Athletic CEOs: Leadership in Turbulent Times is about leaders who do not lead by the book: people who score low on emotional intelligence, do not praise their subordinates and rarely provide constructive feedback or celebrate small wins. Yet it is also a book about high-performing transformational leaders – Alexander Dyukov (Gazprom Neft), German Gref (Sberbank), Eugene Kaspersky (Kaspersky Lab), and Vitaly Saveliev (Aeroflot). Each of them has created a formidable enterprise that is delivering sustainable growth in profits and shareholder value, setting new standards for the industry to leave a positive impact on its employees and on the country and the regions it operates in, and – most remarkably – continuing to reinvent themselves.

Stanislav Shekshnia, Alexey Ulanovsky, and Veronika Zagieva have studied the work of these leaders for a decade and developed a model of leadership that delivers superior results in a specific context, that is, one of fast obsolescence, high turbulence, intense government interference, mediocre levels of human capital development, and traditionally high levels of managerial control. The model is called athletic leadership because of the strong parallels between the protagonists’ attitudes and behaviors and those of top sports people. Athletic leaders share a formative experience of practising competitive sports in their youth, facing early adversity as leaders of important projects and changing companies and industries along the way. They possess two traits that define their leadership personality: mental toughness and adaptability. Athletic CEOs also use specific iterative behavioral and mental strategies at work – “meta-practices” of athletic leadership. They deliver superior operational and financial results (leadership outputs) and transform their followers, companies, industries, and communities (leadership outcomes).

Written for people who are interested in the subject of leadership in business, Athletic CEOs: Leadership in Turbulent Times offers interesting ideas and practical insights for people from other walks of life such as politics, government, and education.

Stanislav Shekshnia is a senior affiliate professor of entrepreneurship and family business at INSEAD, France. His research concentrates on leadership, leadership development, and effective governance in emerging markets and organizations.

Alexey Ulanovsky is an associate professor at the National Research University – Higher School of Economics, Russia. He teaches business psychology and group communications.

Veronika Zagieva is the head of Ward Howell Talent Equity Institute, an internal research and development division of the Ward Howell Group, where she specializes in research on leadership and corporate governance.

Introduction; Chapter 1: Athletic Leadership; Chapter 2: The Agenda and Practices of Athletic Leaders; Chapter 3: Effectiveness of Athletic Leadership: Outputs and Outcomes; Chapter 4: Vitaly Saveliev: Passion and Innovation at the Old Airline; Chapter 5: Eugene Kaspersky: Building a Global Company in an Unlikely Place; Chapter 6: Alexander Dyukov: Quiet Transformation of Gazprom Neft; Chapter 7: Sberbank: Entrepreneurship in the Least Likely Place; Chapter 8: Athletic Leadership in Other Contexts; Chapter 9: Athletic Leadership for Non-athletes; Chapter 10: Conclusion; Index.

‘Athletic CEOs is […] a must-read for every leader who’s facing a challenging transformation in today’s chaotic business world.’
—Morten T. Hansen, Professor, University of California Berkeley, USA; coauthor of Great by Choice; author of Great at Work

‘INSEAD Professor Stanislav Shekshnia and colleagues capture the essence of the leadership challenge in turbulent times. Leaders today feel like athletes – learning and working 24/7 – and pushing to get better every day.’
—Mark C. Thompson, New York Times Bestselling Leadership Author and #1 Growth Coach

‘Athletic CEOs does not describe a leadership model that we most champion these days. […] It puts a different array of leadership tools at our fingertips and even on an ordinary workday, there may be a tool in this kit that meets a need.’
—Whitney Johnson, Thinkers50 Management Thinkers; author of Disrupt Yourself