Quicksilver: A Revolutionary Way to Lead the Many and the Few -- Beginning with YOU

Are you dangerously normal? Most of the world's catastrophes don't come from mistakes. Wars, NASA space tragedies, global economic meltdowns all have one thing in common they are caused by normal thinking. Quicksilver shows that humanity now suffers from a learning disorder that threatens our future. As a result, leaders must develop a shape-shifting ability to continuously adjust themselves and their organizations to quicksilver conditions. The book looks at the failed leadership behind the 2008 economic crisis from the perspective of the fast-changing digital world, which has outpaced habits of mind. It focuses on cognitive psychology and proposes a set of practices aimed at coping with problems of the digital age. We are all leaders. Quicksilver will teach you how to inoculate yourself against self-defeating, normal thinking, and systematically neutralize fear, which comes in many guises. Be a leader with the personal courage and integrity that people will want to follow.

Dr. Michael O'Brien is president of the O'Brien Group, an executive coaching consultancy with an international clientele. Widely recognized for his expertise in the role played by personal psychology in leadership and change management, he has conducted hundreds of seminars and given numerous keynote presentations on the subject in the course of a twenty-five-year career. He is the author of Profit from Experience: A Handbook for Learning, Growth and Change (Berkley, 1998). Dr. O'Brien's clientele includes such companies as NYNEX, Bayer, AT&T, Xerox, Prudential, Convergys, Sun Life, Catholic Health Partners, New York Life, Procter & Gamble. He holds a master's degree in education and a doctorate in human resources development. Larry Shook is a veteran journalist, publisher, editor, and communications consultant. He has written for such publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Newsweek. His reporting has won several of the nation's top journalism awards.