Examples like these demonstrate that who you are as a leader is not just about formative experiences in your past but about the possibilities you invent for yourself in the future. For anyone who wants to advance their career or be the leader their organisation expects them to be, Ibarra’s book tells it like it really is and will give you a new clarity of self that is informed by your direct leadership experience. By emphasizing experimentation over introspection, ACT LIKE A LEADER, THINK LIKE A LEADER, offers a practical guide for people who want to increase their impact and for organisations looking to grow their leadership pipeline. As much as transitions require us to move way beyond our comfort zones, they can also trigger a strong countervailing impulse to protect our past identities. We easily retreat to old habits, especially those that have been rewarded in the past. When we allocate more time to what we do best, we devote less time to learning other things that are also important. The more your current situation tilts toward a do-it-yourself environment, the more outsight you need to make the transition. If you don’t create new opportunities within the confines of your “day job,” they may never come your way.

Linda A. Hill, Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; coauthor of Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader serves as a thoroughly original, practical guide to becoming a better leader.” TD magazine (Association for Talent Development) I’m like the fire patrol,” says Jacob, a thirty-five-year-old production manager for a midsized European food manufacturer. “I run from one corner to the other to fix things, just to keep producing.” To step up to a bigger leadership role in his organisation, Jacob knows he needs to get out from under all the operational details that are keeping him from thinking about important strategic issues his unit faces. He should be focused on issues such as how best to continue to expand the business, how to increase cross-enterprise collaboration, and how to anticipate the fast-changing market. His solution? He tries to set aside two hours of uninterrupted thinking time every day. As you might expect, this tactic didn’t work.

Herminia Ibarra is the Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School. Prior to joining LBS, she served on the INSEAD and Harvard Business School faculties. Former Ogilvy & Mather CEO Charlotte Beers advises leaders to remember that it’s who they are and not their analysis that persuades and inspires best

Ibarra received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University, where she was a National Science Fellow. A native of Cuba, Ibarra grew up in Miami, now lives in Paris, and will tour the U.S., Canada and the U.K this winter.

Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader

Looking at the flood of new publications on the theme of leadership, the question arises if they are actually of any use to the reader. The book Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader by INSEAD Professor Herminia Ibarra is unquestionably an exception. Based on a solid academic basis, it delivers concrete assistance for the first time takeover of a leadership role .” Personalwirtschaft magazine