When times are hard, leadership makes the greatest difference. So says the evidence. This book shows how to make the kind of difference that all organizations, both public and private sector, want and need. Early chapters show the powerful effect leadership can have on organizations; subsequent chapters present new ideas that are elegantly simple, conceptually coherent and radically different, based on the best research in the field. The ideas in this book have also been tested in major multinational organizations over recent years. The aim is to provide leaders and those who work with them with a practical guide to how to increase the effectiveness of leadership in any organization.

Foreword / by Sir Rod Eddington -- Introduction -- The history of thinking about leadership -- Leadership's impact on the performance of organizations -- The primary colorss of leadership -- Five tasks of leading -- The improbability of being a complete leader -- Building a leadership team -- Do you have to be smart to be a leader? -- The impact of personality on leadership -- A program of action.