The age-old question for every leader--how do we bring out the best in those we lead? Anyone who has run a company, raised a family, lead an army, or coached a team struggles to find the key to help others excel and realize their potential. It is surprising how often we resort to criticism vs. an approach that actually results in a better worker and a better person. What if we could speak Words of Life that transform those under our influence and ignite fires of intrinsic motivation? What if those we lead found great purpose in what they do and worked at their jobs with all their heart? Isn't that what leaders, parents and teachers really want? Ultimately, don't we hope to foster intrinsic motivation so that the individuals we lead become better employees, better students or better athletes? Recent discoveries of brain science and the wisdom of top CEO's that Dr. Tim Irwin interviewed for this book give us the answers we've long sought. In most organizations, the methods used to provide feedback to employees such as performance appraisal or multi-rater feedback systems, in fact, accomplish the exact opposite of what we intend. We inadvertently speak Words of Death. Brain science tells us that these methods tend to engage a natural "negativity bias" that is hardwired in us all. Science in recent years discovered that affirmation sets in motion huge positive changes in the brain. It releases certain neuro chemicals associated with well-being and higher performance. Amazingly, criticism creates just the opposite neural reaction. The most primitive part of the brain goes into hyper defense mode, compromising our performance, torpedoing our motivation and limiting access to our higher-order strengths. How do we redirect employees who are out-of-line without engaging our natural "negativity bias?" Leaders must forever ban the term, "Constructive Criticism." Brain science tells us that we can establish a connection between the employee's work and his or her aspirations. This book calls for a new approach to align workers with an organization's mission, strategy and goals, called Alliance Feedback.

By some estimates, we will spend over 100,000 hours at work during our lifetime. With more than half of our waking hours revolving around work, our means of producing a paycheck has become one of the most dominant dimensions of our lives, absorbing a huge commitment of our life energies.Unfortunately for so many, our work is not what we relish but rather a major source of pain. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to say at the end of our lives, "My work was worth it--the challenges, the hardships, and the rewards. I invested those years well. I made a difference"? How can we learn to work this way?In Run With the Bulls Without Getting Trampled, veteran corporate psychologist Tim Irwin presents the distilled essence of what makes some succeed and others derail in the workplace. Using compelling real-life stories to launch each chapter, not only is Irwin transparent with the lessons he has learned from his own experiences, but he also shares the invaluable insights and principles he has gathered from thousands of interviews with senior executives.Featuring Irwin's seven critical success factors as well as six common career derailers, this hard-hitting but entertaining book is your guide to finding lasting fulfillment in your career. After all, you are investing so much into your job. Shouldn't it also be investing in you?

..".ultimately this book is not really about six famous leaders who derailed. It is about you. And me. And anyone who ever decided to accept a position of leadership."

-Patrick Lencioni, writer of foreword for "Derailed," author "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team"

"This is not just a book for CEOs. It is for anyone who serves in a leadership capacity--pastors, teachers, government officials, and even mid-level managers in corporations. Not only is this a book you should read; in my opinion, it's a book you can't afford "not" to read. There is simply too much at stake."

- Michael Hyatt, CEO, Thomas Nelson

What causes a leader to fail? What can we learn from those who have fallen? How do we avoid failure of our own?

These are just a few of the questions answered in "Derailed: 5 Lessons Learned from Catastrophic Failures of Leadership," a book for leaders and aspiring leaders of all levels by Tim Irwin, Ph.D. "Derailed" chronicles the collapse of six high-profile CEOs, the factors that drove their downfalls, and the lessons that we can learn to stay on track and avoid derailing our own lives and careers.

The story of the fallen CEO has become a cultural fixture: veering off course with the force of a train careening off its tracks, leaving fiery wreckage and devastating injury throughout the organization. These executives are often the smartest and most respected individuals in their industries, with glittering resumes and histories of successful leadership. Yet they astonish us by driving the train dramatically off course, blinded by unchecked power and arrogance.

Dr. Tim Irwin believes that these leaders suffer from failures of character that are common to each of us--even the most capable individuals. Deficits in authenticity, humility, self-management, and courage become more dangerous as we take on more leadership, and can cause us to ignore glaring signals that might otherwise save us from catastrophic demise. "Derailed" profiles the collapse of six high-profile CEOs (Robert Nardelli - Home Depot, Carly Fiorina - HP, Durk Jager - Proctor and Gamble, Steven Heyer - Starwood Hotels, Frank Raines - Fannie Mae, Dick Fuld - Lehman Brothers) and the factors that drove their downfalls, finding that derailment actually happens long before the crash and can be avoided. "Derailed "explains the character qualities that are essential for successful leadership and how to cultivate them so that we can avoid being derailed.