Product details
- ISBN 9781037422195
- Dimensions: 153 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 01 Oct 2026
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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‘Takes both old and new leadership tactics and transforms them into strategies to use in crises . . . It is a testament to Baird and Hunter’s lucrative experience in the business realm and the role they play in shaping great leaders’ – Eric Yuan, CEO and founder of Zoom
From two experts on leadership, a no-nonsense guide for ambitious leaders to build great teams by embracing toughness – without sacrificing humanity.
Some of today’s most successful companies are also infamous for their domineering leaders and toxic working environments. But you don’t have to compromise yourself or your people to drive your team to greatness.
In Tough Enough, executive coaches John Baird and Matt Hunter reveal the ‘Toughness Spectrum,’ a transformative framework that helps leaders calibrate between the ineffective ‘Comfort Zone’ and the destructive ‘Hardcore Zone.’ Drawing on over 45 years of combined experience coaching leaders at world-class organizations like Apple, Nike, and DoorDash, the authors introduce seven transformative habits to help you build great companies.
This isn’t just theory – it’s a practical playbook for leaders who are ready to demand excellence, manage underperformance, and enforce accountability without sacrificing their integrity or humanity. Whether you are a founder scaling a startup or a manager looking to sharpen your team’s edge, Tough Enough proves that you don’t have to be a jerk to be a successful leader – but you do have to be tough enough to win.
Dr. John Baird is an executive leadership coach and co-founder of Velocity Coaching Group. He brings forty years of experience training elite performers, including twenty-five years advising senior leaders at Apple such as Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. He is the Wall Street Journal bestselling co-author of Leading with Heart and a former Outstanding Professor at San Jose State University. He lives in San Jose, California.
Matt Hunter is an executive leadership coach and former entrepreneur. With fifteen years of experience founding and leading companies – including cofounding Turnstyle (acquired by Yelp) and serving as CEO of Founders Pledge – he currently coaches CEOs of high-growth companies and elite NBA athletes. His work integrates diverse training from Stanford, the Harvard Negotiation Project and various psychological disciplines. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.
