The Power of Giving Away Power

“A leadership manifesto like you’ve never read before. Every page is eye-opening, provocative and energising.” Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit

“Matthew Barzun might well be the first modest man to write a great book on leadership. This is a gift.” Richard Thaler, Novel Prize laureate and co-author of Nudge

“An extraordinary book about human flourishing, about linking properly to the best bits of ourselves and others to move mountains. Enlightening and brain reviving.” Alain de Botton

“An incredibly timely book and blueprint into how power and leadership should operate across the world.” Sir David Adjaye, OBE

‘A brilliant challenge to conventions that have held back organisations for decades and a crisp playbook for making distributed leadership work for everyone.” Ted Sarandos, co-CEO and chief content officer of Netflix

“With compelling personal and historical stories Barzun artfully makes the case for replacing the ‘Great Man’ myth of leadership through empowering others.” Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford

“Bursting with insight, vision and creativity, The Power of Giving Away Power is a groundbreaking analysis of political leadership. Drawing on an unparalleled pedigree of experience, Barzun proves that we can build a better future if we build it together.” David Lammy

“As we grapple with the challenges facing the world, we need to build bridges across cultures and communities. With The Power of Giving Away Power, Matthew Barzun presents a type and quality of leadership that is inspiring, thoughtful – and incredible timely.” Baroness Valerie Amos

“This book is a breakthrough. It’s beautifully written, perfectly timed, and heralds a new way forward. I’m buying a dozen copies to share with friends and colleagues.” Seth Godin, founder of altMBA and author of The Practice

Matthew Barzun has always been fascinated by how we can stand out and fit in at the same time. He helped countries do both when he served as US ambassador to the United Kingdom and to Sweden. He helped citizens do both as a national finance chair for Barack Obama by pioneering new ways to have a stronger voice in politics. And he helped tech consumers do both as an entrepreneur when he joined a team of three to start up CNET Networks in the early 1990s. Barzun was raised on the East Coast, started his career on the West Coast, and settled in the middle in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife, Brooke, and their three children.