Lead Bigger: The Transformative Power of Inclusion  
Anne Chow
Simon & Schuster (September 2024)

How and why people-centric leadership adds much greater value to an organization’s success 

Anne Chow wrote this book to “introduce and advance the topic of bigger leadership by reframing inclusion as an essential leadership competency applied to the work, workforce, and workplace.” She explains HOW.

What are the defining characteristics of a bigger leader? She or he

o Is a bigger person
o Seeks a broader impact
o Scours the horizon for opportunities to serve more and better
o Recognizes and appreciates each team member
o Inspires mutual respect and trust between and among team members
o Demonstrates self-awareness and humility

Chow explains HOW to become a bigger leader and then help others to become one.

For example, “Begin with the why: PURPOSE…Next comes the how of your work, guided by your core and aspirational VALUES…And finally, the ultimate goal of your work is to deliver and advance PERFORMANCE.”

More specifically, in Part One, Chow explains how to align principles with behavior and deliver results that have high impact. Then in Part Two, she explains how to elevate performance through care and belonging, expand an understanding of people, and invigorate employee experience. In Part Three, she shifts her attention to explaining how to create a workplace environment that drives worker engagement and their contributions, navigate professional and personal realities, and fortify a workplace within which growth can thrive. Finally, in Part Four, she provides interviews of three inclusive leaders who share their thoughts about developing a determination to succeed and sharing success with others, taking a “whole human approach to well-being,” and ensuring wide and deep inclusion.

In recent years, I have studied the results of major studies of employee relations, including exit interviews. Feeling appreciated was ranked either first or second by most of the respondents. In this context, I am again reminded of an observation by Theodore Roosevelt years ago: “People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I am also reminded of this observation by Margaret Mead: “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.”

I commend Anne Chow on her brilliant analysis of the transformative power of inclusion. The information, insights, and counsel in Lead Bigger will help almost any executive to become an inclusive leader.

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Here are three suggestions while you are reading Lead Bigger: First, highlight key passages Also,  perhaps in a notebook kept near-at-hand (e.g. Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5), record your comments, questions, action steps (preferably with deadlines), page references, and whatever you have learned that will be most helpful.

Pay close attention to these special segments:  “Demystifying Unconscious Bias: Beauty Bias and Lookism” in Part Two (Pages 103-109); “Exploring Total Fertility Rate: Implications for Leadership” in Part Three (179-184); and “Conversations” with General Stanley McChrystal (201-209), Arianna Huffington (211-219), and Adam Grant (221-228) in Part Four.

These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will facilitate, indeed expedite your frequent reviews of key material later.