Determined to be an NBA star even if it meant giving up pie, teenage Amaechi hit the gym. He also wrote letters to coaches at American high schools. His sports prowess wasn’t impressive – yet. But he knew that if he spent a year in an American high school he’d improve his skills, giving him a better chance of being recruited by a college that would lead to the NBA. Understanding the Concept of a Giant: In the book, a 'Giant' is not necessarily someone who holds a position of power. It is anyone who has the potential to influence others and bring about change.

The Promises of Giants - John Amaechi - Google Books The Promises of Giants - John Amaechi - Google Books

The Promises of Giants: How YOU C an Fill the Leadership Void requires you to recognize that you, too, are a giant. And forgetting you’re a giant–even for a moment–can have dire consequences. Giants can’t do anything in the same way as everyone else. And when it comes to your interactions with others; neither can you. The promises of giants guarantee a certain type of lived experience under the umbrella of that leader. It is a collection of promises made to the people you work with most intimately, to your workplace as a whole, and to yourself alone. Amaechi’s dream of becoming a pro basketball player came true when he secured a spot on NBA team the Cleveland Cavaliers. After playing a season with them, and a few more overseas, Amaechi joined the Orlando Magic – a fringe playoff team. Then, in the year 2000, the Los Angeles Lakers tried to recruit him. They offered him millions more dollars than the Magic, and the chance to play for a team on its way to the championships. On paper, it was the offer of a lifetime.John Amaechi was a clever teenager. He knew that becoming an NBA basketball player was an ambitious goal – especially for a kid from Manchester, England, who wasn’t even good at sports. So before he told his mother about his dream, he came up with a strategy that he thought was watertight, considering everything from catching the attention of a college sports recruiter to what time of day was best to tell her. John Amaechi well understands the responsibilities and potential that come with being a giant. The Promises of Giants is the product of a lifetime spent observing and studying effective leadership – from accompanying his mother’s visits to her dying patients to competing at the highest levels of professional sport, through two decades of management consulting with multinational corporations. These experiences have shown that everyone has the ability to act decisively to influence the world in a positive way. Everyone is a giant to someone. From socio-political chaos and workplace disruption to the climate change crisis, we have never needed people with the skill and will to collaborate to create a better world more than now. We need people who are willing to fill the leadership void. People who will embrace the influence they have. People who believe in improving society and workplace culture – not only because it makes life better, but because it is proven to yield positive results. We need more leaders. If you want to transform those environments to support success, you need to make some promises – to yourself and to others. These blinks will guide you through seven of those promises, so that you can actively support yourself in reaching your full potential, while helping others do the same. But Amaechi turned it down. The Magic gave him something he valued more than money and fame – a team in the truest sense. Everyone working for the organization – from management to support personnel – was committed to trust, psychological safety, and individual agency. Amaechi knew these qualities foster success. But more important than success, Amaechi felt he truly belonged to the Magic family, and that was a source of deep joy. He couldn’t give that up for any amount of money.

The Promises of Giants by John Amaechi | Waterstones

For example, have you taken the time to unearth all the hidden assets and liabilities that will affect the outcome? And how much thought have you given to the people and the spaces you’re working in? Success isn’t just about personal achievement, after all. It’s about creating environments that foster the potential in everyone. From socio-political chaos and workplace disruption to the climate change crisis, we have never needed people with the skill and will to collaborate to create a better world more than now. We need people who are willing to fill the leadership void. People who will embrace the influence they have. People who believe in improving society and workplace culture - not only because it makes life better, but because it is proven to yield positive results. We need more leaders.

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Since this was the late 1980s, Amaechi had to write thousands of letters by hand. And he poured his heart into them, each describing his dream of playing for the NBA. [pause} He didn’t receive a single reply. Amaechi imagined coaches across the US laughing at him, a deluded kid from Manchester. Still, he gathered his courage and wrote more letters, etching his dream deeper and deeper into his heart each time he wrote it down. Show me how to enable it THE PROMISES OF GIANTS by John Amaechi OBE, read by John Amaechi OBE - audiobook extract In many places it is a personal story, of Amaechi’s journey to where he is today. We are reminded that leadership isn’t about the leader, but those you elevate and inspire, and we are always to see people as people and not “bots on an assembly line”. The Promises of Giants is a challenge to anyone who aspires to make a difference in their environment. Over 14 promises, it seamlessly intertwines personal anecdotes and workplace and social observation with the latest research, to provide practical, proven tips and strategies to empower you to maximize your own potential and inspire others. It is not a self-help book. It is a how-to guide for winning, rooted in the belief that the most unlikely of people, in the most improbable of circumstances, can become extraordinary. A recommended book for leaders looking to upgrade themselves them from leading topics and teams to taking ownership of setting up the mindset, behavior and culture of organizations.