How Ambitious Managers Make The Jump To Leadership

Here’s another must-read book to add to your list as you transition from manager to leader. It’s The Leap to Leader, by Adam Bryant. As the creator of the iconic “Corner Office” column in the New York Times, Bryant has spoken with more than a thousand leaders over the years about the challenges and nuances of leadership. Many of his discussions are included in his interview series on LinkedIn.

“The goal of this book is to provide an intensely practical guide to making that transition by sharing insights, stories, and approaches from hundreds of leaders to build the skills you will need to make the leap to leader,” explains Bryant.

He adds that the book is useful to everyone who is interested in leadership, regardless of where they are in their career.

The book covers:

The central paradox of leaders: selfless vs. self-centered.
How to perfect the do-to-say ratio.
Ways to navigate office politics.
Tactics to making better decisions.
The crucial art of compartmentalization.
How to build your self-awareness muscle.

Regarding the do-to-say ratio, Bryant shares that one of the easiest ways to set yourself apart is to build a reputation for reliability and follow-through—somebody who always does what they say they are going to do. “As obvious as this advice seems, people follow it much less than you might think,” says Bryant.

Leap to Leader is your trusted playbook for making the biggest jump of your career. You’ll learn how to make the leap and will gain practical strategies and tactics for building a loyal following, moving up quickly to broaden your impact, and making the subtle but crucial mindset shifts that are required to lead others effectively.

In addition, among the many leader profiles in the book that you’ll read about are:

Marcus Kennedy, General Manager, Gaming Division, Client Computing Group, Intel
Molly McKenna, Senior Director, Global Brand Communications, McDonald’s
Balaji Krishnamurthy, Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Sustainability, Chevron

“Leadership is incredibly hard and nuanced work, and a win for me will be if you will come to rely on this book as a trusted guide as you move into new leadership roles,” says Bryant.

Bryant shares these additional insights:

Adam Bryant

Question: How useful can The Leap To Leader book be to the reader if they have not already read your, The CEO Test, book?

Bryant: The two books are complementary but very different. The CEO Test is about the key challenges that all leaders face in their roles, and we provide a practical playbook on how to navigate those challenges. That book, in essence, is about what leaders do. The Leap to Leader is more about the mindset shift that you need to make to be a leader.

Question: What drove your decision to include the Leadership Profiles within the The Leap To Leader book?

Bryant: Although I quote more than 100 leaders throughout the book to bring the core insights and themes to life, I also wanted to provide the extended Q&As with these up-and-coming leaders to give readers fuller portraits of how individual executives navigate the challenges of leadership and how they made the leap themselves. And as I say early in the book, I encourage readers to think about how they would answer the questions that I ask of the people I’m profiling in those Q&As.

Question: How did you decide to include the eight individuals you feature in The Leap To Leader book?

Bryant: My main goal was to interview people who I knew would be thoughtful and open about how they’ve navigated the many challenges of leadership. Most of the leaders profiled are people I’ve met over the years, and I was introduced to others by some people in my network after asking them if they knew somebody who would be great for these kinds of interviews.

Question: What is the most important thing you've learned about leadership from your interview series on LinkedIn?

Bryant: So many lessons and insights, so it is very difficult to pick just one. Between the LinkedIn series and the “Corner Office” series I created and ran for a decade, I’ve interviewed more than 1,000 CEOs and other senior leaders. Those interviews provide a constant and important reminder that leadership is personal. Although there are core fundamentals about leadership, everybody has to make sense of leadership on their own and develop an approach to leadership that reflects their values and who they are as a person. The leaders who do that effectively are better able to answer the simple but difficult question, “Who are you as a leader?” Knowing the answer to that question, and being consistent in your leadership approach, helps build authenticity, trust, and followership.

Thank you to the book’s publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

Comments

Six-pillar Roadmap For How To Move From Merely Surviving To Truly Mattering

In the new book, The Mattering Effect: Creating A Life Of Meaning And Worth , podcaster and author John R. Miles reframes today’s most common struggles and empowers individuals and institutions alike to break bad habits and reclaim a sense of worth and belonging. “Organizations have spent the last decade chasing 'engagement' and 'psychological safety,' yet global productivity is stalling and 60% of employees report they do not feel valued in the places where they spend their days,” shares Miles. He calls this “The Great Erasure”—a condition where high-achievers become highly visible to the organization while becoming invisible to themselves. In addition, Miles argues that many of today’s most common struggles—burnout, anxiety, loneliness, and disengagement—are not personal failures or mindset problems. They are the result of unmattering: the gradual erosion of felt significance within modern systems that reward performance while overlooking presence. Fortu...

How To Improve The Way Teams Think, Collaborate And Make Decisions Under Pressure

“Great decisions don’t happen by accident—they happen by design,” shares Dr. Ricardo Valerdi , author of the new book, The Five-Tool Team: Bringing Out The Best In People To Make Better Decisions . This book is not about finding perfect answers. It is about building a framework that allows you to make good decisions repeatedly, even when conditions are imperfect, information is incomplete, and outcomes are uncertain. More specifically, Valerdi reveals a practical framework for improving the way individuals and teams think, collaborate, and make decisions under pressure. Drawing on lessons from sports, business, engineering, and real-world experience, Valerdi shows how the most effective leaders build teams that question assumptions, analyze consequences, and make choices grounded in clarity rather than instinct or urgency. “Writing this book has been a phenomenal journey that started in 2018 when I was a visiting professor at the United States Military Ac...

Seven Ways To Be A Collaborative Leader

Edward M. Marshall 's book, Transforming The Way We Work -- The Power Of The Collaborative Workplace , remains relevant today, more than a decade after Marshall wrote it. Particularly useful is the book's section that teaches readers how to be a collaborative leader. Marshall says that there are seven different, important roles and responsibilities of collaborative leaders when leading teams , and those leaders should select the appropriate style to meet the team's needs. The seven roles are : The leader as sponsor -- You provide strategic direction, boundaries and coaching for the team. You also monitor progress and ensure integrity in the team's operating processes. The leader as facilitator -- You ensure that meetings, team dynamics, and interpersonal relationships function effectively. You also ensure internal coordination of activities among team members. The leader as coach -- You provide support and guidance and you serve as a sounding board. The lea...

How To Be A Tough Enough Leader

Tomorrow brings a compelling and timely book about how tough enough you need to be as a leader to lead your team to greatness without being a jerk. The book is Tough Enough , by leadership coaches John Baird and Matt Hunter . The authors explain that building a high-performing team requires a new form of toughness―not based on bullying and bravado, but rather pushing for exceptional results in a way that is firm, fair, and respectful. Drawing on decades of coaching top CEOs, elite founders, and ambitious leaders, Baird and Hunter break down seven specific habits that define the strongest, most effective leaders, from being clear about the company culture to strategically unleashing emotional thunder. They set the record straight on when to prioritize understanding and empathy, when it’s time to be direct―and, most importantly, how to do both at the same time. Their no-nonsense approach gives readers the tools to calibrate their toughness and compassion in a ...

James G. Ellis Shares The Leadership Lessons Behind A Lasting Legacy

In his new book, James G. Ellis shares the lessons he learned throughout his career as an entrepreneur, CEO, professor, mentor, and one of the nation’s most respected business school leaders. He is the former Dean of the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. For aspiring leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs, A Journey of Insights: Lessons In Leadership And Legacy , offers a roadmap to success grounded in real-world experience, with a focus on humility, listening, and building strong, collaborative environments. The book is both a personal memoir and a strategic guide for those aiming to leave a lasting legacy in business. At the core of his message is the central theme that listening to voices around you throughout life is the key to success. “In essence, ears can speak louder than voices,” shares Ellis. The book also explores pivotal moments that helped define Ellis’ understanding of leadership, including encounters with Pres...

How To Become A Catalyst CEO

Catalyst leaders are individuals who accelerate decision-making, empower teams, and spark innovation. To improve your catalyst leadership skills, you’ll want to read the new book by Constantine G. Alexandrakis , which provides a hands-on guide for building leadership teams and cultures that ignite business transformation. The book is The Catalyst CEO: Why CEOs Can’t Lead Transformation Alone―And What The Best Do Instead . Drawing on decades of experience advising world-leading companies, Alexandrakis challenges the cult of the hero CEO and offers a powerful new paradigm on what it truly takes to make business transformation happen―and stick. Alexandrakis defines transformation as more than change. “It’s a deliberate reinvention of how a company creates value through its people, its business model, and its place in the world.” He adds that “Real transformation depends on teams that are willing to argue clearly, and directly, while still finding a way to decide and move ...

Proven Strategies For Keeping Teams Focused During Times Of Uncertainty

“Crisis leadership is not only about operational efficiency—it is fundamentally human-centered. Leaders who communicate openly, prioritize safety, listen empathetically, and empower teams can sustain trust, engagement, and performance, even in life-threatening circumstances. Organizations that maintain this balance are not only surviving—they are building for the future,” explain the authors of the new book Against The Storm: How True Leaders Prevail When The World Shakes . The authors and leadership experts Tom Kolditz and Mariana Khomitska share in their book a practical framework that can be applied across industries and roles. “One of the primary purposes of our book is to pass along leadership tools for crisis management,” explain the authors. “Effective crisis management is fundamentally about reducing uncertainty to restore a sense of control and stability." Key strategies focusing on minimizing the effects of uncertainty a...

Leadership Lessons From Kent Taylor, Founder Of Texas Roadhouse

From cover-to-cover of Made From Scratch you’ll learn the leadership lessons of the late Kent Taylor , founder of the restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse. In the new book, Taylor recounts how he built the restaurant chain from the ground up after being rejected more than 80 times as he pitched the idea for the business. His approach to business was often out-of-the-box, however, his business lessons and leadership lessons from the course of his life and career are invaluable. Here are some of my favorite leadership lessons from Kent and his book: The best leaders stay down-to-earth and approachable. In a bottom-up company, the leader learns from frontline people. As soon as you make a profit, find a way to give back. Be willing to laugh at yourself. Become a student of your craft. Positive reinforcement inspires much greater performance than fear ever can. Want to get the respect of your people? Then roll up y...

A Playbook For Authentic Human Leadership

Julie Averill , the CIO behind lululemon’s rapid growth from $2 billion to $10 billion shares in her new book, Chief Impact Officer , a roadmap for executives and technology leaders navigating today's AI revolution and reveals why authentic human leadership is your competitive advantage. Prior to lululemon, she led omni-channel and digital transformations at Nordstrom and REI, navigating system failures, crises, and the complicated work of integrating technology with business strategy at scale. “Technology doesn’t transform companies. People do,” says Averill. “AI will amplify whatever leadership exists, strong or weak. The goal isn’t to build better workers. It’s to develop better humans who happen to do extraordinary work because you helped them become more capable, more confident, more fully themselves. That’s what this book is about.” In the highly personal Chief Impact Officer , Averill pulls back the curtain on what happens when you try to transform a compan...

How To Master The Cycles Of Leadership: The Four Seasons

Whether you’re an aspiring leader, a newly appointed CEO, or a board member wanting to better steward your company’s performance, A CEO For All Seasons: Mastering The Cycles Of Leadership is the hands-on playbook you need – packed with practical, proven tips to help you navigate the four distinct phases of leadership. “The journey of a CEO has a beginning, middle, and end, and the challenges leaders face early on are often far different than those midway through and near retirement, explain the authors of the book – Carolyn Dewar , Scott Keller , Vikram Malhotra, and Kurt Strovink . “For us, the most apt analogy to describe these cycles is the four seasons of the year,” they add. Spring : Stepping up - Preparing for the role. Summer : Transitioning into the role. Starting strong. Leading with impact. Fall : Navigating the middle years. Staying ahead. Sustaining momentum. Enhancing your learning. Future-proofing the organization. Winter : Transitioning out of the rol...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog