The Promises of Giants: How YOU can fill the leadership void --THE SUNDAY TIMES HARDBACK NON-FICTION & BUSINESS BESTSELLER--

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There are 14 different promises in the book – covering all the bases from the promise to “View myself critically but not cruelly” to “Act with vigilance against my biases”, to “Be Present”. These discussions are insightful, penetrating, and though provoking. The book is a mixture of his own personal life story and lessons for how to live a better life. He credits much of his success to his mom. His mom was a family practice doctor. Early in life, she taught him, “It’s blind spots and self-sabotage that derail most people in pursuit of the extraordinary. Not the competition.” John Amaechi well understands the responsibilities and potential that come with being a giant. The Promises of Giants is the product of a lifetime spent observing and studying effective leadership – from accompanying his mother’s visits to her dying patients to competing at the highest levels of professional sport, through two decades of management consulting with multinational corporations. These experiences have shown that everyone has the ability to act decisively to influence the world in a positive way. Everyone is a giant to someone.

In the blinks ahead, we’ll explore some of those promises. Keeping them will give you a roadmap that will let you achieve your goals, distinguish yourself as a leader, and make the world a better place. For example, have you taken the time to unearth all the hidden assets and liabilities that will affect the outcome? And how much thought have you given to the people and the spaces you’re working in? Success isn’t just about personal achievement, after all. It’s about creating environments that foster the potential in everyone. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL BOOKS EVER WRITTEN ABOUT LEADERSHIP." Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THINK AGAIN and host of the TED podcast WorkLifeGiants will always set the tone, but giants should never dominate. In most workplaces, it is the preferred style of named leaders that shapes the dynamic of their relationships with direct reports and the broader workforce. In the Promise model, leaders must tailor their style during every interaction—planned or spontaneous—to engage that specific individual in that specific space and time. And as a giant, it’s crucial to understand your innate power because of the second truth Amaechi discovered: that you can use this power to empower and elevate others – or leave a trail of unintended destruction in your wake. The Promises of Giants is a challenge to anyone who aspires to make a difference in their environment. Over fourteen promises, it seamlessly intertwines personal anecdotes and workplace and social observation with the latest research, to provide practical, proven tips and strategies to empower you to maximize your own potential and inspire others. It is not a self-help book. It is a how-to guide for winning, rooted in the belief that the most unlikely of people, in the most improbable of circumstances, can become extraordinary. But, as Uncle Ben warned, with great power comes great responsibility. The onus of being a giant is unyielding. It requires vigilance from the second you begin your morning commute. We are predisposed to believe in pivotal moments—the idea that we will be able to predict and prepare for the most significant events and interactions. We’ll see these moments as they approach at a measured pace. Some will even be booked in our calendars well in advance. And because we were ready and recognized the importance of the moment, we will handle it with aplomb, give a textbook response—we’ll be amazing. Leadership is a promise to support people not only through the inherent demands of work but also through the unique challenges that we put forward to stretch and develop them. Whether they meet those demands and challenges is not determined by output alone. As leaders, we promise to assess effort, process, diligence, and the individual’s willingness to learn, adapt, and grow into a true colleague and, in time, a fellow custodian of the culture.

From socio-political chaos and workplace disruption to the climate change crisis, we have never needed people with the skill and will to collaborate to create a better world more than now. We need people who are willing to fill the leadership void. People who will embrace the influence they have. People who believe in improving society and workplace culture – not only because it makes life better, but because it is proven to yield positive results. We need more leaders. Amaechi is a towering force for good with a rare ability to defuse the most pungent provocations. -- James O'Brien, broadcaster & writer A recommended book for leaders looking to upgrade themselves them from leading topics and teams to taking ownership of setting up the mindset, behavior and culture of organizations.THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL BOOKS EVER WRITTEN ABOUT LEADERSHIP. Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THINK AGAIN and host of the TED podcast WorkLife This is how it works on high-performing teams, where the job description is only the start of what one is permitted to be. […] If your goal is to be a better business leader, relationship partner, friend – in short, be a better person, then a good place to start is learning and implementing the lessons in The Promises of Giants.

But Amaechi is a giant in another, more significant sense. After retiring from professional basketball, he became a psychologist. He wanted to explore and share two life-changing abilities that he’d discovered on his journey to success – both on and off the basketball court: the first was that he had the power to tap into his own potential. In fact, everyone does. No matter who you are, what you do, or where you sit in your workplace’s organizational chart, you’re like Amaechi: a giant. Whether you realize it or not. Some sections will be a bit uncomfortable to read. We all have our biases. We have been conditioned by our culture. We need to have the courage to question our long-held assumptions. Join John Amaechi OBE as he shares insights from his new leadership book ‘The Promises of Giants’ on what it takes to develop as a leader in an increasingly complex and challenging world. John takes us through his own experiences as a ‘giant’ and brings this to play in a thought provoking and stimulating call for leaders to step up to the responsibility of their roles. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? But if you want to do something extraordinary with your life – whether that’s heading up a successful business, advocating for marginalized communities, or nurturing meaningful connections with everyone you meet – you need a solid game plan. That game plan is a series of promises you must commit to keeping, every day of your life. You can’t be a “conditional” giant. It would be brilliant if you could, because being a giant has obvious advantages. The appearance of having power alone feels pretty great for most people. The fact that this appearance is often accompanied by higher salaries, prestigious titles, and increased resources? All the better.The way we understand many role descriptions needs to shift. Whether it’s social or a job description, people seem to imagine there is a tiny, barely capable version of a person stretching to occupy that cavernous role, when in reality the idea of a giant being suffocated by a label is probably a more apt metaphor. How about: Do unto others as they would have done to them? When it comes to doing unto others, there is no one-size-fits-all way. And if there was, it would not be to think of how you would want it done. Emotional labor is figuring out the different ways that different people might respond to words and actions, even when they are the exact same words and actions! Every interaction is like the giant’s handshake; it needs to be customized and tailored to the individual needs of the other party. Throughout this text, I refer to “leaders.” But leadership is not the exclusive domain of people managers or high-level executives. Leadership can be demonstrated from any level of any organization. It’s accessible to anyone who is willing to invest effort and emotional energy. Anyone who is willing to take a proactive role in maximizing their influence and shaping the world around them. Because on their own, the promises of leadership are neither profound nor difficult to grasp. They ask for nothing that exceeds your capability. But they are promises that have an enormous impact when kept by giants. And a devastating impact when broken.