Head and Heart

'A timely, actionable book on the virtues that every great leader needs to learn.'
ADAM GRANT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

Leadership is simply a series of moments and every moment gives you the opportunity to leave a positive legacy for those you lead.

In this ground-breaking book, award-winning leadership expert and business leader Kirstin Ferguson has written a much needed practical guide for every modern leader. Whether you are the head of one of the largest companies in the world, supervising a small team or guiding your family, it will be your ability to integrate your head and heart that will influence your success in leading others and navigating our complex world.

Combining studies from leading thinkers in the field with her own research, and more than three decades of personal experience, Kirstin explains the eight key attributes of a head and heart leader, and provides the tools to measure your own approach. Along the way, she shares her conversations with modern leaders from a broad range of backgrounds whose stories will surprise you, challenge your thinking and inspire you to be the type of leader the world needs today.

‘Head & Heart is one of those books you just know is going to change the world.’
KATE JENKINS, Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner

‘A long way from the standard corporate leadership book.’
MARK SCOTT AO, Vice Chancellor, University of Sydney

‘Head & Heart has joined my favourite leadership books on my bedside table.’
PIP MARLOW, CEO, Salesforce Asia Pacific

About the Author

Dr Kirstin Ferguson is a business leader, company director, columnist, keynote speaker and executive coach. Beginning her career as an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, Kirstin has held roles that have included chief executive officer of an international consulting firm, and acting chair and deputy chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She has sat on boards of both publicly-listed and privately-listed companies for more than a decade. Kirstin has a PhD in leadership and culture, as well as honours degrees in Law and History. She is an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology Business School, where she was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 2020, and is a Sir Winston Churchill Fellow. She was included on Thinkers50 Radar List in 2021 and shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Award in Leadership. Kirstin writes a weekly column on leadership and work in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and is also a contributor to the Australian Financial Review and Forbes.