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The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders Hardcover – May 28, 2009

by John Zenger (Author), Joseph Folkman (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 133 ratings
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People can learn how to lead. This was the position John H. Zenger and Joseph R. Folkman took when they wrote their now-classic leadership book The Extraordinary Leader―and it’s a fact they reinforce in this new, completely updated edition of their bestseller.

When it was first published, The Extraordinary Leader immediately attracted a wide audience of aspiring leaders drawn to its unique feature: the extensive use of scientific studies and hard data, which served to demystify the concept of leadership and get readers thinking about the subject in a pragmatic way.

Now, Zenger and Folkman revisit the subject to address leaders’ most pressing concerns today. The result is an up-to-date, essential leadership guide for the twenty-first century that includes:

  • Late-breaking research on the psychology of leadership
  • New information on leading in a global environment
  • A breakthrough case study on measuring improved leadership behavior
  • Studies revealing the importance of follow-through

    The Extraordinary Leader is a remarkable combination of expert insight and extensive research. The authors analyzed more than 200,000 assessments describing 20,000 managers―by far the most expansive research ever conducted for a leadership book.

    Zenger and Folkman have created the leadership book of the ages. The Extraordinary Leader explains how to build leadership skills that will take you and your organization to unimagined success.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    McGraw-Hill Education
  4. Publication date
    May 28, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0071628088
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0071628082
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

John H. Zenger, D.B.A., is CEO of Zenger Folkman, a firm that helps organizations and individuals improve leadership effectiveness that, in turn, drives business results. These results include increasing employee engagement, retention, productivity, and bottom-line profitability. He is a member of the HRD Hall of Fame and has authored or coauthored eight books and 50 articles on leadership, productivity, and teams.

Joseph R. Folkman, Ph.D., is president of Zenger Folkman. He is an authoritative voice on the subject of creating and using employee surveys to create organizational change and 360- degree feedback assessment for individual development. Folkman is the author of three books: Turning Feedback into Change, Making Feedback Work, and Employee Surveys That Make a Difference.

From the Back Cover

An Updated Edition of the Leadership Clasic!

The Extraordinary Leader is a groundbreaking guide that helps you pinpoint and maximize the leadershipqualities you already possess. This brand-new edition has been extensively updated to include the latestresearch into leadership psychology, case studies for leading in a global environment, and the necessaryskills for guiding yourself, your team, and your organization to greatness.

Praise for the first edition ofThe Extraordinary Leader

This is a must read for coaches, leaders, and those who develop them.The Extraordinary Leader . . . is destined to be a classic in our field.
Marshall Goldsmith, named by Forbes as one of five top executive coachesand by The Wall Street Journal as one of the Top 10 executive educators

The Zenger Folkman philosophy has its eye on the right goal real, measurable results.The Zenger Folkman leadership model is distinguished from others in that it isbacked up by research and data.
Bill Blase, Senior Executive Vice President, Human Resources, AT&T Corp.

Through their exceptional research, the authors demonstrate and prove that leadershipdoes make a difference and that you can learn to lead.
James M. Kouzes, Chairman Emeritus, Tom Peters Company,and coauthor of The Leadership Challenge and Encouraging the Heart

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ McGraw-Hill Education; 2nd edition (May 28, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0071628088
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0071628082
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.32 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 133 ratings

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John H. Zenger

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
133 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

AR
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book - highy recommended
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2011
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I liked this book very much - purhaps one of the best on leadership i've read. Unlike many other books, this one is supported by a robust and comprehensive study conducted by the authors, who also did a great job in analyzing and interpreting data and presenting the findings to the readers. I liked the fact, that the authors didn't just try to impose their opinions, but rather provided the readers with the facts and their interpretation of those facts. Great job in quantifying and classifying leadership attributes and studying the inter-relations between the attributes and potential impacts on the results. The book reads very good and is not overloaded with academical studies - it is practical, easy to follow and is build around leadership framework developed by the authors. I would especially recommend to read this book, if you are looking for an alternative (and probably more comprehensive) perspective on leadership, compared to the number of Gallup books (Strengthsfinders, etc.).
3 people found this helpful
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P. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2011
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I chose this book as a gift for participants in my leadership development program because I think it is one of the best recent books on leadership. So many books seem to rehash the same ideas. The writing is clear and the ideas are equally applicable whether the person is just beginning on his leadership journey or is trying to refine her leadership skills even further. I especially like how the authors incorporate a lot of research results without being dry.
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Benjamin U. Vansickle
5.0 out of 5 stars Changed my thinking for the better!
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2016
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An incredibly interesting read. To break down the barriers of self-improvement and leadership in this fashion is ground breaking with the research that was done. The difference between improving best qualities and having that bleed into weaknesses as compared to striving for average is an amazing takeaway.

Definitely worth the read, whether you are in business or not.
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Fran or Teresa Trascritti
4.0 out of 5 stars Good secular leadership book
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2006
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Though Zenger and Folkman stated that leadership is developed, they concluded that people must naturally possess basic leadership traits (231). They admit, however, that being born with natural abilities is not enough for one to become a great leader (231). Since one must have natural abilities of leadership first, this last statement seems contrary to their suggestion that people can improve their "leadership outcome" by "deciding to become a great leader" (232).

The authors stressed that strengths, not weaknesses, ought to be improved. Halfway through the book, though, Zenger and Folkman added that "in some cases" improvement of weaknesses was the best place to start (158). They referred to these weaknesses as "fatal flaws," which they claimed led to "failure in leadership" (160). The effects of "fatal flaws" not only affected the individual, but also the leader's subordinates (168). To illustrate this occurrence, they recounted a story of the "tyrannical" vice president who had no interpersonal skills. His inapproachability and his inability to accept ideas from others created subordinates who lacked initiative or creativity. Even under the leadership of a new vice president, these individuals could not recover from the effects of being "smothered" by the previous leader (168).

Zenger and Folkman posed several evaluative questions. For instance, one query asked, "Can people really change?" Others include, "Are people truly valuable? Do people possess latent talents and abilities?" and "Is it worth the organization's investment to help an individual fix a fatal flaw in his or her leadership skills?" (169). This book was not written from an evangelical Christian perspective, and as such, the answer to these questions were oblivious to the fact that people are image bearers of God. The truth is that people are capable of change with God's help (Matt. 19:26). They are also very valuable to Him, in fact, the Bible is clear about people's special place in creation: "What is man that You are mindful of him? ...For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet (Psalm 8:4-6).

People are valuable because they are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). Due to the fall, all humans are sinful creatures and in need of redemption (Gen. 3). The expression of an organization's love is its investment to help an individual "fix a fatal flaw" in his or her leadership skill. This love is reminiscent of God's love towards mankind. Just as Christ's death and resurrection offers people a second chance, an organization should offer restoration to an individual.

More so, the bible states, "Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven (Col. 4:1)," and "God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well...If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously... (Romans 12:6-8 NLT)." Becoming a "great leader" encompasses more than working on one's "fatal flaws" or improving personal weaknesses, a great leader is one who has a servant's heart and acknowledges God as the Leader of his or her life (Matthew 20:26; John 3:30; 1 Samuel 16:7).

The authors admitted, "Given our current condition, leadership is still nearly impossible to define or describe in detail or specificity" (9). This statement reflected the limitations of human wisdom. The authors failed in their attempt to educate people on how to turn "good managers into great leaders" because despite the numerous knowledgeable reference sources listed in the Endnotes section of the book, without an understanding of God and the Biblical basis of creation, fall, and redemption, no secular book can ever accurately describe true leadership.

The presupposition that people become leaders when they work on their strengths and study the examples of established leaders was accurate, however the authors left out some very crucial points. First, one must follow the leadership patterns of godly men and women (1 Corinthians 11:1), not of those whom are merely great managers. Second, people should work to excel within their God-gifted abilities (1 Corinthians 12). When these two things are accomplished, the result is truly an extraordinary leader.
9 people found this helpful
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Jason.
5.0 out of 5 stars The company I work for follows the competency model as ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2014
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The company I work for follows the competency model as set out here for talent assessment and development. I have also done the 360 feedback and assessment. Worthwhile for anyone who assesses talent, manages others and seeks to gain insight in how to improve their management/leadership effectiveness.
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Nadine L. Apel
5.0 out of 5 stars ... to management and wanted to be sure I'm a Great Leader. I'm about half way through the book ...
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2015
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Wow this book was purchased because I'm on a track to management and wanted to be sure I'm a Great Leader. I'm about half way through the book and it is amazingly helpful.
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Dorothy M. Young
3.0 out of 5 stars I guess you need to buy the next book . . .
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2009
Verified Purchase
. . . to find out the HOW. The authors make great hay of defining the WHAT -- What is a good leader? What characteristics are essential, and which are nice-to-have? What are the fatal flaws that will torpedo a career and a team? But it's short on the Hows -- how can I develop these characteristics. My company has adopted the dimensions of THE EXTRAORDINARY LEADER for our evaluation and appraisal system for managers so I'm working through it with the managers who report to me. We are finding gaps in the text to tell us how to develop ourselves so we are filing in for ourselves -- being the extraordinary leaders we are! <grin>

Incidentally, I've gone through the 360-degree feedback the Zenger company offers. The company is having us do that exercise from the top down. I found it helpful, but it's not for the faint of heart. For a mediocre manager or for a manager with enemies, it can be absolutely devastating.
24 people found this helpful
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Ryan B
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read better if you have attended the class.
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019
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Great book you should take the course play to your strengths!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Robin Green
5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary leadership book
Reviewed in Canada on June 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
An excellent book on leadership. I went through half a dozen books on the topic while looking for a new management job and this one is by far the best (and better than the leadership training at the Fortune 50 corporation I eventually left). Its most stunning insight is that you shouldn't focus on your weaknesses (except your derailment factor weaknesses that can ruin your chances of being a good leader); instead, focus on you making relative strengths into super strengths. That plus the idea that leadership has 5 pillars, and you need some strengths in each pillar, make this a very approachable book for someone trying to move from good to great (or poor to good). I've read it through twice in the first year since I got it, and have sampled parts of it over and over
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MS A KONARIKOVA
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2015
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Arrived as described and within announced time. Thank you.
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von mir
5.0 out of 5 stars great book - love the author!
Reviewed in Germany on May 3, 2013
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One person found this helpful
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snowieh
2.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Edition - kaum lesbar
Reviewed in Germany on October 19, 2020
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Ich habe die Kindle Edition gerade zurückgegeben. Oft sind die Zeilen abgeschnitten und man kann die Wörter nur ganz lesen, wenn man das Gerät im Querformat hält. Zudem stehen oft Zahlen mitten im Text. Leider ist das Buch so für mich nicht lesbar. Ich habe es zurückgegeben und die neue Version als Taschenbuch gekauft.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 20, 2016
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Great book
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