Today"s leaders are faced with more complex and critical challenges than ever before. Inspirational charisma, financial acumen, and strategic thinking are all prerequisites for the job but are not enough to build-or, more important, sustain-vibrant and successful organizations. In The Real Work of Leaders, Don Laurie digs beneath the surface to explore the "act of leadership," the essence of what leaders need to do on a daily basis to frame challenges, mobilize people, and adapt to constant change. Based on fifteen years experience advising dozens of the world"s most progressive and influential business leaders, including Lew Platt of Hewlett-Packard and Ralph Larsen of Johnson & Johnson, The Real Work of Leaders offers a fresh and energizing perspective on the craft of leadership-establishing cultural values, promoting continuous learning, managing conflicting goals simultaneously, building trust, incubating new ideas, and seeing as far into the future as possible.