THE LEADER'S CLIMB

Leadership is easy until it gets hard. Far too often, leaders have a meteoric rise to the top and then discover weaknesses that are hard to overcome. This gripping business tale, set against the backdrop of a rock-climbing excursion, exposes these common foibles, giving leaders a new sense of awareness, acceptance, and abundance that helps steer them through executive pitfalls to the path of success.

“Adam was stuck.” With this simple phrase, The Leader’s Climb introduces the reader to an engaging tale of how leaders often ascend quickly to the top, only to unknowingly begin slipping down a path of decline—until it is too late. In this novel approach to the subject, set against the backdrop of a rock-climbing vacation gone awry, executive coaches Bob Parsanko and Paul Heagen draw from decades of success with business executives to reveal an all-too-familiar path of leadership struggles. The protagonist, Adam, is capable and well-meaning but has a confidence bordering on hubris, and blind spots that could be the end of him. That is, until unlikely encounters with a park ranger and a home handyman, who become confidants and mentors, reveal new insights to Adam. Through their wisdom, and the realities of the hard knocks of business, Adam gets “unstuck” and begins to turn around his life and career with three fundamental principles of personal growth: awareness, acceptance, and abundance.
Bob Parsanko, president and founder of Executive Insights, is a personal coach, confidant and advisor to presidents, CEOs, senior executives, and executive teams throughout the United States, in Asia, Europe, and South America. His intimate understanding of senior executives and executive teams serves as his platform for global leadership development and drive for improvements in organizational effectiveness. He is affiliated with The Center for Creative Leadership and speaks at client leadership conferences and for groups such as the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).
Paul Heagen, president and founder of Defining Moments Consulting, is an executive coach who guides executives through crucial events and phases of their careers and personal lives. His belief that reputations, purpose, and even destiny are shaped by how leaders capitalize on such “defining moments” has distinguished his work for more than 30 years with clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to high-growth start-ups. He is an instructor with the Cincinnati- based Goering Institute and is a high-ranked presenter at conferences and workshops across the country.