The Heart-Led Leader

Zusatztext 74644304 Informationen zum Autor Tommy Spaulding Klappentext New York Times bestselling author Tommy Spaulding shows you how looking inwards--and leading with your heart--can transform your life. In his New York Times bestseller, It's Not Just Who You Know, world renowned leadership speaker and former CEO of Up with People Tommy Spaulding talked about the power of building genuine and lasting relationships both personally and professionally. In The Heart-Led Leader, Spaulding turns his focus to ourselves--to who we are. Authentic leaders, Spaulding says, live and lead from the heart. The values and principles that guide our lives and shape our ability to lead others is far more important than our title, or our ability to crunch numbers, or the impressive degrees we display on our walls. To effect true transformational change, heart-led leaders draw on the qualities of humility, vulnerability, transparency, empathy and love. Illustrated with stories from his own life, and from some of the exceptional leaders he has met and worked with over the years, Spaulding unpacks what those qualities mean, talks about the 18-inch journey from the head to the heart--from our intellect to our emotions--and shows us how to incorporate them into our careers, into how we manage and lead others, and into how we live our lives. It is a vision of leadership that has the power to transform everything we do, and the lives of everyone we touch.Who You Are Matters One of the people who taught me the most about being a heart-led leader was a man named Anthony D'Aquanni. Anthony was a hair stylist in White Plains, New York, just across the Hudson River from my hometown, Suffern. Anthony wasn't wealthy, and he didn't have a high-profile public career. He spent much of his life as the owner of a small business that he and his wife, Helen, opened not long after they were married in 1940. The two of them were seldom apart. For decades, Helen would wash and color the hair of their clients, while Anthony cut and styled. They worked hard, bought a modest home, raised four daughters, and, later, doted on 14 grandchildren. They somehow made every one of them feel like the most special person in the world. Anthony and Helen never missed a school play or a sporting event or a Scouting ceremony. Their grandchildren grew up watching the two of them hold hands, kiss, laugh, and dance in their kitchen. At Christmas gatherings, Anthony always gave the same toast. "Never forget the three most important things in life," he would say. "Family, family, and family." That was the measure of Anthony's success, the love of his family. Then one day Helen had a stroke. She survived, but the doctors told Anthony his wife would never walk again. They suggested moving her into a nursing home. The two of them had been married for 55 years, and Anthony couldn't bear the thought of being without the love of his life. So he visited Helen every day and worked tirelessly with her on her physical therapy. He was the first visitor to arrive each morning and the last to leave every night. Eventually the staff gave him his own key. Anthony was the only non-employee in the nursing home's history who could come and go as he pleased. After months of determined effort, he proved the doctors wrong. Helen walked again. Their elation was short-lived, however. Three months later, his wife suffered a second stroke. Helen never walked or talked again. But, remarkably, if anyone sang "You Are My Sunshine" to her, she was able to sing along. It was, after all, Anthony's and Helen's song. Two years after Helen's first stroke, Anthony learned he had an inoperable brain tumor. He died at the age of 82, leaving behind his wife of 57 years (Helen would live to age 89 before passing away). Before Anthony died, a long string of family members came to say goodbye and to tell him they loved...

ldquo;The Heart-Led Leader is full of heart - and full of stories about real leaders whose courageous examples will inspire you. If you put the principles in this book into practice, it will not only change your life and your organization, but also make the world a better place.” -- Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell is Human

“I’m a big fan of Tommy Spaulding. Why? First, because he and I are both believers in heart-led leadership. Like servant leadership, it’s all about love and service to others. Also, Tommy is a great storyteller—and he has filled this book with true, inspiring stories about heart-led leaders. The Heart-Led Leader is a book after my own heart.”  -- Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The New One Minute Manager®

"I will be a better leader having read this book and it has solidified in my HEART forever that who I am matters the most – especially to the people who choose to follow me."
-- Donnie Smith, President & CEO, Tyson Foods

"One of my dad's favorite sayings was, ‘If you fall in love with your work you will never have to work again.' He repeated it often because he knew that love is not only the key to a fulfilling career; it’s a catalyst for continued success in business. In The Heart-Led Leader, Tommy unpacks this truth and, through real-world examples, clearly illustrates his own explanation, that, 'Love and results are not opposites. They are two sides of the same coin.' I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to become a better leader, in the most effective way.” -- Dan T. Cathy, Chairman & CEO, Chick-fil-A

"The most important journey you can make is a mere 18-inches in length… from your Head to your Heart. Tommy Spaulding shows us how important it is to add ‘love’ to your leadership style. The Heart-Led Leader is a ‘must read’ for everyone. The lessons in this book will change you, change your organization and most definitely change the world." -- Margaret M. Kelly, former Chief Executive Officer, RE/MAX World Headquarters

“A powerful read that can profoundly change the way you approach leading any team. The inspiring stories in The Heart-Led Leader give clear examples of how others have transformed their companies by leading with the heart. A must read for everyone in my organization.” -- John Ruble, Global VP - Sales Operations & Talent Development, Marriott Vacations Worldwide

"The Heart-Led Leader will not only help you become the person you want to be – it will help you become the person that you know you should be. Follow Tommy’s lessons and it will not only change your life, but those that you serve and lead." -- Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times bestselling author of Triggers, MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

“The Heart-Led Leader brilliantly captures the essence of building extraordinary teams: the matrix of caring and unselfish, trust-your-life relationships. Flawless performance matters in human spaceflight, but at the end of the day heart-guided leadership is what really drives mission success.” -- Colonel Rick Searfoss, Astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander, author of Liftoff

“This book holds the keys to driving bottom line results through what Tommy Spaulding calls, Heart-Led Leadership. These stories will challenge you to balance your bright mind with an engaged heart – a leadership approach that will help you love those you lead.” --Cheryl Bachelder, CEO, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. and author of Dare to Serve

“Tommy Spaulding teaches us in his new book, The Heart-Led Leader, what I have always believed and practiced, which is, you must go through the heart to reach the brain. Leaders who practice this approach will achieve far greater results and leave a legacy of excellence in…