THE MIND OF THE LEADER: Driving Extraordinary Results

Guest: Jacqueline Carter

$46 billion a year is spent on leadership training, but a recent Gallup survey showed that 82 percent of employees find their leaders “uninspiring.” Why the gap? Because most leadership development focuses on outward skills like strategy, people management and finance. Instead, new research shows that leadership should start inward with the mind. THE MIND OF THE LEADER: How to Lead Yourself, Your People, and Your Organization for Extraordinary Results (Harvard Business Review Press; March 2018) by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter reveals how leaders can lead themselves, their people, and their organizations by training their minds. The authors found that three mental qualities are essential to becoming effective leaders. Leaders must be mindful (being present and attentive to their people’s needs), selfless (to model cultures based on growth and learning instead of ego) and compassionate (show their people they have their back).