Why write Leadership Landscapes?
In a breathtakingly high paced world where some brave leaders are trying to drink from the fire hose of Google, a new set of leadership tools for their career might not be very helpful, and may even draw the wrath of those who are already disoriented. It is for that reason that we have written a book that develops fresh concepts by building on and integrating a number of existing theories and tools. To do this we draw our inspiration from leadership in real time, from the real lives of existing leaders, and those that are on the way to becoming the next generation of leaders. We have put ourselves in their shoes, and wondered, do they need new tools and practices or do they need a way to frame their life? Or both?
(Excerpt from the Introduction of Leadership Landscapes)

Recent leadership books have focused on how to lead where tasks are internal and relationships between companies are straightforward market or buy-sell transactions. Things have now changed dramatically. This book looks at large-scale organizations and networks, and considers applied leadership theory appropriate to the 21st century. Leadership Landscapes offers an easy-to-read practical guide to integrated leadership suited to current and future dynamics of business.

About Leadership Landscapes:
There are two main, interrelated pillars that lie at the heart of the Leadership Landscapes approach. The first is an image of a landscape. Imagine you are perched on a vista ("your job") looking out across the peaks and valleys of your landscape (macro-business, industry and market, organization, team, individual) as shown by the diagram below.



These five landscapes cover the areas where "leadership attention" is typically spent. Most leaders falter by concentrating on a single landscape, often the organizational landscape, at the expense of others. Worse yet, leaders are often taught only to understand a single landscape, denying them the ability to see the wealth of factors and interconnections that could underpin their decision making. The Leadership Landscape approach is different because it encourages sensitivity to the entire landscape.

This first pillar, the Leadership Landscapes perspective, allows you to look across all the leadership levels simultaneously and expand your relational field of vision. It creates a context for decision making. Yet a backdrop is worthless if it is not accompanied by an attitude, a state of equanimity. In other words, a leader needs to maintain a state of dynamic balance.

The equanimity shift, the second pillar of the Leadership Landscapes perspective, represents a comprehensive view on an attitude of mind. It is an attitude that can be developed, nurtured, and practiced. It is the idea of equanimity - an approach that underpins all we advocate in Leadership Landscapes. It may at first seem like an abstract or vague notion, and it is in some sense elusive, but we have found it to be the key to optimal leadership. Equanimity, or dynamic balance, can be described in five aspects including: An Eye for Possibility; Reframing; Presence; Recovery; and Commitment. Through regular practice in these five areas, leaders can learn to maintain balance while applying these tools to decision-making, inspirational leadership, and peak performance.

When the Leadership Landscapes perspective and the equanimity shift are used in tandem, they form a powerful tool for any leader desiring mastery of his or her craft. In our book we offer tools, such as inquiry and scenario mapping that show how to apply the Leadership Landscapes perspective to emergent problems and how to develop sustained practices that hone your abilities as a leader.

We invite you read Leadership Landscapes to learn more and look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments about the book. Click here to send us your review.