Lead From Where You Are: Understand Leadership (Work in Progress)

When you've just entered the workforce, understanding how leadership works and how you can contribute to it can be a challenge.

Lead from Where You Are is a practical guide to leadership for those at an early stage of their career. It will show you how to have a positive influence no matter the level you're working at, help you understand the power structures you will be operating in and explain what leadership looks like in different organizations.

Throughout, this book makes the point that leadership is a collective process that is contributed to by everyone in a company. Once you've finished, you'll understand how you can take part in this process from your junior position in the workplace.

You don't have to have it all figured out. Work in Progress is a series for anyone building confidence at work, whether you're stepping into a new role, switching paths or figuring things out as you go. These books help you build essential skills like speaking up, navigating setbacks and working with mentors, all without the pressure. Straightforward and practical, they make sense of the things no one teaches you, like what "professional" actually looks like. No jargon. Just real advice to help you grow with confidence, at your own pace. Because learning how to work is part of the job.

Dr Peter Stephenson is a former entrepreneur who founded, ran and successfully exited two businesses before embarking on a career in academia. Currently Peter is a lecturer in leadership and management at the University of Exeter. Peter's research interests are centred on practically applicable concepts such as the use of language in constructing culture, leading, and power dynamics.

Dr Richard Bolden is a professor of leadership and management and the Director of the Bristol Leadership and Change Centre at Bristol Business School. Richard's research explores the interface between individual and collective approaches to leadership and leadership development in a range of sectors, including higher education, healthcare and public services.