Mike Bennetts, former CEO of Z Energy, has launched his first book, delving into the impact of leadership on organisational performance and personal growth.
Leadership is the cornerstone of success, and in Being Extraordinary by Confronting your Ordinary, Mike Bennetts demonstrates how leaders can catalyse change within their organisations.
He explains how true transformation only occurs when leaders themselves embrace an extraordinary mindset and confront their own tendencies to be ordinary.
“When leaders play ordinary, the organisation can only play ordinary. When leaders play extraordinary, the organisation can transform,” says Bennetts.
One analogy he draws on is “The Drift” – a concept where individuals and organisations often passively go with the flow, abandoning the power to make decisions or take risks.
He challenges readers to confront this drift, break free from conformity, and embrace their extraordinary potential.
The book features inspiring stories of individuals who refused to be ordinary, including the tale of Tom Whittaker, who demonstrate that personal limitations should not define one’s commitments.
Bennetts advocates for loving the feeling of confronting the drift, as it leads to cognitive dissonance, creating personal growth and change.
The book is based on Bennetts’ experience as a CEO and leader in various countries. It explores his beliefs about leadership, including that extraordinary results stem from extraordinary leadership, and leaders are those who intervene with the drift.
Bennetts shares stories that give insights into key events of Z Energy’s evolution, including why as the leader of a fossil fuels company, he helped found the Climate Leaders Coalition.
He talks about the benefits of being committed to something bigger than yourself.
In Being Extraordinary by Confronting your Ordinary, readers will gain insights on:
- Committing to extraordinary performance beyond typical goals.
- Developing a capability to confront personal ordinaries.
- Identifying and intervening in the drift’s subtle disguise as reason, logic, and a preference for the status quo.
- Generating leadership beliefs that align with who you want to become and then behaving consistently with those beliefs.
Mike Bennetts’ book is a guide for people and leaders looking to unlock their potential. It is a must-read for anyone striving for excellence in their personal and professional lives.
You can find the book here: https://www.taumataadvisory.com/beingextraordinary Also on Kindle and all other e-book platforms, at the Matakana Village Bookstore, and Airport bookstores.