The Agile Leader: A Playbook for Leaders

As a new leader, you, no doubt, want to leave your mark. The problem is, there is no single guidebook or game plan for leaders—new or experienced— to follow, especially in uncertain economic times like these. The Agile Leader fills in that gap with a modern leadership fable about a leader who tries to drive his team to achieve corporate sales goals and make a difference.

Why agility? Agility in NFL quarterbacks keeps them from being sacked, thrown for a loss or, worse yet, getting a serious injury. The author believes leadership agility is about how a leader can keep just the right amount of heat on while not allowing the pot to boil over.

Inspirational and motivational, the book is full of insights and perspectives on conflicts, resistive culture and company politics this leader and all leaders must know how to handle to be successful. You’ll clearly recognize all the challenges this leader faces and learn timely lessons for navigating the complex world of corporate America.

Using sports imagery, Gladis elaborates on the meaning of these lessons in 15 chapters. Here’s a preview of some of the key concepts:

• The trust triangle: Character, competence and caring
• Lead by example: Leadership is caught, not taught
• Seek out understanding of self and others
• Understand politics: Regulating the power seesaw at work
• Appreciate how others respond differently to the same world
• Create strong cultures to create great companies
• Use the coach approach to get lasting results
• Leadership is a combination of ability and agility

Gladis gets his point across in a way that enables you to easily see yourself in this role and keeps your interest from start to finish. His ability to weave sage advice into an interesting story makes The Agile Leader a quick read and hard to put down.

About the Author

Steve Gladis, Ph.D. University of Virginia The varied career of Steve Gladis includes academic, government, military, and civic service. Regarded as an educational entrepreneur, Dr. Gladis has a strategic goal for the University of Virginia in Northern Virginia: to link corporate needs with academic resources to better serve the community, the state, and the country. Dr. Gladis is a member of the University of Virginia's faculty and serves as both an associate dean in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies as well as the director of the University's Northern Virginia Center, which serves thousands of students through hundreds of courses and programs. In his previous career, Dr. Gladis served as a Special Agent in the FBI. He was the chief of the Law Enforcement Communication Unit at the FBI Academy and was also the editor of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, the most widely read law enforcement monthly journal in the world. Prior to the Academy, he served as the chief of speech writing for the director of the FBI and held a number of both headquarters and field-agent assignments around the country. He is also a former U.S. Marine Corps officer and a Vietnam veteran.