This is a realistic book. I can recognise issues they discuss in my 30 years of work life. It proposes workable approaches to improving your leadership practice and doesn’t make false promises or set unrealistic expectations. It’s tightly written, easy to digest and contains zero unnecessary bloat, unlike so many academic books. It’s also not swallowed a thesaurus on its way to publication. Highly recommended.

This is a useful and encouraging book, which includes plenty of great advice with helpful examples, analogies and summaries for leaders and aspiring leaders.

Thew and Cousins’ work on leadership is excellent – it invites the reader to ask seriously challenging questions about their (and their institutions’) approaches, whilst providing potential solutions that may have a significant impact on how they approach their work, peers, and clients. Influenced by ground breaking work from Harvard University, their approach to leadership is not only focused and goal- oriented, but kind and considerate. It is a breath of fresh air in the literature around leadership, sharing both an effective and affective approach that, given the ‘commercial mentality’ present in everyday life, makes the reader think more meaningfully about the people they are leading. The ideas they invite are useful in a multitude of contexts, including mine – in higher education. This is a really good source for anyone that wants to make their leadership more meaningful and effective. It is beautifully written and engaging, asking questions that many of us would not have thought to ask before. Definitely worth buying!