The Third Opinion

What does it take to be a successful leader today? Besides the more obvious answers - commitment, intelligence, compassion, curiosity, and courage - there is one less obvious - the wisdom of others. Working with a circle of thinkers and advisers enables leaders to reach, and to sustain, peak performance.

From her own experience over more than twenty-five years as an adviser and thinking partner to business leaders around the globe, Author San-Nicole Joni, Ph.D., in order to fully understand the dynamics of leadership, and the role played by advisory networks, undertook a three-year research project in which she interviewed hundreds of executives and their thinking partners and advisers, to understand these issues in depth. That research led to two major insights that form the core of The Third Opinion. First, leadership today requires three habits: Habit of Mind, Habit of Responsibility, and Habit of Focus. Second, development of these habits can begin at any time in a leader's career.