The Big Idea
Beginnings are always tough; first times, inexorably fussy. In this tremendously poignant book, Gunn and Gullickson relate the exigencies brought about by a spanking promotion at work. Both authors point to the experience of walking the high wire?venturing into the unknown without a safety net?as a seemingly disoriented stance of newly-appointed managers/leaders who confront the difficulty of transition into bigger responsibilities and who have qualms about their capabilities to pull off the new job.

Explicit and equally provocative, the book is a pragmatic guide for people who have just advanced in the corporate ladder yet find themselves stumped and stuck in an eddy of self-doubt. It spurs optimism and assurance that the unknown can be unravelled, adapted to, and overcome. It inspires a new approach to leadership that goes beyond what a leader does: it is actually about becoming one.

About the Author
Robert W. Gunn & Betsy Raskin Gullickson
ROBERT W. GUNN is co-founder of Prescient Leaders, a global leadership development and consulting firm. A pioneer in human resource outsourcing and a longtime executive coach, he created the administrative consulting practice at AT Kearney, and, in 1991, cofounded Gunn Partners, based on the principle of "lean" consulting. With Betsy Gullickson, he writes a monthly column for the executive-level magazine, Strategic Finance.

BETSY RASKIN GULLICKSON is an executive coach and communications consultant. Previously, she was a partner at Ketchum, Inc., one of the worlds largest PR firms, where she directed the San Francisco business unit and the Global Food & Nutrition Practice. She has also served as a writer/editor at several trade magazines. With Robert Gunn, she writes a monthly column for the executive-level magazine, Strategic Finance.