This primer outlines a process for preparing and executing personal development and growth. Our foundational idea is that a leader's effectiveness depends to a great degree on how others see him or her. Thus, improving as a leader often requires that a person tune in to how others perceive (and misperceive) him or her. We describe methods for gathering and analyzing others' views, culling a sense of personal strengths and development needs that reflect both others' perceptions and one's own personal goals and ambitions. We detail an approach to articulating a concrete and practical action plan and give suggestions for implementing and sustaining change.

According to studies done by Dana Carney of Columbia Business School, powerful people are better liars. The stress of lying produces involuntary physiological reactions-such as half shrugs, rapid speech, and cognitive impairment-but liars who have power are much better at masking or suppressing those telltale signs than liars without power. Physiologically, high-power liars closely resemble truth tellers. Bottom line: Powerful people are more comfortable lying, and it is harder to tell that they're being dishonest.