The Imperfect CEO: Making the Climb to Organizational Health
A leadership fable by best-selling author Jim Brown for executives today trying to build trust, lead effectively, and build strong organizations.
“A deeply honest, highly practical, and distinctively human roadmap for leading organizations through a changing, disruptive world.”
Today’s leaders are feeling the strain. The workforce has changed—expectations, motivations, communication styles—but the habits of leadership often haven’t. Many CEOs and senior teams sense that what once worked no longer does. The Imperfect CEO invites you into that tension and offers a way through it, a climb that leads to organizational health.
The story follows David Slater, the same protagonist seen in author Jim Brown's previous best-seller, The Imperfect Board Member, who is now facing new challenges as CEO of a company where his previously successful leadership approach seems to be falling flat, and he doesn't know why. As David and his executive team confront their reality, readers witness the turning points that transform culture from guarded compliance into genuine collaboration.
These turning points build into the practical framework called the Ascent Model, a picture that clarifies what organizational health looks like and how to climb towards it together.
More than ever, people need leaders who are committed to health in their own leadership, their team’s, and the organization as a whole. If you sometimes wonder why it’s harder than ever to lead well—and how to reclaim the joy of leading again—this is your guide.
Coming May 19, 2026
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