We are operating in a world defined by constant connection, rapid change, and abundant choices. News that once took months, even years, to spread now reaches across the globe in seconds. Advances in medicine and science are pushing boundaries with gene therapy and stem cell transplants. And decisions about where and how to work and live are nearly endless. As new knowledge--and the possibilities that arise from that knowledge--propels us forward, leadership readiness expert and renowned author Erika Andersen suggests that success in today's world requires the ability to acquire new knowledge and skills quickly and continuously--in spite of our mixed feelings about being a novice. In her newest book, Be Bad First, Erika explores how we can become masters of mastery; proficient in the kind of high-payoff learning that's needed today. With assessments and exercises at the close of every chapter, she encourages readers to embrace being bad on the way to being great--to be novices over and over again as we seek to learn and acquire the new skills that will allow us to thrive in this fast-changing world.

Erika Andersen is the founding partner of Proteus, a coaching, consulting, and training firm that focuses on leader readiness. Over the past 30 years, Erika has developed a reputation for creating approaches to learning and business building that are custom tailored to her clients' challenges, goals, and culture. She and her colleagues at Proteus focus uniquely on supporting leaders at all levels to get ready and stay ready to meet whatever the future might bring. Much of Erika's recent work has focused on organizational visioning and strategy, executive coaching, and management and leadership development. In these capacities she serves as consultant and advisor to the CEOs and top executives of a number of corporations, including NBC Universal, Gannett Company, Rockwell Automation, Turner Broadcasting, GE, Union Square Hospitality Group, and Madison Square Garden. Erika also shares her insights about managing people and creating successful businesses by speaking to corporations, non-profit groups, and national associations. Her books and learning guides have been translated into Spanish, Turkish, German, French, Russian, and Chinese, and she has been quoted in a variety of national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and the New York Times.