Leading Matters: Lessons from My Journey

In Leading Matters: Lessons from My Journey, current Chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet, former President of Stanford University, and “Godfather of Silicon Valley” John L. Hennessy shares the core elements of leadership that helped him become a successful tech entrepreneur, esteemed academic, and venerated administrator.

Hennessy's approach to leadership is laser-focused on the journey rather than the destination. Each chapter in Leading Matters looks at valuable elements that have shaped Hennessy's career in practice and philosophy. He discusses the pivotal role that humility, authenticity and trust, service, empathy, courage, collaboration, innovation, intellectual curiosity, storytelling, and legacy have all played in his prolific, interdisciplinary career.

Hennessy takes these elements and applies them to instructive stories, such as his encounters with other Silicon Valley leaders including Jim Clark, founder of Netscape; Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State and Stanford provost; John Arrillaga, one of the most successful Silicon Valley commercial real estate developers; and Phil Knight, founder of Nike and philanthropist with whom Hennessy cofounded Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University.

Across government, education, commerce, and non-profits, the need for effective leadership could not be more pressing. Join us as John Hennessy sits down with Marissa Mayer, cofounder of Lumi Labs and former CEO and President of Yahoo, to discuss his new book.

We are pleased to have Books Inc. onsite selling copies of Leading Matters: Lessons from my Journey before and after the program.