Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership For The 21st Century

This is the book every workplace leader needs right now.In this thoroughly revised and updated edition of his now classic book, visionary Mark C. Crowley provides the roadmap workplace leaders the world over are seeking: How to most successfully and sustainably inspire and manage other human beings in the post-pandemic era. During the Great Resignation (2021 to mid-2023), a record 20% of American workers quit their jobs. SHRM's 2025 State of the Workplace Study finds a stunning four in ten workers feel their manager fails to effectively lead and support them.  While we might imagine that an opportunity to earn greater pay is the key driver of most employee turnover, research shows two-thirds of the reasons people leave jobs boil down to how they feel about their manager and their own personal well-being.  More specifically, people quit when they feel they aren't valued, respected, appreciated, developed - or cared about personally - by their manager & organization.  Thanks in large part to the COVID pandemic, & a global reset of what matters most to people in their lives, human beings have profoundly evolved in what they need & want in exchange for their work.    Consequently, a radical change in employee expectations demands that organizations & managers rapidly pivot by embracing leadership practices that match the moment.  The remedy to the Great Resignation is to adopt more humane ways of managing people knowing they inherently lead to infinitely greater engagement not to mention optimal employee performance.   In this new & updated version of his seminal & visionary book, Mark C. Crowley draws upon emerging medical & other scientific discoveries which prove it's the heart (and feelings) - not the mind, that drives human motivation & achievement.   While we've long been led to believe that human beings are essentially rational beings ( Descartes famously said, "I think, therefore I am," ), new research shows that feelings & emotions far more often motivate human behavior - & what people care about most & commit themselves to in their lives.  In light of this breakthrough understanding, it's now incumbent upon workplace managers to pay much greater attention to their employees' emotional experience at work - far greater attention than any of us ever believed was necessary.    Ironically, most of us were told the heart has no place in workplace management. In fact, most of us were taught that the heart acts like Kryptonite in leadership: it inherently undermines a manager's effectiveness - & lowers performance.  What makes this book so remarkable is that it brilliantly contradicts all those traditional beliefs & proves why people naturally & instinctively respond to managers who care about them personally & support their deep human needs.  To be absolutely clear, there's nothing soft or weak about the Lead From The Heart philosophy. Instead, it represents the future of workplace management & a roadmap to driving uncommon engagement, productivity & profitability when organizations around the world are wanting it most.  Rich with inspiring stories & illuminating research, this book proves that when you lead people with a greater balance of mind & heart, people naturally follow. And, they also excel.  11 American universities including a Big Ten Conference MBA program and & Educational Leadership Ph.D program, have adopted "Lead From The Heart" and made it part of their course curriculums. Read more