Over the past few decades, there’s been an exponential rise in the number of books and studies on leadership and what we need to do to ensure organizational success in today’s increasingly complex and interconnected global market. And yet, we continue to see year after year research that shows employee engagement and morale levels plateauing on the low end of the scale.

Why is that?

Why are we unable to move the needle and create the kind of working conditions that not only allow our employees to succeed, but to thrive under our leadership?

What these findings reveal is that leaders often can’t see the gap that exists between what they want their leadership to represent and how others actually experience their leadership.

Many of us are experiencing a common perceptual problem where our brain sends us false signals assuring us that everything is okay when it is not. I call this phenomenon Leadership Vertigo.

“Leadership Vertigo offers practical and effective tools for avoiding self-deception and empowering those we seek to lead. By internalizing Naseer & Brown’s four Cs of leadership—Community, Competence, Credibility, and Compassion—leaders can work to develop an adaptive leadership approach for the increasingly demanding modern age.”

— Douglas R. Conant, Chairman, Avon Products; Chairman, Kellogg Executive Leadership Institute; Found & CEO, ConantLeadership; Former CEO, Campbell Soup Company; co-author of "TouchPoints"

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“Leadership Vertigo is a precious gem of a book. Max Brown and Tanveer Naseer explore the timeless truths of what leaders must do to create an engaging and meaningful workplace when the world keeps spinning us off course. Their four fundamentals capture the essential lessons for our times, their compelling examples are from real leaders who’ve genuinely lived these lessons, and their heartfelt passion grabs hold and won’t let go. Leadership Vertigo is one of those books you’ll read in one sitting, but return to time  and again. Enjoy.”

— Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the award-winning, international bestseller "The Leadership Challenge";  Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

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“Community, competence, credibility, and compassion are absolutely essential to great leadership. Thank you so much for writing this book, Max and Tanveer!”

— Chade-Meng Tan, Jolly Good Fellow of Google and NYT bestselling author of "Search Inside Yourself"

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 “ 'Take out your own garbage!' is just one of many insights and examples S. Max Brown and Tanveer Naseer offer up in Leadership Vertigo, an excellent book on helping leaders achieve the leadership of their dreams.”

— Whitney Johnson, co-founder of Clayton Christensen's investment firm, Rose Park Advisors; author of "Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream"

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“Max and Tanveer nailed it! Every leader can get off course, and this is the guide for getting back on track.”

— Jamie Naughton, Chief of Staff, Zappos, Inc.

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“Whether you are a seasoned executive, an aspiring leader-to-be or a recent college student, Leadership Vertigo provides ‘real-life’ examples of meaningful leadership principles that are applicable on a global basis. Simply put: Max and Tanveer have authored a must read by reinforcing the importance of EVERY LEADER earning the right to lead EVERYDAY!”

— A. Mark Guthrie (retired), Manager - Global Employee Relations, GE Company

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“Reading Leadership Vertigo by Max Brown and Tanveer Naseer is like investing a few hours in intimate collaboration with some of the finest thinkers in business, whose ideas have been linked together, efficiently focused, and brilliantly augmented, and then presented by two deep thinking and broadly experienced observers. The return for making such and investment will find immediate application, plus long-term benefits well exceeding reasonable expectations. This book is a valuable addition to one's bookshelf both as a proximate tutorial and a reminding reference.”

— Clark A. Campbell PhD, Award winning, best selling author; CEO, OPPM International; Chairman of the Board, ProLung Medical Diagnostics

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“I just finished reading Leadership Vertigo: Why We All Go Off Course and How We Can Get Back On Track by Max Brown and Tanveer Naseer. It is well worth the read if you are looking to improve your leadership skills, help someone else improve their leadership skills, or simply want to make a more meaningful impact in your workplace.”

— Lisa Krouse, Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, FCCI Insurance Group

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“Whether you manage tens of thousands of people or just a few Leadership Vertigo is a must read! S. Max Brown and Tanveer Naseer have written a great book on leadership that contains useful information that is actionable. I like to think of the 4 Cs in Community, Competence, Credibility, and Compassion as a four leaf clover with all the leaves facing inwards towards those we lead and with all the benefits that come from leaders who are ‘firmly grounded’!”

— Peter Hart, CEO, Rideau Recognition

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“Gratitude is vital for the health and well-being of organizations, but the workplace is often a gratitude-free zone populated by workers and supervisors suffering from “gratitude deficit disorder.” Brown and Naseer compellingly and humanely demonstrate the potential power of gratitude and related qualities like compassion and humility in building “leadership landmarks”—those qualities that are foundational for effective leadership. Their insights address the important yet often overlooked knowledge-to-performance gap that we all struggle with in trying to translate what we know we should do into what we actually do. Much more than another recipe for successful leadership, the book’s central focus is about leading a better life—and how to regain our balance when we stumble.”

— Robert A. Emmons, Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Positive Psychology; Author of "Thanks!" and "Gratitude Works!"