Master the Cross-Pressures That Make or Break Today's Companies
An educator, operator, and investor, Robert Siegel has learned from many people and he’s taught many more. Through Robert’s experience in these three distinctive areas, he’s gained a unique understanding of how to thrive in today's challenging economic landscape.
Struggling to Lead Amid Challenging Cross-Pressures?
Systems Leadership can help you address these challenges.
Featuring exclusive lessons drawn from inside the business world, including from the CEOs of Accenture, Mubadala, Kering, Wells Fargo, and Box, this book teaches readers “Systems Leadership,” Siegel’s holistic framework helps leaders understand and handle five key cross-pressures:
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Priorities: The need to succeed at both execution and innovation
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People: The need to project both strength and empathy
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Sphere of influence: The need to focus both internally and externally
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Geography: The need to think both locally and globally
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Purpose: The need to pursue both ambition and statesmanship
Leaders will learn to do four things: 1) Operate at Intersections – master the dualities needed to navigate these cross-pressures, 2) Manage context – help your people make sense of the confusing set of facts that they are seeing in their jobs and lives, 3) Think like a Product Manager – understand customer needs, how products are built, and the go-to-market strategies of your company, and finally 4) Run towards business and technological disruptions.
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For Social Capital leaders looking for a way forward, Siegel is an inspiring guide.
Social Capital Reading List
[Siegel's] core argument is that running a business is more difficult today than it has ever been, but that by approaching leadership in the right way, the job can still be rewarding and worth the effort.
Financial Times
What [The Systems Leader] gave me was the language I was missing. It explains the paradoxes leaders navigate, offers direction, and creates a sense of community—reminding us we’re not alone.
Business Executive, LinkedIn Customer Review
If you are a business leader experiencing any of these cross-pressures, I strongly recommend The Systems Leader. You will likely take away at least a couple of new ideas for how to deal with these challenges. Learning and applying them can make you a better leader.
ClearPurpose - Russell McGuire
The book's strength lies in its practical approach to these paradoxes. Rather than offering simplistic either-or solutions, Siegel demonstrates how exceptional leaders integrate these opposing forces... For practicing managers, this book provides immediately applicable insights.
Management-Issues.com
From thoughtful reflections to energizing discussions, this book sparked something special across our organization. Its insights into leadership, complexity, cross pressures, and systems thinking resonated deeply with many of us.
Business Executive, LinkedIn Customer Review
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Robert Siegel is a Lecturer in Management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, a venture investor, and an operator.
Robert helps the next generation of leaders create positive, thriving workplace environments in increasingly difficult times. With his expertise in management and leadership, he is constantly educating students and business executives alike on how to create systems for their organizations to adapt to change, cultivate great talent, and scale confidently.
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