Ego Free Leadership: Ending the Unconscious Habits That Hijack Your Business

Decrying egotism at every level of business, Black, former CEO and director of Encore Capital Group, and Hughes, president of the firm Learning as Leadership (LaL), emphasize that potentially detrimental self-centered behaviors can be managed and even help guide a corporation to success. When Encore was struggling to survive a challenging business environment in the mid-2000s, Black decided to give Hughes’s unorthodox program a try. This book chronicles their experiences, using their interaction as examples of the LaL approach, and also delves into personality, workplace politics, learning from others, and career goals. As the two men relate, their relationship was rocky at first, with Black resisting the idea that his leadership style was negatively effecting his employees. When he finally recognized and faced this, it “fundamentally changed the trajectory of Encore.” He tells his side of the story with full candor and admission of his “unconscious habits” and how he overcame them. Hughes explains how Black and the Encore team implemented and thrived with the LaL process. This book is a useful read for anyone seeking to navigate the various egos at play within an organization. (Mar.)