Leaders in all arenas—the corporate world, the military, government and politics, nonprofit organizations, and sports teams play a determinative role in whether human endeavors prosper, fail, or flounder. When an organization soars to greatness, we credit the leader. When it goes down, we usually blame the leader. We want our leaders to succeed. We need them to succeed. When they do, we trust them and follow them willingly. They inspire us to go the extra mile—to take our performance far beyond what we dreamed possible.
Most leaders want to make an enduring impact—a lasting and positive influence on the organization they lead and the lives affected by their decisions. Great leaders want to stay the course—to finish the race. Senior leaders have told me often that legacy is a far more powerful motivator than money.
Too often leaders fail to achieve a great legacy, and all are vulnerable to cataclysmic failures of leadership. Hardly a week goes by without some major leader going down and being vilified in the press. This does not even acknowledge the countless others who fail outside the media spotlight.
Why do some leaders make an impact, while others falter after initial success? Why do some endure all the perils and pitfalls leaders inevitably face, while others succumb to the seduction of power? Oddly, leadership failures rarely reflect a problem with the leader’s competence. Most often the fall occurs because of a breach of something inside the leader.
MY COMMITMENT TO YOU
In this book, we are going to look deeply at how what is inside a leader makes all the difference. We will learn how to strengthen what is inside in numerous positive ways. We might also view the time spent reading this book and applying its principles as a premium paid on our leadership insurance policies, so that we, too, do not go down that path of terrible destruction that so many have taken.
Impact is about the most important and serious dimensions of leadership, but this is not a somber book. I want us to take the principles seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. I provide many illustrations and tell a number of personal stories that I hope will not only be helpful, but also will make you laugh. Chapters are focused and relatively short. Most end with a “Go Deeper” section to give you a chance to slow down, reflect, and personally apply vital truths that have been discussed.
Impact reveals what it takes to be a strong, enduring leader and how we can protect ourselves from the foibles that bring so many promising leaders down. My commitment to you is that in the chapters ahead, this book will give you the keys to unlock the doors that lead to what so many of us want—to finish strong and to make an impact with our lives.