Lost and Found : The Story of How One Man Discovered the Secrets of Leadership . Where He Wasn't Even Looking

Larry has worked his way up to his first big assignment as a manager. But now the work is piling up on his desk. His people can’t seem to make decisions—certainly not the right ones. His mentor has been fired. Worst of all, his boss sends him out for leadership training. Larry never thought he needed all that “people skills” stuff to perform, and spouting buzzwords doesn’t seem to work for him, anyway. I’m doing my job, Larry thinks. What does this company want from me? He truly feels lost.

After alienating his staff even more and incurring costly time delays, Larry is sent on a forced vacation, which begins with a comic but poignant fishing trip misadventure. Finally, miles from home and work, Larry opens his mind to new ways of thinking about leadership. He learns important leadership lessons in his daily life: planning a family trip, watching his son play ball, fishing with his daughter. He realizes that everyone needs to KNOW, GROW, and OWN, and that being a leader means helping and enabling people to fulfill those needs.

At last Larry has a credo that he can believe in, three powerful principles that all managers can use to get the best from themselves and the people around them.

Praised by executives and business experts, Lost & Found reveals the core of leadership through the power of an engaging and wonderfully told story. Managers will recognize parts of themselves and people they know in Larry Parks, a smart worker temporarily stymied by a new type of challenge. At the end of the book the authors provide tips for putting the KNOW-GROW-OWN credo to work in different types of jobs and in different kinds of companies and organizations. Combining inspiration and practical advice, Lost & Found will help talented workers transform themselves into great leaders.

LYLE SUSSMAN, Ph.D., is chairman and professor of management at the University of Louisville as well as a speaker and coach. SAM DEEP is a corporate leadership coach and an adjunct professor of management at Carnegie Mellon University. Sussman and Deep are the coauthors of several books, including Smart Moves and Yes, You Can! ALEX STIBER has developed culture-change initiatives for many Fortune 500 clients and teaches leadership at Duquesne University.