One of my favorite quotes from Thomas Edison is, If we all did the things we are capable of doing we would astound ourselves. I believe leadership is a journey of learning and growing.

We must reflect a holistic view of the leader, in three dimensions, character, substance and style. Character consists of the qualities that win trust whereas substance consists of the qualities that earn us credibility style is the dimension of execution - getting others to get things done.

I have worked with leaders for 17 years. But I'm also a leader myself, and I can honestly say I feel deeply the privilege and responsibility that come with being a CEO. It is incumbent upon us to become all we can be, not only for ourselves, but for our companies.

As we started working with leaders, providing them with assessment feedback, noticing the impact it was having on them, and their teams, a real story unfolded, and the book All the Leader You Can Be became what it is now - a guide to leaders who want to understand their strengths, and also appreciate how to enhance their leadership.

The core philosophy we share with leaders is that everyone can develop the qualities in themselves. We all have strengths, but where we have gaps, we can make small changes in our behavior that make a big difference in how others see us as leaders.

I'm the CEO of a small growing company, and at each stage of our growth, it's become apparent to me that I need to adapt my leadership style and learn new approaches. When I completed the assessment, asking my own team to provide feedback on the 15 qualities of presence, I learned a lot about the leader I have yet to become.

Many leaders rely on confidence, the ability to make timely decisions, and hold themselves and others accountable. But some of these leaders have not yet developed resonance, the ability to read the room, understand and appreciate the thoughts and emotions of others.