Book of the Week: “Why Are We Bad at Picking Good Leaders? A Better Way to Evaluate Leadership Potential

We are pleased to announce this week’s Book of the Week, Why Are We Bad at Picking Good Leaders? A Better Way to Evaluate Leadership Potential. Authors Jeffrey Cohn and Jay Moran analyze some of today’s top leaders in a variety of fields, and present the case that we are not choosing our leaders for the right reasons. The book argues that we are fooled by superficial qualities and false predictors of leadership success, and instead we need to focus on picking leaders based on the essential seven qualities the authors outline. Both Jeffrey Cohn and Jay Moran have experience in leadership, succession planning and executive coaching, and are currently co-founders of LIAG- Leadership and Innovation Advisory Group. Continue reading about the book below, and be sure to pick up your own copy of the book today. Check out pictures taken at the Why Are We Bad at Picking Good Leaders? release party. You can also read the authors respond to tough questions about leadership in our Author Series.

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Almost 70% of Americans believe that we are suffering from a crisis of leadership, but rather than asking why leaders are failing, we need to ask, “Why aren’t we choosing better leaders?”

Ever wonder what goes on behind closed boardroom doors when organizations pick their top leaders? It can be a contentious, secretive, even brutal process. Most leaders look good on paper—they have charisma, credentials, and confidence—yet they lack the real qualities that are necessary to succeed. In Why Are We Bad at Picking Good Leaders? leadership succession experts Jeffrey Cohn and Jay Moran share the same insights and ideas they use to help organizations make better choices.

Through dynamic, first-hand accounts from the business world, entertainment, sports, politics, education, and philanthropy, Cohn and Moran reveal the seven essential attributes of all great leaders and offer a powerful evaluation technique anyone can use to assess leader potential. Jerry Colangelo explains why he hired Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski to turn the 2008 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team into the “Redeem Team”; Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, describes how he built a new online industry; Peter Löscher, CEO of Siemens, details how he turned around an industrial giant; Toby Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic, discusses his transition from the operating room to the boardroom; John DeLucie, chef and entrepreneur, shows how he found his true passion at thirty; Ruben Fleischer, Hollywood director, explains his judgment on a movie set; Richard Clarke, former U.S. national coordinator for counter-terrorism, reveals how to lead in a crisis situation.

Fresh and compelling, Why Are We Bad at Picking Good Leaders? reveals how great leaders can be spotted and why they succeed—and is soon to be the definitive resource guide to choosing better leaders.

Praise for Why Are We Bad at Picking Good Leaders?

“As chairman of a global company that has been in the family for 150 years, I make finding the kind of people who can build on our legacy one of my top priorities. Finding the best leaders is very tough. Why Are We Bad at Picking Good Leaders? explains why, and then offers key insight and nuance to help others meet the challenge. Any board member, human resource executive, or hiring manager who wants to solidify the company’s leadership ranks should start right here.”
—Facundo L. Bacardi, chairman, Bacardi Ltd.

“Inspiring, encouraging, and engaging, this book will help anyone who needs to make a truly important leadership decision. Hiring Mike Krzyzewski to lead our 2008 basketball team to the gold medal was the single most important decision I made as chairman of U.S.A. Basketball. I saw in Coach K all seven of the fundamental leadership attributes that Cohn and Moran vividly describe in this book.”
—Jerry Colangelo, chairman, U.S.A. Basketball Board of Directors

“Brilliant. For the last 25 years I’ve been helping companies develop their rising stars into world-class leaders, and this is one of the most original and complete explanations I’ve seen for how to get that process started. Cohn and Moran skillfully showcase an assessment approach that is as entertaining as it is insightful. Busy executives don’t want to take a test; they want an assessment process that is engaging, interesting, and most of all accurate.”
—Bernie Jaworski, executive vice president, IMD

“Cohn and Moran have been assessing and selecting executives for decades, and this book codifies the seven leadership attributes they’ve found make the difference between failure and success. Why Are We Bad at Picking Good Leaders? is empirically sound, packed with clear and compelling stories, and full of immediately applicable advice on how you can improve the way you select leaders in your organization.”
—Jim Kouzes, coauthor, The Leadership Challenge, and the Dean’s Executive Professor of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

“This is a book that will stand the test of time! Too many people turn the topic of leadership into poorly defined concepts and theory. Cohn and Moran take a different tack by boiling leadership down to seven core attributes and explaining each one in a very direct, commonsense way.”
—Joel Kurtzman, author, Common Purpose, and senior fellow, the Milken Institute

“Before you start your next selection process, read this book. And read it very, very carefully.”
—Jim Kouzes, coauthor, The Leadership Challenge