chief People Officer, the LEGO Group--"The Mind of the Leader goes beyond the hyperbole associated with mindfulness today and provides real-world examples from leading executives that can not only provide inspiration to the reader but outline a path toward the cultivation of such critical leadership qualities as selflessness and compassion. Creating the context for others to find meaning, purpose, and a sense of connectedness has become the hallmark of a productive and engaged organization."Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO, Thrive Global--"In The Mind of the Leader, Hougaard and Carter draw on years of research to show that the traditional, top-down style of leadership doesn't work anymore. The successful leaders of the future will be human-centered, focused as much on growth and the bottom line as on creating a flourishing and sustainable culture. This book is a manual of success for leaders in any industry."

Rasmus Hougaard is the Founder and Managing Director of Potential Project, the global leading provider of leadership and organizational effectiveness solutions based on training the mind. Rasmus has practiced and taught mindfulness for more than two decades. Jacqueline Carter is an International Partner and North American Director for Potential Project. She has over twenty years of experience working with organizations around the globe to enhance effectiveness and improve performance. Together, they are the authors of One Second Ahead: Enhance Your Performance at Work with Mindfulness.