The Leadership Challenge

More Than One Million People Have Discovered the Most Trusted Source on Becoming a Better Leader

"This book is one of the very best on the topic of leadership, offering extraordinary stories from leaders at various ages and stages of their lives. Whether you’re now in a leadership role and want to further strengthen and hone your skills, or you simply have the desire to learn to make a difference and help guide your company–or even friends and family members–to higher levels of success, you’ll benefit by reading The Leadership Challenge."

–David S. Pottruck, president & CEO, The Charles Schwab Corporation

"The first edition was seminal and totally original. It became a modern classic on leadership practically overnight. With this new edition, with new cases and concepts and action steps that are even riper and more important, Kouzes and Posner go way beyond their earlier work and have made yet another brilliant contribution to leadership studies. This new book, a product of an unusual collaboration, is essential reading for everyone involved or concerned with leading."

–Warren Bennis, distinguished professor of business administration, University of Southern California, and coauthor, Geeks and Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape Leaders

"From the ten commitments of leadership to the emphasis on actions and relationships, this valuable book is full of enduring wisdom and practical insights essential for success in challenging times."

–Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School, best-selling author of Evolve! Succeeding in the Digital Culture of Tomorrow

"For twenty-five years I have written about and taught leadership. The Leadership Challenge is one of the five best books I have ever read. I continually recommend it to others."

–John C. Maxwell, founder, The INJOY Group, and author, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

When it was initially written in 1987, few could have predicted that The Leadership Challenge would become one of the best-selling leadership books of all time. Now, faced with the new challenges of our unpredictable global business environment, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner--two of the country's premier leadership experts--have completely revised and updated their classic book. Building on the knowledge base of their previous books, the third edition of The Leadership Challenge is grounded in extensive research and based on interviews with all kinds of leaders at all levels in public and private organizations from around the world. In this edition, the authors emphasize that the fundamentals of leadership are the same today as they were in the 1980s, and as they've probably been for centuries. In that sense, nothing's new. Leadership is not a fad. While the content of leadership has not changed, the context has-and in some cases, changed dramatically.

Jim Kouzes is Chairman Emeritus of the Tom Peters Company and an Executive Fellow at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University. Barry Posner is Dean of the Leavey School of Business and Professor of Leadership at Santa Clara University.

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner are authors of the award-winning and best-selling book, The Leadership Challenge, as well as the widely used Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI). They have also written such works as Credibility, Encouraging the Heart, and The Leadership Challenge Planner. The launch of LPI Online, combined with their other publications, truly make them the most trusted source on becoming a better leader.

I. The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.

II. Credibility is the Foundation of Leadership.

III. Find Your Voice.

IV. Set the Example.

V. Envision the Future.

VI. Enlist Others.

VII. Search for Opportunities.

VIII. Experiment and Take Risks.

IX. Foster Collaboration.

X. Strengthen Others.

XI. Recognize Contributions.

XII. Celebrate the Values and Victories.

XIII. Leadership is Everyone's Business.