Book excerpt: What really makes a good business leader? Do you have to be an extraordinarily charismatic hero with a larger than life personality before you can make things happen? What if you’re not? What are the practical and personal lessons of good leadership that will help ordinary managers get the results they want by leading their teams effectively? Living Leadership 2e has the answers. This insightful and motivating book will help you discover how to make real connections with people, and become an effective leader who makes things happen in the real world. Built on a unique four-year experiment working alongside real leaders in real businesses, Living Leadership explodes the myth of the charismatic, transformational leader, to show that real progress comes from the dramatically ordinary stuff of leadership. By observing business leaders in top companies on a day-to-day basis, the authors found out how these top managers really spent their time and how they really made an impact. They saw these leaders holding key discussions with their teams; watched them formulate strategies, plans and visions; observed their behaviours, ambitions and frustrations. What emerged was a powerful set of principles and proven advice for managers everywhere who want to develop their leadership skills. New to this edition: The content is refreshed by using different quotes and examples from the leaders who took part in the original research. Plus there will be updates throughout.