Foreword
by Marshall Goldsmith

Soren Kaplan is one of those interesting individuals who has spent decades working with a variety of different types of organizations and individuals. And, those of us fortunate enough to have selected his book to read will benefit by leaps and bounds from his knowledge and expertise.

Drawing on his extensive experience with all types of organizations, from corporations to non-profits to start-ups, Soren has boiled the basic mission of business down to a simple sentence: “individuals, groups, and organizations across all sectors of society want bigger ideas so they can have a greater positive impact.” The rest of Leapfrogging explains how leaders can guide their organizations to successful and continued completion of this critical mission.

One of the most poignant messages I found in the book is in Chapter 3. In this chapter, Soren makes the strong point that “leapfrogging to breakthroughs is a process, not a one-time event.” Many of us want, even expect, things to happen right now, just because we believe they should. For instance, by picking up this book, you might expect that your organization will change tomorrow. It won’t, but you have taken a big step in the right direction!

As we all know, things have changed quite a bit in the last few decades. Globalization, which we in the West thought would mean a world of people competing to buy our products, has actually come to mean millions of smart, hard-working people around the globe working and competing for food, oil, cement, wood, and natural resources. In this era of uncertainty, nothing can be taken for granted. We have to keep upgrading, changing, and growing if we’re going to be successful.

This is exactly what Soren teaches us. Using stories and examples from his own experience with leaders in different organizations, Soren reveals how these leaders have led their organizations to breakthrough success. These are real-life examples, from successful leaders who understand the concepts behind Leapfrogging. You will learn much from these leaders, for instance: How did they challenge the norms, break the molds, and inspire followers? How did they approach tough times? How did they make the most of mini-successes? How did they stay focused on the larger goal—to create something new or significantly different that would push the organization forward?

Read this book. Take its message to heart and implement it in your business. You will be glad you did!

Life is good.
Marshall Goldsmith

Marshall Goldsmith was recently recognized as the world’s most-influential leadership thinker in the bi-annual Thinkers50 study—sponsored by the Harvard Business Review. His 31 books include the New York Times bestsellers, MOJO and What Got You Hee Won’t Get You There.