Tune In to Wow Leadership : 10 Lessons Learned from America's Favorite Shows

A viewing guide to help leaders focus on their own development and set their internal DVR to WOW!

The fictional world of TV depicts a plethora of characters who embody what Sheri Staak calls "WOW leadership qualities." (Incompetents are not in short supply either.) Drawing from classics and recent favorites alike, she showcases heroes or leaders from NCIS to Hawaii Five-O - Blue Bloods as well as villains-from The Sopranos to NYPD Blue to Breaking Bad -to illustrate her insights in entertaining and vividly memorable ways.

Far from taking a conventional approach, Staak posits that whether you're a veteran executive or an aspiring manager, you can learn a great deal about becoming an extraordinary leader by tuning in to popular TV programs.

She's selected specific "scenes in episodes" or "instances" that pinpoint what to do and what not to do in the workplace to invest in others, constantly improve your own skills, build trust, and earn respect.

She supplements those "Tune In" features with practical lists of key actions to take to strengthen the character traits every top-notch leader must possess. And for times when you're faced with an issue such as broken trust or poor communication that must be repaired, Staak draws on her estimable experience to suggest implementable, effective solutions.

Those bulleted lists, plus the exercises she calls "WOW in Action," will help you quickly evaluate where you stand in comparison to the WOW ideal.

Be you a Millennial or a Baby Boomer, you'll learn how to become the type of effective communicator, confident visionary, inspirational motivator, agent of change, and bold decision maker your direct reports will proclaim to be a "great boss."