What do you think?
Rate this book
Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership For The 21st Century
If you’re a leader in America, you’ve got a big problem. More than half of all workers hate their jobs. In fact, job satisfaction and employee engagement have been declining for twenty-two straight years.
One hundred years ago, a job and a paycheck kept workers satisfied. Now, pay barely makes the list. Employees’ needs have evolved dramatically. But our leadership practices have failed to keep up.
In Lead From The Heart, Mark C. Crowley presents compelling new evidence that the solution leaders need lies in the last place traditional business would seek it: the human heart. Twenty-first-century employees need to feel… valued, respected, developed, and cared for. Their work has to matter. Recent scientific discoveries tell us that it’s the heart, and not the mind, that drives human performance and achievement.
Drawing on decades of experience as a senior leader for regional and national financial institutions, Mark C. Crowley offers proof that leaders who intentionally engage the hearts of their employees will be rewarded with uncommon (and highly sustainable) performance and achievement. We’ve seen centuries of evidence of what the heart can do in sports, art, and music. Business is next.
Lead From The Heart, and your employees will follow
One hundred years ago, a job and a paycheck kept workers satisfied. Now, pay barely makes the list. Employees’ needs have evolved dramatically. But our leadership practices have failed to keep up.
In Lead From The Heart, Mark C. Crowley presents compelling new evidence that the solution leaders need lies in the last place traditional business would seek it: the human heart. Twenty-first-century employees need to feel… valued, respected, developed, and cared for. Their work has to matter. Recent scientific discoveries tell us that it’s the heart, and not the mind, that drives human performance and achievement.
Drawing on decades of experience as a senior leader for regional and national financial institutions, Mark C. Crowley offers proof that leaders who intentionally engage the hearts of their employees will be rewarded with uncommon (and highly sustainable) performance and achievement. We’ve seen centuries of evidence of what the heart can do in sports, art, and music. Business is next.
Lead From The Heart, and your employees will follow
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2011
52 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 23, 2016
This was the latest book the leadership team at BIGGBY read as a group, and I think it resonated with many of us. It's already aligned with the "heart" of our culture, so I think that made it an easy sell, but there are some good challenges the author makes that landed with people. The section on hiring practices, in particular, made me reflect on how we perform as a company. There are practices that I already had in place, but now want to super-charge (for example, getting work samples by performing skills tests) and others that I want to implement or do better on (having the entire team involved with the hiring process, and being super super patient and picky, even if that means delaying filling a position). Thoroughly enjoyed.
January 31, 2020
Lead from the heart
Mark Crawley does a great job sharing both from empirical data and personal experience about how expressing genuine care for one’s employees
In an age where employee dissatisfaction is high, Crawley gives 4 practical tips about how to live this out.
1. Build a highly engaged team (hire people with heart)
2. Connect on a personal level
3. Maximize employee potential
4. Value and honor achievement
None of these is rocket science, of course, but each one does much to help bring out the best in your hires. I found most insightful his advice concerning valuing and honoring achievement, as I’ve seen this principle active in my life but not one to which I have given a whole lot of thought in my present context.
This is definitely a book to read through twice; it is rich and it is immensely practical.
Mark Crawley does a great job sharing both from empirical data and personal experience about how expressing genuine care for one’s employees
In an age where employee dissatisfaction is high, Crawley gives 4 practical tips about how to live this out.
1. Build a highly engaged team (hire people with heart)
2. Connect on a personal level
3. Maximize employee potential
4. Value and honor achievement
None of these is rocket science, of course, but each one does much to help bring out the best in your hires. I found most insightful his advice concerning valuing and honoring achievement, as I’ve seen this principle active in my life but not one to which I have given a whole lot of thought in my present context.
This is definitely a book to read through twice; it is rich and it is immensely practical.
May 14, 2015
A nice, short book that summarizes the "leading from the heart" approach that is becoming more and more popular/well-known form of transformational leadership, especially in the last few years. He lays out his basic philosophy, how it contradicts the "traditional wisdom," and gives very practical ways to enact this philosophy. Like most leadership books, it is about 60% content and 40% narratives and anecdotes which help to show the principles in action, but generally serve as filler. 4 stars for being able to be concise (more so than many similar authors), and being clear without devolving into new age-y oversimplicity.
February 7, 2020
The Depak of a more modern Leadership. Crowley is Honest, authentic and candid. This book does not allow the author to stand on the sidelines and look handsome. He let's you know that his childhood made him vulnerable and therefore more caring. He shows how workers can hurt you and in the end how leaders who lead from the heart will always rise to the top. This is a really fantastic read with tons of quotes to highlight and share.
September 18, 2015
Maybe because my leadership book club has read so many books I am easily bored by any repetition, but this is basically research to back up our group instinct that we should treat people well. But we should be honest and not give false affirmation. I find it hard to confront people I like so this was good for me. Otherwise unremarkable.
February 19, 2021
It's not bad. I read it for a project at work. It's a VERY fast read (like, maybe 4 hours total?) and it does have some decent ideas incorporated. And I've met with the author, he seems like a decent, smart guy who is genuine and believes in his work.
Overall, I often get stuck on the same thing when it comes to "corporate culture" books - they all have a really dood-centric aspect that just sits funny with me. Look, this guy IS a dood, he's also someone from the financial industry, he's going to TALK dood. I get it. Still. I have a hard time fully connecting to ANY corporate culture book that feels gendered, especially because nearly all of them are gendered penis-ward.
That said, it's a bridging starting point in a culture that IS super penis-centric so it's a good place to begin and it has some good bones on which to grow (oh, geez, I see what I did there). I'll be interested to see what the rest of the team has to say about it. And I DO like that the author takes/took care of his employees. That's meaningful.
Overall, I often get stuck on the same thing when it comes to "corporate culture" books - they all have a really dood-centric aspect that just sits funny with me. Look, this guy IS a dood, he's also someone from the financial industry, he's going to TALK dood. I get it. Still. I have a hard time fully connecting to ANY corporate culture book that feels gendered, especially because nearly all of them are gendered penis-ward.
That said, it's a bridging starting point in a culture that IS super penis-centric so it's a good place to begin and it has some good bones on which to grow (oh, geez, I see what I did there). I'll be interested to see what the rest of the team has to say about it. And I DO like that the author takes/took care of his employees. That's meaningful.
July 27, 2023
A fellow chaplain recommended this book to me. I ordered it. Read it in two sittings. An enduring truth of how to motivate people: be honest/real/authentic/labor hard to touch their core and they will most often respond in kind. An encouraging book to remind us who minister to others that our ultimate goal should be the person as such--his/her core. If he/she knows in his/her heart that you care, productivity goes up--in trust levels, in income oftentimes, in loyalty, in friendship, in what matters.
August 23, 2025
I finished this book after a meaningful eight-month journey, and it was worth every page. Mark C. Crowley challenges the long-held belief that leadership must be purely rational, metrics-driven, and detached. Instead, he makes a compelling case that the most effective leaders in the 21st century are those who genuinely lead with empathy, compassion, and authenticity. Those qualities often underestimated in traditional leadership models
November 29, 2017
Had to read this for a class. Not usually my thing, but it was a short, interesting read with some valid points on leadership.
April 13, 2019
Sigh. Summary: Don't be a tool. So if that is revelatory leadership advice, then you NEED to read this, so you stop being a tool. Otherwise ... yawn and move on.
September 9, 2024
There's no room for hate anymore. A man must a good kind for the future of environment
August 24, 2016
Easy to read, has a lot of good insight and encouragement to lead from the heart.
I wish I had had a boss like this. And I wish I can be a boss like this one day.
But as a book it was not particularily good...
I wish I had had a boss like this. And I wish I can be a boss like this one day.
But as a book it was not particularily good...
November 26, 2014
When I was reading part I it felt like very long introduction chapter. All the time I was wondering when do we get to "the core" of this. Part II was better but I can't say that it had anything new and spectacular for me. Book was OK but I didn't get much out of it.
February 17, 2013
READ FEB 2013
Easy read, but loaded with practical advice and illustrations on a heart-led approach to leadership.
Easy read, but loaded with practical advice and illustrations on a heart-led approach to leadership.
December 27, 2023
Good read to refocus on what's important on a leadership to remind myself we work with and for people...
April 17, 2017
Very good how to implement transformational leadership book.
dnf
November 29, 2017Some good (but not surprising) insights, but I don't have the patience for its repetitious writing and sloppy editing.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews