Sign-In
Cart
Build Something Real: Leadership That Actually Works
Hardcover
Publisher Price: $29.99
Publisher: Transcendent Publishing
Published: Nov 9 2026
Pages: 170
Weight: 0.76
Height: 0.44 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
Most leadership advice sounds right...inspiring, even. That doesn't mean it works.
Organizational failures don't reflect the people's lack of character. The real reason they fail is that the systems those people operate in don't work. Priorities shift, incentives conflict, accountability fades, and over time, even strong leaders adapt to the reality around them.
Those are leadership issues. Those are yours. But not like you think they are yours. And this is where most leadership books fall short. They focus on the individual, telling them to be more decisive, communicate more clearly, lead with integrity.
All of that matters. It's just not enough.
Build Something Real challenges the conventional thinking around leadership, growth, and execution. Using real and hard-fought stories, it cuts through the noise and gets to what actually drives results:
- How being unapologetically yourself is contagious and creates trust
- Why you can't out-character a broken system
- Why seeing reality clearly beats chasing the illusion of growth
- What the spoiled milk theory teaches us about moving forward
- Where alignment breaks down and why it matters
This is real, not theoretical. It's a grounded perspective on how leadership actually works when the stakes are real, the pressure is high, and the outcomes matter.
If you want to build something real, you have to see things as they are and then do something about it. It sounds simple, but current thinking often gets in the way of simplicity. Let's get back to it.
About me. I grew up in Thornton, Illinois, a limestone-quarry town where hard work and community weren't ideals, they were just how people lived, and it shaped how I lead. Over 25+ years, my career has taken me from Sales & Marketing to executive leadership across the food and beverage industry, always focused on building teams and cultures that last. I live in Chicago with my wife, Ami, and I'm endlessly proud of my kids. And I better not forget to mention our dog, Joey.
Also from
Ellis, Jim
A Will to Serve: Stories of Patience, Persistence, and Friends Made Along the Way
Ellis, Jim
Ott, Jennifer
Hardcover
The Poem, the Garden, and the World: Poetry and Performativity in Elizabethan England
Ellis, Jim
Hardcover
Also in
Management
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition
Grenny, Joseph
Patterson, Kerry
Switzler, Al
Paperback
Quiet Girls Can Run the World: Owning Your Power When You're Not the Alpha in the Room
Holman, Rebecca
Paperback
Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy, and Belonging Across Differences
Winters, Mary-Frances
Paperback
The Art of Communication: How to Be Authentic, Lead Others, and Create Strong Connections
Apps, Judy
Hardcover
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Guidara, Will
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen)
Review, Harvard Business
Drucker, Peter F.
Gallo, Amy
Paperback
Focused & Fearless Leadership: Preventing the Crisis Before It Starts
Overton, Melissa Godwin
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads 2027: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review (Featuring the Hidden Beliefs That Hold Leaders Bac
Review, Harvard Business
Edmondson, Amy C.
Wilkins, Muriel M.
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How to Stop Worrying about What Other People Think of You by Michael Gervais)
Review, Harvard Business
Gervais, Michael
Duckworth, Angela L.
Paperback
Take Breaks, Work Better: Measure Impact, Not Hours, and Transform Your Profitability
Briggs, John
Paperback
What Could Possibly Go Right?: The Essential Journey to Scale an Enduring Culture
Meyer, Danny
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Begin with Trust by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss)
Review, Harvard Business
Edmondson, Amy C.
Ibarra, Herminia
Paperback
How We Could: The Framework to Lead Without Drama, Build Alignment, and Call Teams to Greatness
Dorr, Alex
Hardcover
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Workbook 25th Anniversary Edition: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
Maxwell, John C.
Paperback
The Year in Tech, 2027: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Review, Harvard Business
Davenport, Thomas H.
Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas
Paperback
Surrender to Lead: The Counterintuitive Approach to Driving Extraordinary Results
Kriegel, Jessica
Terry, Joe
Hardcover
The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you
Fitzpatrick, Rob
Paperback
Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit
Brown, Brené
Hardcover
Bookkeeping - Accounting for Small Business: A Quickstudy Laminated Reference Guide
Epstein, Lita
Other
Get Scalable: The Operating System Your Business Needs To Run and Scale Without You
Deiss, Ryan
Paperback
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Voss, Chris
Raz, Tahl
Hardcover
What the Heck Is Eos?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS
Wickman, Gino
Bouwer, Tom
Hardcover
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever
Stanier, Michael Bungay
Paperback
The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
Watkins, Michael D.
Hardcover
Unreliable Boyfriend: An Insider's View of Dealing with a Chaotic Superpower, Plutocrats, and Other Complicated People
Freeland, Chrystia
Hardcover
Stop Asking for Referrals: Build a Magnetic Business Through Intentional Care & Real Relationships
McNally, Flor de Maria
Paperback
How to Work with Complicated People: Strategies for Effective Collaboration with (Nearly) Anyone
Leak, Ryan
Hardcover
Influence and Persuasion (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Morgan, Nick
Cialdini, Robert B.
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Building Great Businesses: Create Momentum, Overcome Setbacks, and Scale with Confidence
Becker, Scott
Hardcover
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving in
Patton, Bruce
Fisher, Roger
Ury, William
Paperback
Anchored, Aligned, Accountable: A Framework for Transcending Bullsh*t and Transforming Our Lives and Work
Bethea, Aiko
Hardcover
The Algorithm: The Hypergrowth Formula That Transformed Tesla, Lululemon, General Motors, and Spacex
McNeill, Jon
Hardcover
From Operator to Owner: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Running a Business That Doesn't Run You
Landry, Liz
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Strategy, Updated and Expanded (Featuring the Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy by Michael E. Porter)
Kim, W. Chan
Review, Harvard Business
Porter, Michael E.
Paperback
The Year in Tech, 2026: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Review, Harvard Business
Anthony, Scott D.
Webb, Amy
Paperback
Feedback That Works: How to Build and Deliver Your Message, Second Edition
Center for Creative Leadership
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on High Performance, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Nine Things Successful People Do Differently by Heidi Grant)
Review, Harvard Business
Grant, Heidi
Goleman, Daniel
Paperback
The Phoenix Project: A Novel about It, Devops, and Helping Your Business Win
Spafford, George
Kim, Gene
Behr, Kevin
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing People, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Are You a Good Boss--Or a Great One? by Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback)
Review, Harvard Business
Goleman, Daniel
Hill, Linda A.
Paperback
Take It Personal: How to Succeed by Building Relationships and Playing the Long Game
Grutman, David
Hardcover
Inside the Owner's Box: Conversations on Power and Leadership in Sports
Rubenstein, David M.
Hardcover
Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World
Lakhani, Karim R.
Iansiti, Marco
Hardcover
Generative Ai: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Cremer, David De
Review, Harvard Business
Mollick, Ethan
Paperback
The Way of the Shepherd: Seven Secrets to Managing Productive People
Pentak, William
Leman, Kevin
Hardcover
Playing to Win, Expanded with Bonus HBR Articles: How Strategy Really Works
Lafley, A. G.
Martin, Roger L.
Hardcover
False Solutions: A Leadership Parable of Strategies That Feel Right But Fall Short
Syquia, Nenuca
Hardcover
The Hard Thing about Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Horowitz, Ben
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads 2026: The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review (Featuring the Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift by
Review, Harvard Business
Meyer, Erin
Flyvbjerg, Bent
Paperback
Demand-Side Sales 101: Stop Selling and Help Your Customers Make Progress
Moesta, Bob
Engle, Greg
Hardcover
The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation
Wild, Jason
Hill, Linda A.
Tedards, Emily
Hardcover
The 360 Degree Leader Workbook: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization
Maxwell, John C.
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence, Updated and Expanded (Featuring What Makes a Leader by Daniel Goleman)
Review, Harvard Business
Goleman, Daniel
Ibarra, Hermina
Paperback
The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability
Hickman, Craig
Connors, Roger
Smith, Tom
Paperback
Getting You Ready for Power: A Woman's Guide to Building Confidence, Community, and Career Success
Meruelo, Alexis
Paperback
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
Patton, Bruce
Stone, Douglas
Heen, Sheila
Paperback
The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth about Extraordinary Results
Keller, Gary
Papasan, Jay
Hardcover
How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated for the Next Generation of Leaders
Carnegie, Dale
Hardcover
Psychological Safety (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Edmondson, Amy C.
Auger-Dominguez, Daisy
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life
Murphy, Jim
Paperback
The Trusted Advisor: 20th Anniversary Edition
Galford, Robert
Green, Charles
Maister, David H.
Paperback
Biblia del Vendedor: Tecnicas Efectivas Para El Vendedor Competitivo
Dey, Alejandro
Dey, Alex
Paperback
The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People
Chapman, Gary
White, Paul
Paperback
Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away
Gelles, David
Hardcover
Team Topologies, 2nd Edition: Organizing Business and Technology for Fast Flow of Value
Skelton, Matthew
Pais, Manuel
Paperback
Indispensable: How to Become the Company That Your Customers Can't Live Without
Calloway, Joe
Hardcover
The Founder's Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth
Zook, Chris
Allen, James
Hardcover
Be Our Guest-Revised and Updated Edition: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service
The Disney Institute
Hardcover
Say This, Not That: How to Master 7 Dreaded Conversations As a Leader in the Modern Workplace
Flickinger, Chris
Paperback
Covert Cows and Chick-Fil-A: How Faith, Cows, and Chicken Built an Iconic Brand
Robinson, Steve
Paperback
You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference
Sanborn, Mark
Hardcover
Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork
Sullivan, Dan
Hardy, Benjamin
Hardcover
The Heart Work of Modern Leadership: 6 Differentiators of Exceptional Leaders
Grossman, David
Paperback
Rollout: Get Your Entire Team Running on EOS to Achieve Your Vision
Smith, Marisa
Fahey, Beth
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Artificial Intelligence, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How AI Can Help Managers Think Through Problems by Elisa Farri and Gab
Davenport, Thomas H.
Agrawal, Ajay
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The Octopus Organization: A Guide to Thriving in a World of Continuous Transformation
Le-Brun, Phil
Werner, Jana
Hardcover
Rewired: McKinsey's Playbook on How Leading Companies Win with Technology and AI
Lamarre, Eric
Smaje, Kate
Levin, Robert
Hardcover
The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt
Sutton, Robert I.
Paperback
The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
Michelli, Joseph A.
Hardcover
Never Settle: Persuasion and Negotiation Skills to Get What You Want
Richardson, John
Qureshi, Attia
Hardcover
The Adaptability Quotient: Rewiring Your Mind for Success in the Next Human Era
Litowitz, Alec
Hardcover
Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential and How You Can Achieve Yours
Chamine, Shirzad
Hardcover
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business
Lencioni, Patrick M.
Hardcover
The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
Thorndike, William N.
Hardcover
$100m Lost Chapters: Lost Treasures from $100M Offers, $100M Leads, and $100M Money Models
Hormozi, Alex
Hardcover
The Things We Hide: A Guide to Identifying Hidden Barriers and Leading with Authenticity
Dickerhoof, Tyler
Hardcover
The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done
Drucker, Peter F.
Paperback
The Lean Six SIGMA Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to Nearly 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed
George, Michael L.
Rowlands, David T.
Price, Mark
Paperback
The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World
Grashow, Alexander
Heifetz, Ronald A.
Linsky, Marty
Hardcover
Social Capital at Work: Building the Hidden Asset That Drives Trust, Engagement, and Performance
Burrows, John
Rachlin, Seth
Hardcover
The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership
Walsh, Bill
Jamison, Steve
Walsh, Craig
Paperback
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
Maxwell, John C.
Hardcover