Intentional Leadership: Becoming a Trustworthy Leader - Practical

In this review of Intentional Leadership: Becoming a Trustworthy Leader, the bottom line is clear: this book is best for managers and aspiring executives who want a practical framework for building trust across every stage of a leadership career. Drawing on the career of Bob Lintz at General Motors and other authentic leaders, the authors present the ROCC of Trust-be reliable, open and honest, competent, and compassionate-as an actionable set of behaviors. Readers seeking a research-informed yet readable manual for cultivating trust will find this edition especially useful.

Key Features

• Three-stage focus: Explains how to build trust as an individual contributor, as a team member, and as an organizational leader, making lessons applicable at any career stage.
• ROCC framework: Offers a clear, memorable model-reliable, open and honest, competent, compassionate-that leaders can use to assess and improve trustworthiness.
• Career profiling: Uses the real-world example of Bob Lintz at General Motors to illustrate how trust develops over time and in different roles.
• Updated content: More than 80% new material in this edition provides fresh examples and modernized guidance for today's leadership challenges.
• Practical illustrations: Includes profiles of other authentic leaders to show varied ways of building trust on the leadership journey.

Who It's For

This book is aimed at mid-level managers stepping into broader responsibilities, senior leaders who want to reinforce organizational trust, and leadership-development professionals seeking a concise framework to teach. The blend of narrative profiling and practical guidance suits readers who prefer examples from real careers rather than abstract theory.

Readers looking for a quick tip sheet or purely academic, heavily quantitative research may want supplemental material, since the book focuses on applied lessons and illustrative career stories rather than dense empirical tables.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Clear, repeatable ROCC framework that makes trust actionable for daily leadership decisions.
• Concrete career example in Bob Lintz gives the guidance a relatable, real-world grounding.
• Extensively revised edition with much new material keeps the content current for modern leaders.
• Useful for a broad range of career stages, from individual contributors to organizational leaders.

Cons

• Focuses on illustrative profiles and applied advice, so readers seeking heavy statistical research or meta-analysis may find limited quantitative detail.

Specifications

Title	Intentional Leadership: Becoming a Trustworthy Leader
Series	Leadership: Research and Practice
Authors	Karen E. Mishra, Aneil K. Mishra
Core concept	ROCC of Trust (reliable; open and honest; competent; compassionate)
Illustrative profile	Bob Lintz and career at General Motors
Edition notes	Revised edition with more than 80% new material

Our Verdict

Intentional Leadership is a practical, well-structured guide for anyone committed to building trust throughout a leadership career. Its ROCC framework and career-based examples make it good value for managers and leadership trainers who want actionable, narrative-driven guidance rather than dense academic charts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book give practical steps to build trust?
Yes. The ROCC model is presented as actionable behaviors leaders can practice at individual, team, and organizational levels.

Is the book updated from earlier versions?
Yes. This edition includes more than 80% new material to refresh examples and guidance for contemporary leaders.

Are there real-world examples included?
Yes. The book profiles Bob Lintz's career at General Motors and features other authentic leaders to illustrate principles.