New from Wiley · August 25, 2026
The Radical Promise
Mastering the art of doing
what you say You Will Do
Every great leader makes promises.
The greatest leaders keep them.
The problem
You didn't mean
to break it.
Most broken promises don't start as lies. They start as a yes in a meeting. An implied deadline. A value painted on a wall. A plan that changed after everyone had already made room for it.
Your team never experiences your intentions. They only experience the distance between what you said and what actually happened. That distance is the credibility gap — and it is the single most expensive thing a leader can leave open.
DWYSYWD: Do What You Say You Will Do
- The promises you don't know you madeTitles, silences, stated values, repeated behavior and offhand commitments all create expectations. Every one of them gets scored.
- What the gap costsCredibility doesn't collapse. It leaks — through engagement, candor, discretionary effort and the willingness to follow you into anything difficult.
- How it closesNot with a speech. With a practice: clarify the commitment, keep it, and repair it out loud when conditions make it impossible.
Inside the book
A story that sticks.
Lessons that last.
The Radical Promise is written as two books in one: a compelling novel — a parable that brings leadership to life through unforgettable characters and a gripping story — and an actionable guide filled with practical insights, reflective questions and tools you can use right away.
It's a book you'll enjoy from cover to cover, and return to again and again.
Perfect for CEOs and senior executives · Managers and emerging leaders · Leadership development programs · Coaches and consultants · HR and talent development professionals · Organizations building high-trust cultures
Inside you'll discover
- Why trust is the foundation of extraordinary leadership
- The hidden promises leaders make — and break — without realizing it
- Practical habits that build lasting credibility
- How keeping commitments transforms culture, engagement and performance
- Stories, research and actionable tools you can put to work immediately
Get your copy
Available Now
Order from wherever you buy books. Every retailer link below ships the hardcover and the ebook.
Ordering for a team? Bulk orders are handled through Porchlight, which specializes in business books and handles volume pricing, invoicing and shipping. Order 25 or more copies and your team gets a private virtual Q&A with Steve Farber.
See Team OptionsHardcover · Ebook · Audiobook · ISBN 978-1-394-42696-6
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A promise is worth more when someone else is counting on it. The Founding Team is the group of leaders who put this book into the world — and who stay together after launch week ends.
It isn't an affiliate program and there are no commissions. What you get is access: the authors, the material, and the people using it.
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What You Get
- Live launch briefing with Steve, Jim and Barry
- Private author Q&A
- Downloadable implementation guide
- Early access to interviews and videos
- Digital Founding Team badge
- Your name on the Founding Team wall
- Invitation to the post-launch debrief
- Member spotlights and a working session on using the book with teams
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For teams and organizations
Give your leaders
the same language.
A book one person reads changes one person. A book a leadership team reads together changes how the team makes and keeps commitments.
Leadership Conversation
- 45-minute private virtual Q&A with Steve
- Team discussion guide
Team Session
- 60-minute virtual session with Steve
- Discussion guide and manager worksheet
- Opening remarks tailored to your organization
Organizational Launch
- Virtual keynote or facilitated workshop
- Executive briefing
- Internal launch toolkit for your comms team
Books are fulfilled by Porchlight; sessions are scheduled directly with Steve's team.
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We'll come back with quantities, timing and what fits — usually within one business day.
Already know your quantity? Order directly through Porchlight, which handles volume pricing, invoicing and shipping.
Order Bulk at PorchlightThe keynote
When promises and
experience don't match,
trust goes first.
Steve Farber's new keynote gives your leaders a practical method for closing the gap between what the organization says and what its people actually experience.
Your audience will leave knowing:
- How leaders create promises without meaning to
- Why credibility depends on behavioral consistency, not messaging
- How to clarify a commitment before trust is damaged
- What to do when conditions make a promise impossible to keep
- How a team builds a practical promise-keeping culture
Available as a keynote, a half-day workshop, or a keynote plus books for every attendee.
Check Steve's availability
Goes straight to Steve's team, not a bureau queue.
Advance praise
What Leaders Are
Saying About It
Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, partnering with the insightful Steve Farber, bring to life the essential truth that doing what you say you will do is not just good practice; it is the very foundation of effective leadership. It is a powerful and timely reminder that trust is built in the simple yet profound act of making and keeping commitments.
Stephen M. R. CoveyThe New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Speed of Trust and Trust & InspireIf you want to build a workplace where people feel safe, valued, and inspired to give their best, start here. This is a book about integrity, courage, and the radical act of being accountable to your own words.
Garry RidgeChairman Emeritus, WD-40 CompanyDo what you say you will do (DWYSYWD). Every time. This isn't soft leadership. It's disciplined, love-based leadership—with love as the standard and accountability as the practice. The story had me laughing out loud and, at times, moved to tears. It has stayed with me and challenged me to reflect on and sharpen what I believe.
Ilana WisbyQuantum & Deep Tech Entrepreneur; Founding CEO, Oxford Quantum Circuits Limited
A powerful collaboration
Three authors.
One standard.
Steve Farber's work on Extreme Leadership joins forces with the leadership research of James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, authors of The Leadership Challenge — creating a timely guide for leaders who want to inspire confidence, deepen relationships and lead with integrity in a world where trust has never mattered more.
Start reading
Read the first
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Meet the characters, see how the story opens, and decide for yourself. We'll email it to you in about a minute.
One email with the chapter. You choose whether anything follows.
Questions
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Do what you say you will do.
Make one promise.
Keep it.
Credibility isn't built in a speech. It's built one kept promise at a time — starting with the next one you make.