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How to Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success by Magnifying Your Strengths
One of The Globe & Mail 's Top 10 Business books of the Year! "A must-read for anyone wanting to positively stand out in an organization or for leaders wanting to raise the overall performance of the organization." -- Cindy Brinkley, Vice President, Global Human Resources, General Motors "Zenger Folkman's findings related to companion behaviors is exciting. It enhances what's been presented in prior books and makes extraordinary leadership seem like an achievable goal. I would recommend this book to anyone committed to the journey." -- Pam Mabry, Director, Human Resources, The Boeing Company "The authors take the groundbreaking concept of driving leadership effectiveness by building our strengths to a whole new level of practical implementation, providing us with a brilliantly clear road map. I have found this body of work to be absolutely invaluable . . . I cannot imagine a person in a leadership role today who would not find value from reading this book cover to cover." -- Loren M. Starr, Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Invesco Ltd. How to Be Exceptional is a milestone in the emerging business case for evidence-based management. Building on two decades of earlier research, the authors brilliantly lay out a simple, concrete, scientifically validated model for achieving consistently superior business results through leadership. . . . Its magic is its simplicity, pragmatism, and focus." -- Eric Severson, Senior Vice President, Talent, Gap Inc. " How to Be Exceptional is the best book on professional development I have read in decades. It reinforces the emerging wisdom that the path to greatness is really about building profound strengths, rather than through relentlessly focusing on one’s weaknesses. This is a great road map for any leader seeking to optimize their growth and impact." -- Michael A. Peel, Yale University, Vice President, Human Resources and Administration
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 6, 2012
18 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
John H. Zenger
39 books7 followersJohn H. “Jack” Zenger is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zenger Folkman, a professional services firm providing consulting and leadership development programs for organizational effectiveness initiatives.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 31, 2024
How to Cultivate Exceptional Skills for Personal and Professional Growth and Mastering the Art of Being Exceptional with How to Be Exceptional
In today’s competitive world, the pursuit of excellence is not merely about avoiding failure but about cultivating the unique strengths that set us apart. How to Be Exceptional by John Zenger, Joseph Folkman, Robert Sherwin Jr., and Barbara Steel challenges the conventional wisdom of focusing on weaknesses and instead advocates for honing our core strengths to achieve extraordinary leadership and personal success.
Drawing on extensive research and real-world examples, the authors provide a roadmap for individuals and leaders who aspire to stand out in their organizations and make a lasting impact. This book teaches that by building on our existing capabilities, adopting cross-training strategies, and embracing continuous feedback, we can rise to exceptional levels of performance.
The authors emphasize that achieving greatness isn’t about fixing every flaw but rather focusing on one’s unique strengths and nurturing them into exceptional qualities. For anyone interested in understanding how to excel as a leader, this book serves as a step-by-step guide grounded in years of extensive research.
This article explores key insights from the book, blending them with my own personal reflections, experiences, and examples, to help readers apply these principles in their own lives and careers. Whether you’re a leader looking to inspire your team or an individual striving for personal growth, the lessons from How to Be Exceptional will guide you toward outstanding success.
While How to Be Exceptional centers on building specific skills for leadership and performance excellence, another book, Mindset, offers a more foundational psychological framework that can be applied broadly to personal and professional challenges. Both emphasize the importance of continuous learning and adaptability, but Dweck’s work is rooted in cognitive psychology, whereas How to Be Exceptional is more tactical and business-oriented.
Explore the full article: https://www.probinism.com/how-to-be-e...
In today’s competitive world, the pursuit of excellence is not merely about avoiding failure but about cultivating the unique strengths that set us apart. How to Be Exceptional by John Zenger, Joseph Folkman, Robert Sherwin Jr., and Barbara Steel challenges the conventional wisdom of focusing on weaknesses and instead advocates for honing our core strengths to achieve extraordinary leadership and personal success.
Drawing on extensive research and real-world examples, the authors provide a roadmap for individuals and leaders who aspire to stand out in their organizations and make a lasting impact. This book teaches that by building on our existing capabilities, adopting cross-training strategies, and embracing continuous feedback, we can rise to exceptional levels of performance.
The authors emphasize that achieving greatness isn’t about fixing every flaw but rather focusing on one’s unique strengths and nurturing them into exceptional qualities. For anyone interested in understanding how to excel as a leader, this book serves as a step-by-step guide grounded in years of extensive research.
This article explores key insights from the book, blending them with my own personal reflections, experiences, and examples, to help readers apply these principles in their own lives and careers. Whether you’re a leader looking to inspire your team or an individual striving for personal growth, the lessons from How to Be Exceptional will guide you toward outstanding success.
While How to Be Exceptional centers on building specific skills for leadership and performance excellence, another book, Mindset, offers a more foundational psychological framework that can be applied broadly to personal and professional challenges. Both emphasize the importance of continuous learning and adaptability, but Dweck’s work is rooted in cognitive psychology, whereas How to Be Exceptional is more tactical and business-oriented.
Explore the full article: https://www.probinism.com/how-to-be-e...
August 6, 2019
I recently attended a workshop by the company responsible for the book. It was a great workshop and the book was basically shallow repeat of what was covered in the workshop. The majority of the book struck me as a slightly shallow marketing tool. (That's not completely fair, it had some better content at the end. I had just already heard all the stuff in the first half of the book) As though it was a precursor, a general introduction and there would be something more in depth later. Of course, that would be taking an actual survey and getting your report as I did. I say this to provide context and to admit, Im probably biased against the book because of the workshop. It had a hard time keeping my interest at times.
As far as the actual book goes, it is a decent overview of thier strengths based leadership theory, the framework of why strengths matter, and the execution of how to identify strengths and improve them.
As far as the actual book goes, it is a decent overview of thier strengths based leadership theory, the framework of why strengths matter, and the execution of how to identify strengths and improve them.
June 8, 2017
Increasingly been thinking I'm wasting effort fixing weaknesses (after a decade of focusing on fixing weaknesses). A workshop I attended last year suggested that strengths should be focused on instead. I picked up this book trying to understand more. A good read overall with nuances well explained. Only wish there was more content and data especially in terms of competences. Then again, I guess the Clifton test serves that purpose well enough.
Key takeaways:
CPO model of strength development focus
Fix fatal flaws, but otherwise focus on developing strengths
Cross-training - utilising companion competencies in development
Sustaining strengths development (useful lessons for other kinds of learning as well)
Key takeaways:
CPO model of strength development focus
Fix fatal flaws, but otherwise focus on developing strengths
Cross-training - utilising companion competencies in development
Sustaining strengths development (useful lessons for other kinds of learning as well)
January 20, 2019
I've read quite a bit on the topics of competencies and "magnifying strengths" through 360 feedback in articles, white papers, and even the Leadership Architect manual from Korn Ferry. As a result, there was very little that stood out to me from this book. Additionally, it wasn't really a well-written book. The greatest evidence is that there was no real ending. Instead of having a wrap-up and/or recap, it ended with a short conclusion for the last chapter.
5-Star: Everyone should read this.
4-Star: Everyone in this specific field should read this.
3-Star: This was a decent read for the specific field, but there are better options.
2-Star: It got me to the end of the book, so there is that.
1-Star: It was bad enough that I didn't finish it.
5-Star: Everyone should read this.
4-Star: Everyone in this specific field should read this.
3-Star: This was a decent read for the specific field, but there are better options.
2-Star: It got me to the end of the book, so there is that.
1-Star: It was bad enough that I didn't finish it.
July 20, 2020
I’d recommend this or The New Extraordinary Leader (not both) for anyone looking to grow as a person or a leader.
I love when they breakdown the ingredients of competencies, and how they prescribe cross-training to burnish strengths.
However. I’m almost done with this whole series, and it is dry. I’d pick something else if boring writing bothers you.
If you’re already into the strengths movement, it’ll probably be better to skim the TNEL book and reference that.
5 ⭐️s - Everyone should read this book. I would love to talk about it with anyone.
4 ⭐️s - Lots of good stuff and some weaknesses. Read if you’re interested.
3 ⭐️s - Interesting, but there are probably books to recommend.
2 ⭐️s - I finished it, but not because it was good.
1 ⭐️s - I don’t finish 1 star books.
I love when they breakdown the ingredients of competencies, and how they prescribe cross-training to burnish strengths.
However. I’m almost done with this whole series, and it is dry. I’d pick something else if boring writing bothers you.
If you’re already into the strengths movement, it’ll probably be better to skim the TNEL book and reference that.
5 ⭐️s - Everyone should read this book. I would love to talk about it with anyone.
4 ⭐️s - Lots of good stuff and some weaknesses. Read if you’re interested.
3 ⭐️s - Interesting, but there are probably books to recommend.
2 ⭐️s - I finished it, but not because it was good.
1 ⭐️s - I don’t finish 1 star books.
May 15, 2017
Since we are little, we have been focusing on the failure rather than success. This is why we are trying to improve ourselves by correcting our weakness. However, we rarely thought of maintaining our strength. It seems like there is no need to enhance our strength. John points out that strength can be natural, however, we do need to enhance it and practice it day by day in order to keep the trait as strength. In order to be exceptional, we will need to magnify our strength to make ourselves stand out from the crowd.
December 31, 2017
This is a solid summary of the Zenger/Folkman approach to leadership development. I would not recommend this book to individuals looking to improve their own leadership. It's more appropriate for leadership development professionals. It's pretty academic, dry, and repetitive. Some of the arguments are thoroughly backed up by data while others are more flimsy. (There's a whole section devoted to defending their specific conclusions that correlation = causation.) A worthwhile read for a pretty narrow audience.
January 18, 2018
Building on strengths is the fastest way to improve leadership effectiveness. This is a solid book on the whys of focusing on strengths and the utilization of the 360 assessment tool to help identify where and how to start on developing your strengths. As a practitioner, it is an excellent resource.
November 5, 2020
Just do a 360 survey. Now you’ve read the book. But it was good to see how to apply these surveys and make sure to work on strengths not clear minor weaknesses. Also a good study of studies of the highest ranked leaders.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2018
A very scientific look at what leaders should focus there attention on for more personal growth.
February 5, 2018
A lot of statistics and graphs but not much actual help
December 9, 2019
very basic and repetitive .. disappointed :(
July 10, 2013
John Zenger’s new book, How to Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success by Magnifying Your Strengths, catches my eyes even before I finished the reading of one free chapter book preview. Right from the first two paragraphs, I felt like I was standing in Florence’s Sistine Chapel staring Michelangelo’s epic ceiling frescoes-The Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment. In my own words, that’s the difference between the creation of the Garden of Eden and the Armageddon.
The Garden of Eden:
“You were in an organization where things were proceeding smoothly—goals were achieved, people were productive, and the organization was doing reasonably well. Then a new leader came into the organization, and everything suddenly changed for the better. The energy level of employees went up substantially, pride in the organization increased, the effort and dedication of individuals jumped, bold objectives were enthusiastically accepted, and even greater results were achieved. The differences could be felt by everyone. Better yet, the accountants could measure the improvement.”
The Armageddon:
“You were in an organization where things were going reasonably well, and a new leader was introduced. You quickly saw things begin to fall apart. First you noticed high performers quitting; then conflicts became more apparent, work seemed much less important, and you were not having fun. Your colleagues skulked into corners, not wanting to be engaged. Overall satisfaction decreased. Grousing and carping criticism of the senior leaders became rampant. People receiving promotions were seemingly chosen because of politics, not performance. Management decisions felt arbitrary and unfair. Results began to slide, and your fellow employees became the cause of the problem as much as the economy or market conditions. Key employees were laid off, while the remaining people were asked to carry a bigger load. Results continued to decline, your job felt increasingly harder, and you began to think about escaping from this misery.”
Two findings draw my interest from authors’ research on leadership competencies.
First, authors do not believe eliminate or at least improve weaknesses approach yields the best results. Their findings are that leader gain much more by improving their key competencies than working on their weaknesses except what they call fatal flaw, then they must absolutely correct/improve that. A fatal flaw is defined “as a behavior or trait that has a devastating negative impact on a person’s overall performance.” (Quick Summary on 10 Fatal Flaws of a Leader).
Second, the selection processes seem alike between the organizations with an abundance of great leaders and the organizations with a dearth of great leaders. So, what happened?
From authors,
1. Great leaders attract others with talent. Like magnets that are properly aligned, there is a huge attraction. Something clicks between them. Other competent leaders want to work with them.
2. Great leaders discover and pull out hidden abilities in those about them. Good qualities emerge. Strong teams develop, and collaboration abounds.
3. Great leaders tend to stay and build. Not only are they initially attracted to the organization and the other leaders in it, but they thrive in place, build off each other, and grow the garden they’re in. They aren’t looking to quickly hop to another challenge. Their continued presence brings stability, confidence, and steadiness to the organization.
From author’s research, leadership talent is much more likely to become apparent with years of experience in an organization, and inevitably those organizations with great leadership talent tend to promote from within and have employees with long tenure. Poor leaders are the polar opposites. Their impact is leaden. Like every other weight, their effect is to hold things down. People become immobile. And like the lead shield used by an x-ray technician to cover the patient, these leaders block energy from passing through.
The Garden of Eden:
“You were in an organization where things were proceeding smoothly—goals were achieved, people were productive, and the organization was doing reasonably well. Then a new leader came into the organization, and everything suddenly changed for the better. The energy level of employees went up substantially, pride in the organization increased, the effort and dedication of individuals jumped, bold objectives were enthusiastically accepted, and even greater results were achieved. The differences could be felt by everyone. Better yet, the accountants could measure the improvement.”
The Armageddon:
“You were in an organization where things were going reasonably well, and a new leader was introduced. You quickly saw things begin to fall apart. First you noticed high performers quitting; then conflicts became more apparent, work seemed much less important, and you were not having fun. Your colleagues skulked into corners, not wanting to be engaged. Overall satisfaction decreased. Grousing and carping criticism of the senior leaders became rampant. People receiving promotions were seemingly chosen because of politics, not performance. Management decisions felt arbitrary and unfair. Results began to slide, and your fellow employees became the cause of the problem as much as the economy or market conditions. Key employees were laid off, while the remaining people were asked to carry a bigger load. Results continued to decline, your job felt increasingly harder, and you began to think about escaping from this misery.”
Two findings draw my interest from authors’ research on leadership competencies.
First, authors do not believe eliminate or at least improve weaknesses approach yields the best results. Their findings are that leader gain much more by improving their key competencies than working on their weaknesses except what they call fatal flaw, then they must absolutely correct/improve that. A fatal flaw is defined “as a behavior or trait that has a devastating negative impact on a person’s overall performance.” (Quick Summary on 10 Fatal Flaws of a Leader).
Second, the selection processes seem alike between the organizations with an abundance of great leaders and the organizations with a dearth of great leaders. So, what happened?
From authors,
1. Great leaders attract others with talent. Like magnets that are properly aligned, there is a huge attraction. Something clicks between them. Other competent leaders want to work with them.
2. Great leaders discover and pull out hidden abilities in those about them. Good qualities emerge. Strong teams develop, and collaboration abounds.
3. Great leaders tend to stay and build. Not only are they initially attracted to the organization and the other leaders in it, but they thrive in place, build off each other, and grow the garden they’re in. They aren’t looking to quickly hop to another challenge. Their continued presence brings stability, confidence, and steadiness to the organization.
From author’s research, leadership talent is much more likely to become apparent with years of experience in an organization, and inevitably those organizations with great leadership talent tend to promote from within and have employees with long tenure. Poor leaders are the polar opposites. Their impact is leaden. Like every other weight, their effect is to hold things down. People become immobile. And like the lead shield used by an x-ray technician to cover the patient, these leaders block energy from passing through.
August 13, 2015
Conventional wisdom in leadership development is that leaders should focus primarily on identifying and improving their weaknesses. How to be Exceptional turns this conventional advice on its head. Instead, the author offers up compelling evidence that strongly suggests that those interested in becoming exceptional leaders would be better served by focusing on their strengths. The book’s leader authors – Dr. John Zenger and Dr. Joseph Folkman – are the founders of a leading US based consulting firm that specializes in corporate leadership training programs. This book builds on Zenger and Folkman’s previously published book entitled. “The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders”. However, one does not need to have read the earlier book in order to benefit from the current one.
The central premise of How to be Exceptional is that there are 16 differentiating competencies that define exceptional leaders. In order to be considered exceptional, a leader needs to possess and consistently display five or more of these competencies. The authors argue that fixing weaknesses cannot make a leader exceptional. The leaders who truly stand out do so because of a small number of exceptional strengths and not due to an absence of weaknesses. Top tier leaders are all flawed, but they are effective because of the few things that they do very well.
How to be Exceptional provides advice on how to decide which strengths an individual should develop and how to go about developing those strengths. Importantly, the authors’ heretical ideas are supported by solid research. This is a revolutionary and ground breaking book that will force you to think differently about your personal leadership development plans as well as those of your organization. It is required reading for anyone interested in their own or others’ development.
The central premise of How to be Exceptional is that there are 16 differentiating competencies that define exceptional leaders. In order to be considered exceptional, a leader needs to possess and consistently display five or more of these competencies. The authors argue that fixing weaknesses cannot make a leader exceptional. The leaders who truly stand out do so because of a small number of exceptional strengths and not due to an absence of weaknesses. Top tier leaders are all flawed, but they are effective because of the few things that they do very well.
How to be Exceptional provides advice on how to decide which strengths an individual should develop and how to go about developing those strengths. Importantly, the authors’ heretical ideas are supported by solid research. This is a revolutionary and ground breaking book that will force you to think differently about your personal leadership development plans as well as those of your organization. It is required reading for anyone interested in their own or others’ development.
February 1, 2016
If you have read the book "Finding your strengths" from Gallup, this book is very similar in terms of underlying principle about - focusing on your strengths rather than on your weaknesses to become a better leader. Although this book has nothing to help you find your strengths. I found this book little confusing at moves around the main theme about strengths based leadership but does not define a clear plan of action for leveraging your strengths.
As with other books from the same authors, this book is loaded with the discussion about the famous 360 degree feedback that this company does for many companies around the world. I have done 360 feedback stuff at work so I already knew all the details which kinda seemed repetitive in the book. No doubt that the 360 degree feedback thing that the company to which these authors belong has developed is an amazing tool to get deep insights about your strengths and weaknesses from people none other than you work very closely with on a day to day basis. Analysis of 360 degree feedback is very well covered by the authors in the book "Extra ordinary Leader".
As with other books from the same authors, this book is loaded with the discussion about the famous 360 degree feedback that this company does for many companies around the world. I have done 360 feedback stuff at work so I already knew all the details which kinda seemed repetitive in the book. No doubt that the 360 degree feedback thing that the company to which these authors belong has developed is an amazing tool to get deep insights about your strengths and weaknesses from people none other than you work very closely with on a day to day basis. Analysis of 360 degree feedback is very well covered by the authors in the book "Extra ordinary Leader".
April 16, 2013
I enjoyed this book because I attended a seminar with this group and participated in their 360 feedback process at work. I sat in on an all day seminar with them to process my 30+ page feedback report. Reading this book helped to add perspective to the process. I like the idea of focusing in on my strengths and agree with them that I am more likely to follow through because I am passionate about these goals. I am 4 months in to a 12 month plan and still excited about it. If you didn't participate in their class or feedback process I think these concepts would be harder to implement.
June 10, 2013
Leadership qualities and tactics are defined in the book.
It did alert me in ways that the basic staff is key to an organizations success as its a cycle.
The cycle begins with happy staff-satisfied customers-healthy revenue but the start of this cycle begins when the leadership is felt amongst the staff and within the company.
I believe your born a leader and you need to have the personality since birth and by reading this book you build and strengthen your leadership skills.
Recommend it to all the business women and men....
It did alert me in ways that the basic staff is key to an organizations success as its a cycle.
The cycle begins with happy staff-satisfied customers-healthy revenue but the start of this cycle begins when the leadership is felt amongst the staff and within the company.
I believe your born a leader and you need to have the personality since birth and by reading this book you build and strengthen your leadership skills.
Recommend it to all the business women and men....
September 4, 2015
We've done two rounds of Zenger|Folkman 360 surveys at work. This book reinforces the lessons learned of focusing on improving your strengths instead of your weaknesses. The exception is if you have a fatal flaw. The material was more reminder and less new but I've had a lot of interaction with Zenger|Folkman activities.
Good lessons learned, overall. It's putting the actions into place that's the challenge.
Good lessons learned, overall. It's putting the actions into place that's the challenge.
February 13, 2015
I think this book provides excellent advice and logical strategies to increase your leadership skills. The reason I didn't rate it higher is because as a book it was a bit repetitive and a bit boring. Too many charts proofing the same point. However, I would still recommend this to anyone looking to improve their performance at work.
May 16, 2014
A great companion to ZF's Extraordinary Leadership workshop. The research is solid—statistically significant, too—and their methodology is strong. A quick and insightful read about not settling for "average" and how to get to excellence. The concept of cross-training is particularly intriguing.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews