The New Extraordinary Leader, 3rd Edition: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders

by John H. Zenger, Joseph R. Folkman

The landmark guide that built a generation of extraordinary leaders―fully updated and revised

The definitive guide to 21st Century business leadership, The New Extraordinary Leader shook the foundations of leadership as we knew it when it was published in 2002. Since then, we have seen tectonic shifts in the world of business―and this revised and updated edition provides the data and insights you need to address them all.

Jack Zenger and Jim Folkman’s proprietary 360 feedback assessment of leaders in the real world―how they lead, what works, and what doesn’t―provides the data that makes The Extraordinary Leader unique in a crowded field of such books. In this new edition, the authors deliver proven lessons based on feedback from 120,000 leaders from all corners of the globe.

Inside, you’ll

• New chapters on leadership competencies, cross training, and self-development
• New methods for getting inspired and empowered by demystifying leadership
• New evidence on many ways leaders can singlehandedly boost innovation, employee engagement, profitability, and more
• New research on the importance of developing strong leadership teams

If you’re looking to dramatically step up your leadership game, if you’re looking for hard evidence of how to do it the right way, and if you’re looking to drive measurable positive change in your organization―you need look no further.

The New Extraordinary Leader, Third Edition delivers the information and insight you need to lead effectively in today’s volatile, global economy.

Genres: Leadership

352 pages, Hardcover

Published November 15, 2019

About the author

John 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.

Reviews

[Ed Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on over a million observations and written with both an academic and practical bent, The New Extraordinary Leader is a great read on leadership trends and effectiveness. Focusing on actionable steps for leadership development, the primary premise of "leaders can be made" is backed up with data and specific elements to focus on for leadership development. Emphasizing the concept of reinforcing strengths and fixing fatal flaws, the book also looks at correlations among leadership behaviors as well as elements looking at gender and 360 degree feedback as elements in leadership measurement and effectiveness. A good book on the subject, and one that will be staying in my leadership library.

[Megan]

Read this for Fall 2025 Leadership for Engineers class and this one was probably my favorite of the three we read. It was longer and a bit denser, but I really enjoyed the data that was provided for each statement that they made. It was clear that the authors put a lot of effort and thought into everything that they were saying and there were several times while I was reading that it changed how I view leadership. I'll for sure read this again when I'm in a formal leadership position.

[Cindy Ramos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was chosen by my company to attend the Extraordinary Leader conference earlier this year and was gifted this book as a follow-up.

The book provides worthwhile guidance on enhancing leadership skills through focus on 16 important competencies.

Spoiler alert: Women rate higher than men in all but two competencies.

[Farid · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who cares about their professional growth and how to put the relevance of leadership development into context.

[Bri369 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but with too many details

[Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights backed by lots of research. Can be a lot of detail and a bit dry.

[Ed Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on over a million observations and written with both an academic and practical bent, The New Extraordinary Leader is a great read on leadership trends and effectiveness. Focusing on actionable steps for leadership development, the primary premise of "leaders can be made" is backed up with data and specific elements to focus on for leadership development. Emphasizing the concept of reinforcing strengths and fixing fatal flaws, the book also looks at correlations among leadership behaviors as well as elements looking at gender and 360 degree feedback as elements in leadership measurement and effectiveness. A good book on the subject, and one that will be staying in my leadership library.