Product Description

Recent polls show that 71% of workers think about quitting their jobs every day. That number would be shocking-if people actually were quitting. Worse they go to work punching time clocks and collecting pay checks while completely checked out emotionally. In Reality-Based Leadership expert Fast Company blogger Cy Wakeman reveals how to be the kind of leader who changes the way people think about and perceive their circumstances-one who deals with the facts clarifies roles gives clear and direct feedback and insists that everyone do the same-without drama or defensiveness.

Filled with dynamic examples innovative tools and diagnostic tests this book shows you how to become a Reality-Based Leader revealing how to:

Uncover destructive thought patterns with yourself and others
Diffuse drama and lead the person in front of you
Stop managing and start leading empowering others to focus on facts and think for themselves

Equipped with a facts-based confident approach you will free yourself from the frustrations you face at work and transform yourself into a Reality-Based Leader with the ability to liberate and inspire others.

Amazon.com Review

Recent polls show that 71% of workers think about quitting their jobs every day. That number would be shocking-if people actually were quitting. Worse?? they go to work?? punching time clocks and collecting pay checks?? while completely checked out emotionally. In Reality-Based Leadership?? expert Fast Company blogger Cy Wakeman reveals how to be the kind of leader who changes the way "e think about and perceive their circumstances-one who deals with the facts?? clarifies roles?? gives clear and direct feedback?? and insists that everyone do the same-without drama or defensiveness. Filled with dynamic examples?? innovative tools?? and diagnostic tests?? this book shows you how to become a Reality-Based Leader?? revealing how to:

Uncover destructive thought patterns with yourself and others
Diffuse drama and lead the person in front of you
Stop managing and start leading?? empowering others to focus on facts and think for themselves

Equipped with a facts-based?? confident approach?? you will free yourself from the frustrations you face at work and transform yourself into a Reality-Based Leader?? with the ability to liberate and inspire others.

Why did you write this book?
I wanted to give leaders a huge reality check! Having worked with leaders and HR executives for more than twenty years I found that the traditional philosophies tools and techniques leaders relied on were simply not working. We had led leaders to believe that their jobs were to create perfect work environments and basically coddle their employees when in fact the organizations that have thrived in challenging times focused not as much on creating stress-free nirvana-like environments but on bullet-proofing their people so that they are able to succeed regardless of the circumstances they face.

As I travelled the country speaking and consulting I heard over and over again that the reason businesses were struggling was because they were faced with incredibly difficult circumstances. I just could not buy into this philosophy of helplessness. It seemed like a huge excuse for lack of great leadership. Dont get me wrong; we are certainly in challenging times. But we have been in challenging times in the past and let me make a predictionwe will be faced with challenging times again at some point in the future. Heres the reality checkthe fact that times are challenging is not the source of our pain. The source of our pain is the absence of great leadership based in reality. If current leadership is not creating the results or the quality of life that we would like then these times call for a new type of leader. We need leaders who are willing and able to recreate mindsets in order to change circumstances and lead in a new and revolutionary way.

What is the biggest change that employees are facing today?
Actually it is not what you might expect. The biggest change for leaders and their employees to adjust to is the fact that most of us have been replaced by Google. Our opinions just dont add the value they used to and yet we insist on having input giving our two cents and shaping decisions when the real value we add is using our expertise to make the decisions work. Most people have simply refused to make this transition.How did we get into this mess? Well human resources gospel has always been to make employees feel as if their opinions counted. After all?? this is America?? and democracy is a good thing?? right? Not always. We know the value of democracy in a representative government?? but in reality?? what value does an opinion contribute to an organization? Most of the time?? a single person??s opinion adds zero value and actually drains resources. Non?decision makers offering their opinions usually derails the team into a search for consensus?? rather than driving all efforts going toward implementing with excellence.

For 90% of people in any organization at any given time?? their role is simply to be informed?not to make or comment on a decision. If you subscribe to the idea that everyone??s opinion has to count?? in effect you are handing out veto power to the majority while only a minority has the power to say ??yes.?? This sets up a paradigm in which it??s very difficult to take positive action. You als