Jacqueline M. Baker - The Unexpected Leader: Discovering the Leader Within You

1. Introduction
2. Chapter 1
3. Chapter 2
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 7

For seasoned, aspiring, and even the most reluctant leaders, The Unexpected Leader is the timely and relevant leadership guide you didn't know you needed. Redefining what and where it means to be a leader, Jacqueline shares candid, practical insights to identify, sharpen, and elevate the leader inside of you. Whether leading within an organization, your family, social circle, or community, The Unexpected Leader is your definitive, actionable blueprint to embracing and cultivating the leader within and empowering others to do the same.

Rene Fluker,
Founder and President, The Midnight Golf Program

The Unexpected Leader provides a unique perspective on what it means to be a leader, whether at work, at home, or in the community, and provides a compelling case for why we are all everyday leaders in life. Jacqueline M. Baker masterfully outlines how each of us can strengthen our leadership skills through tools, frameworks, and real-life examples. In an increasingly complex world, The Unexpected Leader is what we need now more than ever.

Andy Miller,
Senior Vice President, AARP Innovation Labs

For our own success to be real, it must contribute to the success of others. This quote by Eleanor Roosevelt shares Jacqueline M. Baker's passion in her book The Unexpected Leader: Discovering the Leader Within You. Her book inspires leadership development at all levels and helps us understand our own personal role in our leadership journey. From what to expect when making a leadership decision to knowing the pitfalls of self-sabotage, you will enjoy learning from Jacqueline's shared experiences and approach to leadership success.

Pamela Eyring,
President, The Protocol School of Washington

Jacqueline Baker does it again in her new book, The Unexpected Leader, by challenging readers in their thinking about leadership. She has you pondering on your own leadership journey and tells her readers that you must take responsibility for elevating your own leadership journey. She provides helpful tips for success (i.e., make sure you make time to invest in your leadership) and pitfalls to avoid that could derail your success (i.e., don't self-sabotage). It's a fascinating read and will inspire you to level up your own leadership.

Tonya Berry,
Senior Vice President of Transformation & Engineering, Consumers Energy

There are countless books that celebrate leadership in the business world. What I love about The Unexpected Leader is that it is designed to empower leaders at work and in our communities, who make the world a better place without fanfare. The Unexpected Leader uplifts those leaders, gives them permission to own their leadership, and provides tangible tools and frameworks to help strengthen their skills. As the boundaries blur between our work and home lives, we need guidance on how to be our very best selves no matter the context. The Unexpected Leader is that guide.

Dr. Marlo Rencher,
Founder, Tech Founder Academy; Co-founder, Commune Angels

At a time when professionals are leaving the workforce in record numbers, people are desperately searching for real meaning and motivation in their lives. The Unexpected Leader is a true roadmap to powerful self-exploration, both personally and professionally.

Whether it's finding your voice, leveraging your tribe, or avoiding pitfalls we all make, Jacqueline Baker offers realistic, tangible advice and examples that tap into the leadership potential we all possess.

Jocelyn K. Coley,
Co-founder and CEO, The Allen Lewis Agency

jacqueline m. baker

FOREWORD BY JACQUELINE M. BAKER

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES

Copyright 2022 by John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Baker, Jacqueline M., author.

Title: The Unexpected Leader : Discovering the Leader Within You / Jacqueline M. Baker.

Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, 2022. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022019984 (print) | LCCN 2022019985 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119877677 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119877691 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119877684 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Leadership. | Women executives.

Classification: LCC HD57.7 .B345 2022 (print) | LCC HD57.7 (ebook) | DDC 658.4/092dc23/eng/20220603

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022019984

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022019985

Cover Design: Paul McCarthy

I Googled leadership books, and got back 3,070,000,000 hits. This, in a word, is dizzying. Nevertheless, I stuck with the search to gain insight on this extensively covered yet hard to define topic. Some of the books purport to define leadership definitively. Others provide very specific formulas thatso the promise goesif we faithfully employ them will turn us all into world-class leaders. All are written well enough to be in print and, I am happy to believe, all were written in good faith. In my scan, few if any even remotely attempt to address leadership in the way that Jacqueline M. Baker does in