Palgrave Macmillan · 2026

Foundations of Leadership Development

Name: Foundations of Leadership Development
ISBN: 978-3-032-28041-1

The Self-Leadership Journey

Oliver S. Crocco · Tomika W. Greer · Edward A. Gibbons III

Out now from Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-3-032-28041-1. Also on Amazon.

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Cover of Foundations of Leadership Development: The Self-Leadership Journey

About the book

A foundational, undergraduate-level textbook that treats leadership development as inside-out work. It begins with self-leadership: the deliberate practice of directing your own attention, energy, and choices, then builds outward through self-awareness, wellness, motivation, resilience, communication, relationships, and leading across cultures, ending with a self-leadership development plan you keep using.

The argument is simple: leadership development begins inward, with the daily practice of directing your own attention, energy, and choices. Across fourteen chapters, the book moves from that inner work outward to communication, relationships, conflict, and leading across cultures, and ends by helping you build a development plan you can keep using long after the course is over.

Read about the Self-Leadership Stance, the framework at the center of the book →

What's inside

Part I

Laying the Groundwork

1The Role of Self-Leadership in Leadership Development
2Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence
3Prioritizing Your Multidimensional Wellness
4Building Integrity and Discipline
5Discovering Your Motivation

Part II

Developing Personal Leadership Capabilities

6Developing Resilience and Adaptability
7Becoming a Self-Starter
8Managing Time, Priorities, and Goals
9Creating a Personal Vision and Mission Statement

Part III

Interpersonal Effectiveness and the Journey Ahead

10Communication
11Building Relationships
12Resolving Conflict
13Global Self-Leadership
14Putting It All Together: Designing Your Self-Leadership Development Plan

On this site

This companion site holds the public, evergreen extras: tools, a podcast, and free resources. The instructor materials live with the publisher, where access stays stable over time.

Self-Leadership Stance inventory

Rate yourself on the five daily actions from Chapter 1, see which come naturally and which to practice, and save the result in your browser to compare when you take it again.

Try the inventory →

For instructors

Course maps for semesters, quarters, and short terms, an editable sample syllabus, a twenty-minute author visit for your class, and the route to the instructor materials Palgrave hosts.

Plan your course →