Armstrong, CEO & Chief Clinical Officer, Inspire Nurse Leaders, and Adjunct Professor, Drexel University
“Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner have consistently helped millions of people across the globe every day as they grow and lead. Their latest book, Everyday People, Exemplary Leadership takes their seminal work to the next level, providing data based, yet very practical guidance based on their decades of experience and research. Whether you are just starting your career, or are a seasoned exec, you will learn the core tenets of exemplary leadership that really do apply to everybody! Read this book—you will grow.”
—Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, Chair of the Board, Herrmann Inc.
“Now more than ever (a phrase we're hearing a lot these days), leadership is important. And while that's true, the reality is that it's always been true. Kouzes and Posner's wonderful new book illuminates a subject that is both timeless and timely. Its principles are not defined by a particular era; yet, they are hyper-relevant to today's unique challenges and crises. This is a book for leaders. And guess what? That includes you, because whether you know it or not, and regardless of your position or title, you are already leading. This book will help you to do it with conscious intent, and, therefore, to do it better. And that's exactly what we all need—now more than ever.”
—Steve Farber, Founder, The Extreme Leadership Institute, author, The Radical Leap, Greater Than Yourself, and Love Is Just Damn Good Business
“Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner have done it again! Their new book Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership expands on the excellent foundation of their earlier book, The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. They bring not only empirical research but also real life examples of leadership qualities and practices that everyday people use to make the extraordinary happen.”
—Louise Aryapour, CFO, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
“Growing up in the late 1960's and 70's, I was driven to read all I could about leadership, set goals, observe others, and make lists of traits that good leaders displayed. I read many, many books to learn those action steps. I would challenge myself, engage others for support, and practice deliberately. My obsession with continuous learning and training made all the difference. I wish I would have had this book back then. This book really simplifies the process, which took me over 10 years to finally feel confident in my ability to lead. I could have had that ‘roadmap’ in just one book. I congratulate James and Barry on another great leadership book.”
—Dwight Conover, Chairman, Northwest Financial Corporation
“Kouzes and Posner have done it again! Reminding us that no matter our role, everyone has the capacity for significant leadership impact in their lives, workplaces, and communities. Their research confirms that it is not personality or charisma that produces leaders, but a specific set of measurable and replicable behaviors. And then they provide exercises we can all undertake to strengthen those very same competencies. A practical and inspiring guidebook to leadership for all!”
—Darrell Evora, CEO, Uplift Family Services
“Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership perfectly illustrates Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner's idea that “leadership is everyone's business. It is a simple, yet profound leadership model for everyone regardless of your title, position, or authority.
To demonstrate this point, let me show you the difference between the old train (what we called green train) in the past and the bullet train which runs throughout China now. The old train has one engine in the front of the train and it drags all the cars. That's why the speed is very slow.
However, with the bullet train, each car has its own engine and the cars work together collectively. Thus, the bullet train is super fast. As a parallel to organizational leadership, if it is only one leader that takes the leading role, it is harder for him or her to lead. However, if everyone is ignited, enabled, and empowered, the ordinary people can make the extraordinary difference, they can start their own engines, and take personal responsibilities. The impact will be huge—everyone will feel responsible and engaged, team morale will be boosted, and the company's financial performance will improve.
With the deliberate practice according to the leadership model, anyone can become an extraordinary leader and make the difference anytime and anywhere they want.
—Connie Stevens, Founder, HeadStart Consulting Company (Shanghai)
“With Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership, Barry Posner and James Kouzes have presented a new vision of leadership. Not limited to the nominal leaders or specific groups of managers but for all of us. The book guides us through five practices of leadership everyone can learn and use at work, school, or everyday life. All practices are proven by carefully collected data and memorable examples.
For me as someone who mainly works with virtual teams and who has to lead people who are not directly reporting to me or even are on a higher management level, the five practices of extraordinary leadership provide easy-to-apply methods for successful collaboration with my team members. Thank you.”
—Alex Schiller, Senior Global Account Manager Automotive, Micron Technology
JAMES M. KOUZES
BARRY Z. POSNER
Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership
How to Make a Difference Regardless of Your Title, Role, or Authority
Copyright © 2021 by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither
