Mark Miller - Smart Leadership

Praise for Smart Leadership

Smart Leadership is packed with wisdom and practicality, seasoned with real-world experience. Leaders who want to be more effective, add more value, and scale their impact now have the guide they have been searching for. Read this book, make these simple, smart choices and take your leadership to the next level.

Jon Gordon, best-selling author of The Power of Positive Leadership

If you want to be a great leader, then you must read Smart Leadership. Its a playbook on how to make four simple choices to scale and grow your impact as a leader... Mark Miller combines his decades of leadership experience, well-documented research, and pragmatic steps to get you on your way to leadership excellence.

Charlene Li, New York Times bestselling author and Founder of Altimeter

Increasing your impact can feel like a complex and confusing processno matter the industry or job. Miller has written the ultimate guide to leading intentionally and creating spaces to impact your team and company in the most meaningful ways. Smart Leadership provides a thoughtful and powerful new approach to leadership.

Marshall Goldsmith is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of Triggers, Mojo, and What Got You Here Wont Get You There

The four choices Mark outlines are as powerful and lifechanging as they are pragmatic. He shows all of us how to exercise our own superpower to scale our impact. Mark proves once again hes a rock star who not only inspires but gives practical tools anyone can follow.

Emily Thomas Kendrick, CEO of Arrow Exterminators

Mark Miller is one of the smartest leaders I know, and hes researched some of the best leaders and companies of the last century. Im grateful hes condensed his learnings that are usually reserved for one giant chicken sandwich company and finally made it available to all of us. Too many leaders are trying to work harder instead of smarter. This book will give you the tools to reverse that in your life and with your teams.

Jason Jaggard, Founding Partner of Novus Global and Cofounder of the Meta Performance Institute

Whether you are leading yourself or a team of hundreds, Smart Leadership is a must read; an extra highlighter required kind of leadership book. Mark Miller challenges the reader to take a hard look at their personal and/or professional quicksand, nudging towards a reality that is both inspirational and scaryand thats just the beginning... Smart Leadership is filled with creative best practices, actionable take-aways and the very best of story-telling.

Jennifer Goodwyn, President & COO of Snellings-Walters

Books by Mark Miller are valuable for anyone with an honest desire to grow as a leader. But I feel that THIS is the book Ive waited for more than 20 years for him to write. As you turn these pages, youll discover a carefully curated collection of Marks profound insights and practical teaching. Its all woven together with his straightforward wisdompieced together from decades of personal growth, research, humbling difficulties, and best-in-class experience... I know Mark has more to teach us than one book could contain, but this comes mighty close to having him as your personal mentor.

Zach Clark, Founder and Lead Spokesman of Development & Leadership Coaching

Marks book is packed with information that impacts. The relatable and immediately applicable material makes it a fast and enjoyable read.

Dave Anderson, President, Learn To Lead

Ive always felt the key to lasting change is to pick a few high-impact actions and do them well and in the right sequence. In a time of chaos and disruption its the only way to stay focused and on track. Thats why I like Mark Millers book. He zeroes in on four choices that help us start digging out of the quicksand that drags us down (and burns us out) and start growing into influential leaders.

Quint Studer, Author of Wall Street Journal bestseller The Busy Leaders Handbook: How to Lead People and Places That Thrive

SMART
LEADERSHIP

ALSO BY MARK MILLER

THE HIGH PERFORMANCE SERIES

Chess Not Checkers

Leaders Made Here

Talent Magnet

Win the Heart

Win Every Day

OTHER BOOKS

The Heart of Leadership

The Secret of Teams

Great Leaders Grow

The Secret

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Smart Leadership in Action Journal

Smart Leadership Field Guide

Chess Not Checkers Field Guide

Talent Magnet Field Guide

Win the Heart Field Guide

Win Every Day Field Guide

The Secret Field Guide

The Heart of Leadership Field Guide

The Secret of Teams Field Guide

Coauthored with Ken Blanchard

Coauthored with Randy Gravitt

This book is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information about business leadership. Neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services by publishing this book. If any such assistance is required, the services of a qualified financial professional should be sought. The author and publisher will not be responsible for any liability, loss, or risk incurred as a result of the use and application of any information contained in this book.

Smart Leadership copyright 2022 by CFA Properties, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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First E-Book Edition: January 2022

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021034772

ISBN TK 9781953295750

eISBN TK 9781637740095

Editing by Katie Dickman

Copyediting by Ginny Glass

Proofreading by Sarah Vostok and Jenny Bridges

Indexing by Amy Murphy

Text design and composition by PerfecType, Nashville, TN

Cover design by Brigid Pearson

Author photo by Mary Caroline Russell

Special discounts for bulk sales are available.

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To Jimmy Collins: Thanks for showing me, and countless others, what a Smart Leader looks like. And thanks for introducing me to the work of Peter Drucker!

CONTENTS

I n the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, one of the most oft-quoted lines comes from the climactic scene. If you saw the film, you remember the moment.

Indiana Jones, under extreme duress, has found the hidden chamber containing the Holy Grail, the cup of Christ from the Last Supper. As legend has it, anyone who drinks from the cup will never die.

Now, the final challenge remaining for Indy is to select the correct cup from among the many on display. Ironically, based on outward appearance, the imposters all looked better than the real chalice. As Indy surveys the situation, he is joined by the villain, who also wants the cup. Having no apparent alternative, our hero relinquishes the choice to the bad guy.