Take the Lead

Why do some people motivate us to rise to our best abilities while others drain our spirit? What is that quality that certain people have that causes those around them to engage fully and feel connected? From her front row seat at some of the world's most prestigious governmental, academic, and business institutions, Betsy Myers has witnessed a new kind of leadership that prizes flexibility, openness, and individuality, and now she explores how all of us—and women in particular—can benefit from it. Drawing on her years as a senior official in the Clinton administration, her work as Executive Director of Harvard's Center for Public Leadership, her experience as the Obama campaign's COO, as well as her experiences as a wife, daughter, and mother, Myers identifies the shared characteristics of effective leaders in all types of organizations and contexts, locating the qualities that allow them to live their lives to the fullest and in turn inspire those around them to an exceptional level of contribution and commitment. Even more importantly, Myers shows how we can harness these same principles in the service of our own lives in order to reach our highest potential, creating passionate engagement in friends, colleagues, and family members. Personal, practical, and profoundly inspiring, this is a perfect book for anyone who wonders where all the great leaders have gone. Betsy Myers helps us see that leadership is all around us—and within us.

Betsy Myers is currently speaking and leading workshops around the world on the changing nature of leadership. She has worked for years as a senior official in the Clinton administration and as Executive Director of Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership, and served as the Obama campaign’s COO. She is also a wife, daughter, and mother.