In Search of Leadership: How Great Leaders Answer the Question Why Lead?

Embrace Your Role as a Leader

“Essential reading for all serious students and practitioners of leadership.”
-Warren Bennis, bestselling author of On Becoming a Leader

“An amazing set of stories about leaders of every stripe imaginable.A page-turner—-I learned and was surprised again and again.”
—Tom Peters, bestselling author of In Search of Excellence

“In Search of Leadership reveals the essential qualities and life lessons of those who have shown true leadership around the world. The authors have cleverly shown, through shared stories, fascinating commonalities between great leaders which we all can emulate. This book is truly inspirational and motivational and can help us to become better leaders in our own lives.”
-Johann Koss, President and CEO, Right to Play

“Harkins and Swift write on leadership with greater depth than commonly seen in popular business books. By adopting an authentic listening posture, they draw out thoughtful self-analysis from a wide range of people who have made a difference in the world. The result is an insightful exploration of why some people become leaders.”
-Stephen J. Toope, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of British Columbia

“By carefully examining the personal stories of some of the great leaders of our time—including political, business, and philanthropic champions—Harkins and Swift deftly examine what it is that differentiates the great leader from the rest.”
-Mark Wiseman, Vice President, Private Investments, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

“In Search of Leadership effectively demonstrates how top leaders are able to transcend good and arrive at great.”
—Gregory B. Jansen, Managing director, Commonfund Capital, inc.

Phil Harkins is CEO of Linkage, Inc., the company that he founded in 1988. Phil has worked with leaders, leadership teams, and boards in more than 25 countries located in Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Along with leadership expert and Linkage board member Warren Bennis, Phil is co-chair of The Global Institute For Leadership Development.

Phil Swift is cofounder, co-chairman, and director of ARC Financial Corp. With over $2.0 billion of capital under management, ARC Financial Corp. is one of the world's leading energy focused private equity firms.