The Leadership Challenge has become one of the best-selling leadership books of all time. Now, with the publication of the fourth edition of their landmark book and for the first time on audio, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner celebrate 25 years of leadership excellence. The Leadership Challenge, the most trusted source on becoming a better leader, has been thoroughly updated and revised for a new generation of leaders living and working in a global environment. Building on the knowledge base of the previous books, this fourth edition is grounded in research and presents extensive interviews with a diverse group of leaders at all levels in a wide variety of organizations from around the world. The authors emphasize that the fundamentals of leadership are not a fad. While the context of leadership has changed dramatically, the content of leadership has endured the test of time. With scores of new case studies and a timeless and inspiring message, The Leadership Challenge is a "personal coach in a book", guiding listeners through the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. When leaders understand that leadership is a relationship and they begin to engage in the Five Practices (Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart), they are better able to embark on a lifetime of success and significance.
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"This is the first 'textbook' that I have completed for my master's degree in Educational Leadership and Administration and I was surprised at first that it wasn't focused on educational leaders. As I read the book I was happily surprised by the insight, wisdom, and the skills that are portrayed through this book. I am excited to continue to learn to be a better leader and Kouzes & Posner have given me the framework and the words to use to become better. Highly recommended."
— Matthew (5 out of 5 stars)
" Leadership is more than a title, it is something you earn from those you work with and that work for you. This books helps to explain leaderhsip trends and practices based upon a wealth of interviews and surveys. "
— Jim, 2/4/2014" I had to read part of this book for my graduate class. It has good info in it. "
— Jayson, 2/1/2014" Words to live and lead by "
— Ron, 1/29/2014" Yes, I read this one for class, but I kept reading things and thinking, "Man, I wish someone had given me this book a long time ago." Interestingly, I even found some material that could be useful to being a leader in the classroom. "
— Claudette, 1/28/2014" A classic. Posner is a great professor. "
— Kim, 1/27/2014" This book provides great tips and reminders. I also appreciated reading real life stories about people and their perspectives. "
— Crystal, 1/23/2014" good info, too long by 100 pages for the content "
— Elizabeth, 1/20/2014" While not the most fascinating read in the library, this leadership text book is an excellent "how-to," setting forth clear principles of leadership and strong examples of leaders in action at all levels. It's one of the better books I've read on the topic. "
— Laura, 1/17/2014" So far, extremely obvious and written in an irritatingly empty style. Probably great for executives on the go, but it doesn't make for much of a read. "
— Katie, 12/18/2013" Good information; I enjoyed the course that went with. "
— Julie, 12/11/2013" read over a long period. Could do with my own copy, some useful pointers. "
— Kc, 12/2/2013" I learned I am not going to win any awards for my leadership skills anytime soon. "
— Ashley, 11/27/2013" Best book on Leadership ever. period. And I've read tons of them. Can easily be applied to any situation in which you find yourself leading others. "
— Shelley, 11/27/2013" Simplistic writing, and unoriginal ideas. I had to read this for a class called "The Art of Leadership." "
— Erin, 11/22/2013" This book is terrific. Very inspiring especially in today's workplace. It is just awesome! Highly recommend. "
— Jaime, 9/19/2013" I will use this book in my class next semester. Good basic information and an up to date view of leadership at all levels. "
— Linda, 8/8/2013" This book has great principles but is twice as long as it needs to be. In an effort to support their arguments the authors pack this book full of fluff and not very entertaining fluff. Still worth the read for solid leadership traits presented. "
— Brett, 4/6/2013" Great book for laying a solid foundation for leadership. "
— Samuel, 3/24/2013" This is a book I had to read for school this quarter, but it is really good. There are a lot of leaders who should read this book. "
— Lisa, 3/7/2013" "The secret to success is to stay in love." "
— Megan, 1/13/2013" I found this book to be very technical in areas and a great read for an analytical personality type... Information overload...for me. "
— Nicole, 1/4/2013" Good and fun reading on leaderhsip. "
— Peter, 11/24/2012" I used the leadership inventory for my dissertation - great book. If you're working in the field of leadership then this is well worth the read. "
— Karen, 10/19/2012" Great leadership book. It has been an interesting reference for a few papers I had to write. Author is a bit wordy, but they still work well for quoting. "
— Sandra, 10/16/2012" I am reading this again - something I do every 6 months or so. I believe that it helps me stay fresh, humble and gives me the opportunity to learn / discover something new. "
— Janetlmccarthy, 10/15/2012" This book is great for people who want to get away from managing to leading a group of people. It can really change a person if they follow the steps that it outlines. "
— Luke, 9/26/2012" I had to read it for a class and it was alright. I took away a few good points but it's definetely a book that you can just skim over. The authors repeated themselves at times but there were some inspiring stories in between. "
— Kelsey, 9/4/2012" This was a very good book! After reading this I realized there were some things I did well as a leader but other aspects on which I could improve. I definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve as a leader whether on-campus or in their chosen profession. "
— Elizabeth, 8/19/2012" Good book about leadership styles. I wouldn't have read this on my own but as it was for a class I had to. "
— Merritt, 8/16/2012Barry Posner is the coauthor of numerous award-winning and bestselling books, including The Leadership Challenge, A Leader’s Legacy, Encouraging the Heart, and Credibility, as well as the widely used Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI).
James Kouzes is the Dean’s Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University and lectures on leadership around the world to corporations, governments, and nonprofits. He has coauthored a number of bestselling books, including The Leadership Challenge, A Leader’s Legacy, Encouraging the Heart, and over a dozen workbooks on leadership.
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico.