Cover of Herding Tigers by Todd Henry
For leaders of creative teams

Herding Tigers

Be the Leader That Creative People Need

Discover the key factors that make good leaders great, and the major skills you need to master to be the leader your team needs.

“The old adage that leading creative people is like herding cats is wrong. It’s more like herding tigers.”

From Herding Tigers

About the book

Discover the key factors that make good leaders great, and the major skills you need to master to be the leader your team needs.

Doing the work and leading the work are very different things. When you make the transition from maker to manager, you give ownership of projects to your team even though you could do them yourself better and faster. You’re juggling expectations from your manager, who wants consistent, predictable output from an inherently unpredictable creative process. And you’re managing the pushback from your team of brilliant, headstrong, and possibly overqualified creatives.

Leading talented, creative people requires a different skill set than the one many management books offer. In Herding Tigers, Todd Henry provides a bold new blueprint to help you be the leader your team needs. Learn to lead by influence instead of control. Discover how to create a stable culture that empowers your team to take bold creative risks. And learn how to fight to protect the time, energy, and resources they need to do their best work.

Full of stories and practical advice, Herding Tigers will give you the confidence and the skills to foster an environment where clients, management, and employees have a product they can be proud of and a process that works.

Inside the book

Twelve chapters.
One blueprint for leading creatives.

  1. How To Draw Darth Vader
  2. What Creative People Need
  3. Stop Doing The Work
  4. They Broke It, You Bought It
  5. Level Up
  6. Lead Brilliance
  7. Earn The Right
  8. Prune Proactively
  9. Stay On Target
  10. Defend Their Space
  11. Be The Muse
  12. Fight Well
  13. Be A Leader Worth Following

Praise

What people are saying.

“If clickbait leadership tips haven’t worked for you yet (insider’s tip: they never will), then this is the book for you. Here’s the thoughtful, tested and enjoyable blueprint for how to actually lead smart, creative, talented people.”
Michael Bungay StanierAuthor, The Coaching Habit
“Herding Tigers is essential to anyone who wants to learn how to tackle the juggling act that is creative leadership with grace.”
Dorie ClarkAuthor, The Long Game
“In a world where nobody alone can possibly be as creative as everybody together, the work of leadership is about what you unleash, not what you control.”
William C. TaylorCo-founder, Fast Company
★★★★★
“Best leadership book I have read in years.”
Amazon reviewerFive-star review on Amazon

Beyond the book

Go deeper.

Free workbook

Herding Tigers Workbook

Deep-dive questions and insights, chapter by chapter, to help you become the leader your team needs.

Get the workbook

2 free chapters

Start reading now

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Read 2 free chapters

Online workshop

Herding Tigers Online

A five-part online workshop designed for smaller teams to learn and discuss together.

Get the workshop

Virtual keynote

Herding Tigers Virtual

A 58-minute pre-recorded keynote covering the key concepts in the book, with a discussion guide.

Stream the keynote

Bring it to your team

Herding Tigers, live.

Todd brings the ideas from Herding Tigers to your event as a keynote or workshop, customized for your audience. Overcome the unique challenges of managing creative teams by becoming the leader creative people need.

More from Todd

Explore the other books.

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