A guide to building trust, getting results, and changing lives. By Dr. Janet Ply
“Janet Ply is the real deal. I’ve seen way too many talented people flail in leadership because nobody ever taught them how to do the job well. This book fixes that. Janet has been in the fire, she’s led through chaos, and now she’s giving you the tools she’s used to rescue high-stakes, high-dollar messes.
If you lead people—or you want to—Practical Leadership should live on your desk. Get it, use it, lead better.”
—Mel Robbins, New York Times–bestselling author of The Let Them Theory and host of The Mel Robbins Podcast
Too many good people are promoted into leadership roles without proper training, support, or guidance … expected to figure it out.
With tens of thousands of leadership books, podcasts, and videos available (many with conflicting information), it’s hard to know where to start or what to believe. You shouldn’t have to guess at the best approach or learn from your managers, who are probably winging it.
The good news is that leadership isn’t innate or magic. It’s a skill set - and like all skill sets, it can be learned, practiced and mastered.
Practical Leadership is the result of decades of leading teams and consulting, being in the trenches on failed projects, and learning what works and what doesn’t. It curates the most important information you need to be a successful leader.
Everyone deserves to work for a great leader. Practical Leadership makes it possible - without guessing or winging it.
Praise from Early Readers
“Janet Ply has created what so many leadership books promise but rarely deliver—a practical and actionable guide, grounded in real-world experience. With clarity and compassion, she cuts through the noise and gives leaders exactly what they need: a framework that works in the messiness of real organizations. Whether you’re new to leadership or trying to rebuild your confidence after years in the trenches, this book will equip you to lead with greater trust, accountability, and purpose. It’s not just theory—it’s a road map for real transformation.”
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith
Thinkers50 #1 executive coach and New York Times–bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
“What a find! Janet Ply offers hard-won wisdom from her own successful career as a corporate turnaround expert in compelling page after page. Searingly honest and highly actionable, Practical Leadership is an invaluable resource for new and experienced leaders alike.”
Amy C. Edmondson
Novartis Professor of Leadership, Harvard Business School, and author of Right Kind of Wrong
“Leadership is multifaceted, requiring great agility, empathy,and foresight. Practical Leadership provides the decoder ring for leadership success. By providing practical, tactical advice and guidance based on decades of experience, Janet Ply helps anyone stepping into a leadership role or those who are expanding theirs. Every leader needs this book on their desks and in their hands.”
Matt Abrahams
Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business; author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot; and host of Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast
“Practical Leadership bridges the gap between knowing and doing. Janet Ply’s actionable tactics make leadership skills accessible and achievable.”
Dorie Clark
Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game and one of Thinkers50’s Top Business Thinkers in the World
“At long last—a leadership book that gets to the heart of what really works and skips the fluff. This book is a gift to every high performer who was promoted into a leadership role without a map (which is nearly everyone). If you’re jaded by generic advice and need actionable insights and practices you can use starting today, Practical Leadership is a fantastic resource."
James M. Citrin
Bestselling author of You’re in Charge, Now What? and The Career Playbook and CEO, Spencer Stuart
“The title says it all. If you are a high achiever grappling with the complexities of leadership, Practical Leadership is for you. Janet Ply gives you not only the ‘why’ behind various aspects of leadership but also the very practical ‘how-to’ for applying the insights to your own unique situation. Whether you are new to leading others or an old hand, there is a lot to learn from this gem of a book."
Margaret Andrews
Harvard instructor, managing director of the MYLO Center, and author of Manage Yourself to Lead Others
"Practical Leadership is the book I wish I’d had at the start of my career, and it still has plenty I can use today. Few things are more important - and less understood - than what it takes to lead effectively. Janet Ply diagnoses the most common challenges with clarity and empathy, and offers a deeply practical path forward. She closes by saying, “Everyone deserves to work for a great leader.” With this guide in hand, that aspiration feels possible."
Chris Hyams
Former CEO, Indeed
Luck Is Not a Strategy: An Executive Guidebook for Leading Change Initiatives
In an era where business transformation happens at breakneck speed, most change initiatives are destined to fail—but they don't have to be.
Business practices are evolving more rapidly than ever before, driven by revolutionary advances in artificial intelligence, technology, data availability, and globalization. These forces demand sophisticated leadership skills to successfully navigate and drive organizational change. Yet executives, often thrust into leading complex transformations by necessity rather than training, face a sobering reality: over two-thirds of change initiatives fail.
The root causes of these failures are well-documented, yet senior leadership teams continue repeating the same costly mistakes, seemingly unable to learn from those who have succeeded before them. Why does this cycle persist?
In Luck Is Not a Strategy, Janet provides the answers leaders desperately need. Drawing from her 25+ years of hard-won consulting experience leading complex change initiatives across multiple industries, organizational sizes, and circumstances, she delivers practical guidance that transforms failure into success.
This isn't theoretical advice—it's a battle-tested roadmap for the critical moments when your career and organization's future hang in the balance. Janet equips leaders with essential tools for success, covering organizational change readiness, alignment strategies, executive sponsorship, team building and organization, portfolio management, effective Program Management Office development, support organization integration, reusable framework creation, interdependent project planning and monitoring, operational readiness assessment, and much more.
For leaders who understand that luck is indeed not a strategy, this book provides the strategic foundation and tactical expertise needed to beat the odds and lead successful transformation initiatives that deliver lasting results.
Download the 7 Common Mistakes Leaders Make - And How to Avoid Them
Because burnout isn’t a badge of honor.
If you’re constantly buried in meetings, solving other people’s problems, and wondering when you’ll actually have time to get your own work done - you’re not alone.
This short guide walks your through the seven most common traps leaders fall into … and what to do instead.
