Feeling torn as a leader? Reconcile your identities to make your work more meaningful.

Leadership is a phenomenon that touches everyone’s lives. That is why leadership scholars aim to understand the mystery of leadership to make it more tangible. In this chapter we introduce readers to the view that leadership is a science. We also argue that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all. This book presents leadership as a journey, and not a linear one from A to B for that matter. Our book takes scientific findings and turns them into real-life guidance and exercises that you can use at any stage in your development, from first-time leader to seasoned upper-level executive. Each of the chapters in this book will give you different ideas and answers to the question of what it means to be a leader and importantly how you can thrive on your personal leadership journey and help others along the way. The exercise that we provide in this chapter gets you started on your leadership development journey.