Becoming an effective leader who lifts your organization to new heights may seem challenging, but it doesn't need to be complicated. Strong lead- ership is rooted in basic principles. Although the specific nature of the orga- nizations you may work for throughout your career will vary on a case-by-case basis, the essential steps you must take to lead with skill will remain constant.

The Blueprint explains what those steps are. More importantly, it demonstrates how we can take them in our own careers and lives.

Author Douglas Conant is particularly well-qualified to teach these lessons. He's served in leadership roles at such major companies as the Nabisco Foods Company, Campbell Soup Company, and Avon Products. As founder of ConantLeadership, he helps other experts share their own leadership insights. However, Conant wasn't always this successful. In 1984, before achieving such heights, he lost his job without warning and almost no explanation.

However, Conant did not allow this experience to discourage him for very long. Instead, he turned it into an opportunity. He used this period in his life to seriously examine what factors had prevented him from achieving his dreams and fully realizing his personal vision for himself. By studying the craft of leadership and reflecting on his own achievements, Conant revolutionized his approach to leading organizations. The result was a dramatic shift in his career that propelled him to greater success, joy, and overall fulfillment than he had ever experienced before.

With The Blueprint, Conant has con- densed his lifetime of leadership expe- rience and study into six content-rich steps anyone can immediately apply to transform their leadership journey.

1. Reach High - Envision

2. Dig Deep - Reflect

3. Lay the Groundwork - Study

4. Design - Plan

5. Build - Practice

6. Reinforce - Improve

Along with serving as a leadership manifesto, The Blueprint is also a practical manual. Conant provides exercises and practices readers can use to leverage these six essential steps in virtually any situation. This process enables every leader to build their own personal lead- ership foundation; this is what empowers them to make a powerful immediate impact & to create lasting positive change in organizations and the world.

Conant's story serves as a reminder that all leaders face challenges at times. It also reminds us that it's possible to over- come those challenges and dramatically change our careers and our lives.

Discover the six practical steps all leaders can take to revolutionize their careers and their companies.b>

"Conant has so much to teach, and aspiring leaders at all levels would do well to learn from him."
Jim Collins, bestselling author of Good to Great

"Doug Conant is a special breed: a hard-edged corporate CEO with an introspective nature who attributes his success to reflection, study, and thoughtful inner work rather than birthright or bombast. In The Blueprint, he offers a powerful and approachable process for more fully connecting with the unique gifts that will allow your special leadership voice to come alive."
Susan Cain, bestselling author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can't Stop Talking

"Today's busy leaders often question how they can lift their leadership profile while staying true to themselves. The Blueprint is the answer."
Indra Nooyi, former chairman & CEO, PepsiCo.

"The Blueprint is a rare offering with perfect timing. . . Read this book now and better yet, buy a copy for everyone on your team."
Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School

"The Blueprint provides a simple but powerful opportunity to leverage the experience and wisdom of Doug Conant to refresh your thinking and approach. It can help you maximize your impact."
Doug McMillon, president and CEO, Walmart

"Doug Conant and Amy Federman's brilliant book will change your life and your leadership if you incorporate its ideas using their in-depth, six-step approach."
Bill George, senior fellow, Harvard Business School, former chair & CEO, Medtronic, author of Discover Your True North

"Doug Conant hasn't just been a highly successful leader he's an unusually thoughtful one. In this hands-on book, he shares a model that you can apply right away to elevate your impact."
Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

"A must-read for anyone in an existing or new leadership role at any level."
Sara Mathew, retired chair & CEO, Dun and Bradstreet