The Surprising Gift of Doubt: Use Uncertainty to Become the Exceptional Leader You Are Meant to Be

by Marc Pitman

Overview

You’re a high-performing leader. It’s time to shed the doubt.

You’ve hit milestone after milestone in your career. You’ve achieved stellar highs. People look to you for direction as a model of success. So where is all this doubt and insecurity about how to lead coming from? And is it even possible to shake these feelings of uncertainty?

In The Surprising Gift of Doubt, sought-after leadership and fundraising executive coach Marc A. Pitman not only shows you how to conquer your imposter syndrome, but actually harness thse uncomfortable feelings to develop a rare level of leadership mastery. In fact, that inner doubt you’re wrestling with is a signal that you are on the verge of greatness.

Through the same assessments, exercises and self-management tools Pitman uses to help his executive clients achieve their leadership dreams, you’ll learn to:

• Identify your inherent and learned abilities, and apply them most effectively
• Use stories to amplify your natural leadership strengths
• Set career and life goals that fuel your leadership objectives
•

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781989603994
Publisher:	Page Two Books, Inc.
Publication date:	03/23/2021
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,017,778
Product dimensions:	5.58(w) x 8.47(h) x 0.49(d)

About the Author

Concord Leadership Group founder Marc A. Pitman, CSP, coaches clients to lead their teams with more effectiveness and less stress. Marc speaks in person and online to audiences around the world, and his organizational and leadership trainings have helped countless nonprofits—including Georgetown University, Habitat for Humanity, Islamic Relief USA, and the Association of the U.S. Army—advance their missions, meet revenue goals, and improve the lives of their staff and supporters. Media such as The Chronicle of Philanthropy, SUCCESS Magazine, NBC, Al Jazeera, and Fox News has covered his work. His book Ask Without Fear! has been translated into multiple languages.

Table of Contents

A Note on Privilege 1

Introduction 5

1 Listening to the Inner Nudge 13

2 Taking the Leader's Journey 19

3 Accepting Your Gifts 29

4 Realizing the Benefits of Your Ability 49

5 Knowing the Strengths of Your Motivation 61

6 Learning the Stories That Serve You 79

7 Organizing around Your Goals 95

8 Relating with Your Time 109

9 Energizing Your Confidence and Clarity 117

10 Honoring Your Integrity 127

Acknowledgments 133

Resources 135

Notes 137

Editorial Reviews

A generous book with a breakthrough approach to thinking about how and why we lead. Marc Pitman will help you realize that leadership is a choice, it’s a skill, and it’s open to each of us.”
Seth Godin, author of This Is Marketing

“It’s doubt that cracks open the seed and allows in humility and compassion, curiosity and possibilities. But don’t doubt that this book will help you become a far better leader.”
Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit and The Advice Trap

“Marc Pitman deftly and confidently leads readers through the hard, necessary work of understanding themselves and the unique contributions they can make both in their organizations and their personal lives.”
Kristen Hadeed, author of Permission to Screw Up

“A powerful operating manual that will help you tap into the greatness inside of you and truly empower others.”
Dorie Clark, executive education faculty, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and author of Reinventing You

“Lots of people like to talk about leadership, but to actually lead is a different matter. This book cuts through the clutter of fads and catchphrases and shows you the way of a true leader, the way of integrity. If you want to be better, don’t miss this important message.”
Jeff Goins, bestselling author of The Art of Work

“In The Surprising Gift of Doubt, Marc Pitman offers a must-read road map for leadership that focuses on embracing doubt as a catalyst for change and building confidence. Marc shows us how to move beyond traditional leadership practices and unlock our organizations’ full potential by bringing emotional intelligence to the forefront.”
Alison Stratten, coauthor of several bestsellers including Unmarketing and The Jackass Whisperer

“When we explore great leaders, we focus on the hard skills (the tactics and strategies) that led to some kind of victory. In The Surprising Gift of Doubt, Marc Pitman delivers the real truth behind leadership and success. It lies in the soft skills. This book enables all leaders to look within, assess their truth, and turn their fears and uncertainty into confidence and clarity. In a world so desperate for leaders with integrity, we now have The Surprising Gift of Doubt as a road map forward.”
Mitch Joel, author of Six Pixels of Separation and Ctrl Alt Delete

“A massively effective framework for self-awareness and leadership development that is practical, approachable, and actually doable. Bravo!”
Jay Baer, founder, Convince & Convert and author of Hug Your Haters

“In a world promising magic formulas and three steps to success, in The Surprising Gift of Doubt, Marc Pitman delivers what leaders actually need: a process and tools to discover your inner truth, allowing you to lead with sincerity, confidence, and effectiveness. Rather than running from doubt, you will see it for what it is: the key to your own strength and point of view as a leader.”
Pamela Slim, author of Body of Work

“Every achiever and leader will experience a setback at some point in their success journey. In this book, Marc Pitman gives a step-by-step plan for getting past your doubts and getting on to your success. This book will help both experienced leaders in a rough patch and new leaders hitting their first setback. Read it, then reread it, and you will see why you should get it for your entire leadership team.”
Dr. Willie Jolley, hall of fame speaker, nationally syndicated radio host, and bestselling author of A Setback Is a Setup for a Comeback

“We naturally see doubt as something that holds us back in leadership, but Marc Pitman rewires our brains into seeing it as a gateway to greater achievement. He shows how the uncomfortable process of truly engaging with doubt can open up new doors few people will get a chance to walk through. Marc provides a guide to help you discover the unique leader you are meant to be.”
Preet Banerjee, author of Stop Over-Thinking Your Money!

“Marc Pitman articulates the power and value of the journey from doubt to confidence, and offers clear actions to jump-start your personal growth toward confident leadership. This book fills the gap between being named a leader and truly performing like one.”
Cara Brookins, author of Rise: How a House Built a Family

“Conventional leadership practices miss the mark because they lack nuance, and many times remove what makes us human. Magic occurs when we play in the beautiful gray between uncertainty, and our goals, values, and talents. The Surprising Gift of Doubt shows how uncertainty is an opportunity to uncover your unique strengths and talents with simple, effective frameworks to bring your full self to your work.”
Christina Blacken, founder and chief narrative strategist, TheNewQuo.com

“I have benefited from Marc Pitman’s training; it helped me to recognize what style of leadership works best for me. If we can find what quadrant works best for us, it can transform us and our organizations’ work.”
Anwar A. Khan, president, Islamic Relief USA

“Give a growth gift to yourself. The Surprising Gift of Doubt helps bring clarity to our leadership mindset. Marc Pitman’s engaging speaking comes through in this leadership tome.”
Jeremiah Owyang, tech analyst

“A rare find among business books. Marc Pitman cultivates a sense of empathy as he tells stories of how it’s been done by those who have doubted much more than you, with more reason to—and how you can solve that problem yourself, too.”
Julien Smith, cofounder and chairman, Breather

“Engaging and thought-provoking, The Surprising Gift of Doubt shows you firsthand that leadership is not merely a genetic trait, but something we can learn. Highly recommended!”
Amanda Russell, strategist, speaker, and professor of marketing

“In The Surprising Gift of Doubt, Marc Pitman takes readers on a journey to become better and more effective leaders. He challenges readers to engage in self-reflection to learn more about the stories we believe and the ways in which our life impacts our leadership style. This book should be on the shelf of anyone who aspires to be an effective leader, wants to take their leadership to the next level, or wants to coach others to be stronger leaders.”
Jessica Sharp, founder and CEO, Sharp Brain Consulting

“Success in life isn’t just what you do, it’s how you think. Whether you are re-culturing your corporation or wanting to grow your emerging leaders, The Surprising Gift of Doubt gives you a system that makes both the way to think and the actions to take clear and achievable. This book is a must-read for corporate development programs and anyone aspiring to lead a life of significance.”
Dr. Nido Qubein, president, High Point University

“Leadership books are a dime a dozen . . . then this book came along. I identified with all of the barriers and worked through each of the activities to approach my own leadership development strategies from my strengths while also identifying who else I need on my team to succeed in my vision. This is the book that I will mark making the difference in my business.”
Jess Pettitt, speaker/consultant/cheese lover and author of Good Enough Now, JessPettitt.com

From the Publisher