THE
LEADERSHIP
QUOTIENT

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, Not so good when people obey and acclaim him; Worse when they despise him. ‘Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you.’ But of a good leader, who talks little, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, They will all say, ‘We did this ourselves’.”

— Lao-Tzu, Chinese Philosopher

You are already a leader, even if you don’t yet know it. You can become a great leader, which the world desperately needs-leaders with courage, compassion, and the ability to raise each unique individual to their highest levels of performance. Leadership is a learned series of skills and behaviors; however, the path to becoming a great leader first begins with the acknowledgment that you are one, followed by your strong desire and commitment to be a great one. The leadership quotient is built on the premise and promise that everyone is a leader and that only by increasing the degree of mastery in all four critical areas can an individual transition from ordinary or mediocre into the more aspirational, urgently needed realm of truly great leaders. This practical guide to leadership is filled with tools and real-world examples that you can quickly add to your repertoire and immediately apply within your organization. These tools can be leveraged by every reader, from those who have never led before to those who have been leading for years.

The Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu captured the essence of the leadership quotient principles in his quote, which ends with the line, “But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will all say, We did this ourselves.” If you aspire to become that kind of leader, to add tools to your belt that position you to lead extremely well, then this book and those tools are your path to achieve that aspiration.