Lead From Where You Are

When you've just entered the workforce, understanding how leadership works and how you can contribute to it can be a challenge.

Lead from Where You Are is a practical guide to leadership for those at an early stage of their career. It will show you how to have a positive influence no matter the level you're working at, help you understand the power structures you will be operating in and explain what leadership looks like in different organizations.

Throughout, this book makes the point that leadership is a collective process that is contributed to by everyone in a company. Once you've finished, you'll understand how you can take part in this process from your junior position in the workplace.

You don't have to have it all figured out. Work in Progress is a series for anyone building confidence at work, whether you're stepping into a new role, switching paths or figuring things out as you go. These books help you build essential skills like speaking up, navigating setbacks and working with mentors, all without the pressure. Straightforward and practical, they make sense of the things no one teaches you, like what "professional" actually looks like. No jargon. Just real advice to help you grow with confidence, at your own pace. Because learning how to work is part of the job.

Dr. Peter Stephenson is Lecturer in Leadership and Management at the University of Exeter Business School. Prior to commencing his academic career Peter had a career in a commerce and as an entrepreneur founding and successfully exiting two businesses. With a passion for the practical applicability of leadership Peter's research is centred around the perspective that leadership is a collective phenomenon. The influence of communicative processes, internal and external influences, power dynamics, and a nuanced consideration of ethics have all been a part of Peter's research to date. He is based in Exeter, UK.

Dr. Richard Bolden is Professor of Leadership and Management and Director of Bristol Leadership and Change Centre at Bristol Business School, University of the West of England. His teaching and research explore the interface between individual and collective approaches to leadership and leadership development. He has published widely on topics including distributed, shared and systems leadership; leadership paradoxes and complexity; cross-cultural leadership; and leadership and change in healthcare and higher education. He is Associate Editor of the journal Leadership, Fellow of the International Leadership Association, Visiting Professor at the University of Pretoria and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He is based in Bristol, UK.