Introduction

Leadership isn't just another step in your career; it's a leap across the great divide. Everything changes, even if you stay in the same place. The familiar halls of your organization become a foreign landscape as you navigate new power structures, new demands, and new expectations. Suddenly, you have become a new person: a leader. Your mission? To motivate, align, inform, guide, and support your organization, through good times and bad.

It's easy to think that great leadership is some kind of innate ability or gift, to think that either you have it or you don't. That's not the case. Leadership gurus agree that great leaders are formed through their experiences, not born that way. Nevertheless, leadership is a tough act to jump into without some guidelines. This book gives you the necessary guidance to get you through the hard work, but also a few conjuring tricks or sleights of hand to help you in sticky situations. The good news is that a little effort goes a long way.

Think of the 52 short, to-the-point chapters in this book as a deck of cards. You can read and use them in any order. Riffle through the deck and draw what you need to build a strong hand. Use them to stay on your toes, playing one when you need to freshen your thinking. Whether you're a new graduate or an established leader, the truths in this book will help you consider where you are in your career and what else you want to accomplish.

For more than two decades, I have worked with hundreds of leaders worldwide, and I've learned that all leadership situations have truths in common. This book points out the pitfalls and shows you how to avoid them. It levels with you about the challenges of leadership, even those that people are reluctant to discuss. It will be your guide through one of the most challenging and rewarding transitions you'll ever make. You'll learn from the real-life challenges and successes of those who have made the leap.

You are a great doer, or you wouldn't have made it this far. To be a great leader, you need to learn a new game. The Truth About Being a Leader will help you master that game and play it so well that it will look like magic.