This series of guidebooks draws on the practical knowledge that the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) has generated, since its inception in 1970, through its research and educational activity conducted in partnership with hundreds of thousands of managers and executives. Much of this knowledge is shared-in a way that is distinct from the typical university department, professional association, or consultancy. CCL is not simply a collection of individual experts, although the individual credentials of its staff are impressive; rather it is a community, with its members holding certain principles in common and working together to understand and generate practical responses to today's leadership and organizational challenges.
The purpose of the series is to provide managers with specific advice on how to complete a developmental task or solve a leadership challenge. In doing that, the series carries out CCL's mission to advance the understanding, practice, and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide.

As the former product manager for e-products and services at the Center for Creative Leadership, Sloan R. Weitzel was responsible for developing and offering leadership development tools via the Web. Prior to that position, he was a senior program associate at CCL. Additionally, as a CCL certified feedback specialist, he worked one-on-one with executives to increase their self-awareness. Prior to joining CCL, he spent eight years at AT&T in technical support, sales, and marketing. He holds an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.