The authors of the classic bestseller The Leadership Challenge bring their expertise to higher education, offering five practices that can make any college or university leader into an exemplary leader. 

Drawing on the same pioneering research that formed the foundation of their classic bestseller The Leadership Challenge (over 2.7 million copies sold), James Kouzes and Barry Posner offer a set of leadership skills and practices that will make a significant difference in every area of higher education—faculty, administration, library services, career counseling, auxiliary services, campus safety, and more. It’s about the behaviors that leaders, regardless of their position, use to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, segments into solidarity, and risks into rewards. 

Kouzes and Posner tell the leadership story from the inside and move outward, describing it first as a personal journey and then as mobilizing others to want to do things they have never done before. The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership is the operating system for this adventure. Leadership in Higher Education explains the fundamental principles that support these practices and provides case examples of people in higher education who demonstrate each one. 

A core theme that weaves its way through all the chapters is that, whether it’s one to one or one to many, leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. We need leaders who can unite us and ignite us. This book lights the way. “The book is phenomenal! I couldn’t put it down! I want to get a copy into the hands of my entire university. The rich stories are brilliantly crafted examples of the skills needed for leadership in this vast landscape; documenting that leadership is for everyone.”
—Jessica Garrett, Department Chair, University of Texas, Permian Basin

“This is a must-read for all university leaders. It provides an action-oriented framework and relevant examples that highlight how leaders can be their personal best selves while achieving the institution’s vision. This is the leadership book that I will recommend to new leaders in higher education and for university training programs.” 
—Lynn Perry Wooten, Dean, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University

“The ideas in this book are empirically based and have been proven to work in a range of settings where leadership is needed and matters. The Five Practices are bound to make you much more successful if you use them.” 
—Howard Prince II, Clinical Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin

“Leadership in Higher Education is the book of practice for people who lead in university settings—from facilities engineers and dining facility workers to university presidents and deans. Finally, a leadership book tailored to the needs of everyone in higher education. True to form, Kouzes and Posner have created a work of exceptional practicality, and this book promises impact!” 
—Tom Kolditz, Director, Doerr Institute for New Leaders, Rice University

“We can all lead from where we are—the Five Practices show how to make the extraordinary possible and bring out the best leader in each of us. Packed with practical advice and helpful examples anyone can use, this book is for all who aspire to lead and create positive change on campus and in life.”
—Victor Wilson, Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Georgia