Leading Quietly has been a favorite for a number of years and in many ways was a precursor to some of the more recent thinking in leadership development circles.

First one needs to move away from the thinking that was born in Frederick Taylor's industrial age that leadership is all about position and power. Armed with the thought that leadership is more about influencing, molding, and mentoring, Joseph Badaracco shares real world stories of how organizations really work. It is not the larger-than-life figures taking momentous steps that effect change in our organizations. Instead it is the "quiet leader" often working behind the scenes taking incremental steps to improve specific circumstances for themselves, their co-workers, and their organizations regardless of their job title or level of authority.

Quiet leaders focus on doing the right thing even though doing so may go against the rules or conventional thinking. They are the embodiment of Margaret Mead's -- "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- and the people around them are the better for it.