Surrender to Lead

The Counterintuitive Approach to Driving Extraordinary Results

Unlock the power of surrender with the Results Equation.

When it comes to leadership, the idea of total control can be seductive. But it may also be what’s holding you and your team back from achieving extraordinary results.

Motivated by fear, leaders too often become caught in the Action Trap, a bias toward top-down directives and management that may produce short-term gains but ends up stifling adaptability—the most important engine of growth.

Drawing on decades of experience and extensive research, including a study of 243 companies in collaboration with Stanford Graduate Business School, corporate culture transformation experts Joe Terry and Jessica Kriegel have found a solution.

Through intimate storytelling and real-life examples, they reveal the Results Equation (Purpose + Strategy + Culture = Results), a powerful new way of thinking about leadership based in love rather than fear that has proven to:

  • Drive more than 4X revenue growth
  • Improve clarity, alignment, and accountability
  • Foster a culture of adaptability and continuous improvement

The most important key to this approach is also the most counterintuitive—surrender. Not surrender as in quitting, but surrendering the need for control to a focus on creating the conditions for greatness by creating experiences that change how people think and, ultimately, how they act.

If you’re looking to revolutionize the way your team works and supercharge your results in a scalable and repeatable way, Surrender to Lead is your blueprint to getting better by letting go.

$29.99
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ISBN: 979-8-89138-488-0
SKU: 18-1367-01
Categories:Leadership and Management

“Letting go was the hardest thing I’ve ever done as a leader—and the most liberating. Once I finally stopped micromanaging every corner of my business, everything opened up: more freedom, more creativity, more growth. Surrender to Lead nails it. The Results Equation aligns perfectly with The Let Them Theory: trust people, create the conditions, and let them rise. That’s where real leadership begins.”

—Mel Robbins, New York Times bestselling author and host of The Mel Robbins Podcast

“Surrender to Lead flips the traditional script on leadership—and that’s exactly why it’s so powerful. With courage and clarity, Jessica and Joe reveal how our obsession with control can hold us back from the very growth we seek. Their personal stories and research make a compelling case for letting go—not of standards or ambition but of the illusion that we can force success. If you’re ready to stop gripping tighter and start leading with greater impact, this is the guide you’ve been waiting for.”

—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

“Surrender to Lead is truly different from other leadership books. Jessica and Joe have taken a counterintuitive approach to finding what works for leaders and to challenging conventional thinking, and they’ve laid out a distinct path to getting results and finding new ways to win. ‘Surrendering’ isn’t something to be feared by those in leadership positions; rather, this book makes clear it’s what effective leaders do to ensure success for their companies and everyone around them.” 

—Billy Beane, senior advisor to the managing partner, Oakland Athletics, and subject of the bestselling book and Oscar-nominated movie Moneyball

“Surrender to Lead is a wonderful, paradigm-shifting book that challenges the illusion of control and shows how true leadership is found in trust, authenticity, and creating the right conditions for people to thrive. Jessica Kriegel and Joe Terry offer a compelling framework for moving from force to flow in unlocking greater results by focusing on belief, culture, and empowerment. This is a timely and transformative guide for leaders ready to elevate others and achieve outstanding outcomes.”

—Stephen M. R. Covey, New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Speed of Trust and Trust & Inspire

“Surrender to Lead is a powerful invitation to rethink what true leadership looks like. Jessica Kriegel and Joe Terry challenge the myth of control and offer a smarter, more human path forward—one rooted in trust, clarity, and purpose. Their message is timely, urgent, and exactly what today’s workplace leaders need to hear.”

—Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, president and CEO, Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Reset

Jessica Kriegel

Corporate Culture Expert

Jessica Kriegel is a workplace culture expert, keynote speaker, and researcher. As chief strategy officer at Culture Partners, she leads research and thought leadership that challenges traditional ideas about control, power, and performance, offering bold new approaches that get results. A seasoned, dynamic speaker and host of the CEO Daily Briefand Culture Leaders podcasts, she is a frequent guest on CNN, Fox Business, CNBC, and Bloomberg. Jessica holds an MBA and a doctorate in educational leadership and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity. She is also a trained death doula, a role that deepens her approach to leading with presence and care. Her first book, Unfairly Labeled, challenges assumptions about generational stereotypes in the workplace.

Joe Terry

Corporate Culture Expert

Joe Terry is the CEO of Culture Partners, the leader in delivering results-driven culture transformation. For the past forty years, Joe has dedicated his life to the study and practice of optimizing human potential in sport, life, and business. As a five-time chief executive, he has successfully built, led, and grown organizations focused on serving employees, customers, and communities. In 2018 he was inducted into the HKW (Private Equity) Hall of Fame for demonstrating exceptional leadership, talent, integrity, and remarkable shareholder return. Joe is also a highly accomplished athlete, having played linebacker in the NFL and competed in fifteen (and counting) Ironman races, including three times at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

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