This book is written for emerging leaders. It is designed to help these leaders bridge the gap from stepping into a position of leadership and emerging as a confident and respected difference-maker.Within this text, award-winning scholar and leader-coach Charles Stoner meets emerging leaders where they are and focus on the issues that are most problematic for them. From the development of leadership skills to the practice and application of successful strategies, Stoner offers tools, ideas, and evidence-based advice to these up-and-coming leaders in an indispensable text that is direct, pragmatic, and action-oriented.Major topics include: Recognition, development, and practice of organizational leadership skills. Enhancing interpersonal dynamics and relationships. Organizational politics and interpersonal influence, creativity and innovation, negotiation and conflict resolution. Handling problem situations; effectively utilizing diverse talents and personalities. Introduction to major leadership and interpersonal development techniques. Case studies.

1. Challenge: The Playing Field Has Changed 2. Character: The Inside Game of Leadership 3. Confidence: The Capacity to Lead with Assurance 4. Clarity: The Foundation of Crystal-Clear Expectations 5. Conflict: The Power of Successful Conflict Encounters 6. Connection: The Language of Understanding 7. Commitment: The Strength of Performance through People 8. Change: The Call to Opportunity and Possibility 9. Crisis: Developing Through the Cauldron of Adversity 10. Coda and Continuations