The Gym of Leadership

We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world that calls for a paradigm shift in the style of leadership. The new world needs leaders who are purposeful, agile, flexible, cooperative, humble and helpful. Leadership, therefore, is as much about soft skills as hard skills, and no leader can be successful without using the two in concert. In The Gym of Leadership , Anil Khandelwal, a proven transformational leader, advocates that building all-round leadership capabilities should be a high-priority agenda for those aspiring for growth. Taking a refreshing approach, he uses fitness work out as an analogy to motivate aspiring leaders to develop new-age leadership skills. According to the author, building leadership capabilities is akin to building physical and mental fitness since both require passion, dedication and discipline. A practical guide to leadership, this book focuses on the actual development and practice of specific skills. It primarily proposes eighteen foundational skills of leadership grouped into four sections, namely, ‘understanding the self’, ‘emotional regulation’, ‘relationship management’ and ‘communication’. Authoritative and foregrounded in rigorous research, it promises to fill in the existing gap in the literature on leadership.