Joshua Spodek - Leadership Step by Step: Become the Person Others Follow

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Of all the hundreds of leadership books that cross my desk each year, Josh Spodeks Leadership Step by Step is by far the most practical. Lots of leadership writers tell stories and relate inspiring examples, and so does Josh. But what makes Leadership Step by Step different are the exercises. If you believe, as I do, that leadership is a skill you need to practice and not just an attribute youre endowed with at birth, then youll immediately see the wisdom in Joshs approach. And if you work his exercises into your own leadership journey, I promise youll emerge as a better leader.

Eric Schurenberg, Inc. Magazine, Media President and Editor-in-Chief

The art of leadership, like so many other skills, must be learned hands-on and through experiences, rather than from business-school lectures and abstract analysis. Joshua Spodek has written a great book that takes future leaders through the essential steps of learning to lead. Essential reading for aspiring leaders in any field.

Tony Wagner, bestselling author of Creating Innovators and The Global
Achievement Gap; Expert-In-Residence at Harvard Universitys
Innovation Lab; Senior Research Fellow at the Learning Policy Institute

Great leaders arent born with a leadership gene; great leaders develop the necessary skills and gain confidence through practice and hard work. In Leadership Step by Step Joshua Spodek presents a thoughtful approach to becoming a highly effective leader that emphasizes the importance of experiential learning. It will serve as a valuable resource for leaders at all levels in any profession. Indeed, Joshuas practical exercises will help prospective, as well as experienced, leaders to master their craft and ultimately succeed in leading and inspiring others in their various pursuits.

General Lloyd J. Austin III, U.S. Army, Ret., commanded troops in
combat in Iraq and Afghanistan; served as the 33rd Vice Chief of Staff
of the Army and 12th commander of U.S. Central Command

In a fresh approach to the topic, Josh Spodek guides his readers on an experiential journey through a progression of exercises that reveal the inner psychology of leadership and impart critical skills.

Michael W. Morris, Chavkin-Chang Chair, Professor of Leadership,
and founder of the Leadership Lab at Columbia Business School

There are thousands of leadership books published each year. Most are NOT very helpful. Joshua Spodeks book deserves to break through the clutter. Rather than the usual focus on leadership techniques, this book gets to the holy grail of leading and motivating by helping readers understand themselves and how they affect people.

Michael Feiner, President of Michael C. Feiner Consulting, author of
The Feiner Points of Leadership; formerly professor at Columbia
Business School; Chief People Officer worldwide at Pepsi-Cola Co.

Refreshingly different and thoroughly practical, Leadership Step by Step serves up valuable tools for readers to build their own path to development. The book weaves back and forth between brief, engaging stories and seemingly simple exercises. But the cumulative effect can be profound, helping readers focus on and sometimes rewrite their habits of thought and action that were previously invisible.

Daniel Ames, Columbia Business School Professor,
Management Division

Our nation, and indeed the world, is in desperate need of genuine authentic leadership to solve pressing problems. Using his experience at NYU with instilling passion and dedication into students through active experiential learning, Joshua has created a how-to guide to leadership development. It is a book every educator should read.

Paul Horn, NYU Senior Vice Provost for Research and Senior Vice
Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship; formerly Senior
Vice President and Executive Director of Research at IBM, where he
oversaw Deep Blue and helped initiate Watson

For years acclaimed NYU professor and executive coach Joshua Spodek was frustrated by the existing literature on leadership. Countless fact-filled books described the subject, but not one actually explained how to become a great leader. Now based on years of teaching experience, Spodek has produced the first systematic manual designed to hone great leadership. Filled with personal insights and detailed daily exercises, Leadership Step by Step is a vital resource for anyone interested in leading other people.

David Lefer, Industry Professor and Director of the Innovation and
Technology Forum at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Packed with dozens of thought-provoking exercises that will help you develop the self-awareness and sensitivity to take your leadership game to a new level.

Caroline Webb, author How to Have a Good Day; CEO and founder
of Sevenshift; Senior Advisor and former Partner, McKinsey

Joshua Spodek has written a very important book distilling universal leadership principles into practical exercises that anyone can do and internalize. Rarely is leadership taught practically, often remaining theoretical and still needing decades of hands-on experience. His practical approach accelerates the process of self-discovery, quickly creating a much more effective mindset and perspective on ourselves and others. My experience in McKinsey, from serving top CEOs to becoming a CEO myself and scaling a global Internet startup with hundreds of employees in four Asian regions, then launching high-achieving teams across Europe, makes obvious the timeless value and universal, underlying principles of Joshuas exercises. Do them seriously and you will significantly improve your personal and professional leadership.

Jose Gaztelu, Managing Director, Houzz.com; former CEO Zalora
Group Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand

Being an effective leader is not just about having a vision, its about bringing others along with you to achieve that vision. From the very first lesson in Leadership Step by Step, this book sets a tone of simple self-exploration that tackles this very challengenot just through high-level concepts, but through methodical, targeted lessons that are both tactical and results- oriented. This book takes leadership from theory to realitythough to achieve the desired results requires effort, and practice, on the part of the reader. As a student, I was keenly aware that I was getting out exactly what I put into this course.... These skills can be (must be) learned and thoughtfully honed. This book is a beautifully crafted guide through that process.

Bethany Hale, Associate Partner, IBM

You learn to lead by leading, not just by reading, and Leadership Step by Step gives you direction to learn by doing. Ive coached thousands of people over the past decade, and the ones who progress are the ones who get off their duff and act. If youre willing to work but are struggling to find a starting point, Joshua presents a simple structure of what to do to improve yourself as a leader. Get the book and do the exercises. It really is that simple.

Jordan Harbinger, cofounder and host, The Art of Charm

Joshuas book clearly articulates the power and value of empathy to not only lead, but motivate. An important fresh look at leadership, because insecurity and anger are powerful but toxic propellants that, unfortunately, many leaders lead with.