WHEN VIEWING ON A TABLET OR MOBILE -- DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM “Maurice Sykes offers the unique perspective of a leader who has worked at the pol- icy, administrative, and practice levels, and across the boundaries of early childhood development, K-12, and higher education. Leaders with the qualities and skills that Maurice outlines are badly needed in today’s challenging education environment.” Martin J. Blank, President, Institute for Educational Leadership “A fascinating story of the search for meaning in professional leadership. Maurice has told his story with such clarity and passion that it will energize young readers to aspire and help oldsters reexamine their own commitment.” Barbara T. Bowman, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development, Erikson Institute “Maurice Sykes has written an incredibly important book about the need for leader- ship in early childhood education. He rightly suggests that the benefits of investing in young children will not be fully realized without investing in a training and devel- opment strategy that builds highly effective leaders to support our early childhood education system. Our business leaders at the Committee for Economic Develop- ment understand the importance of training and that developing leadership skills is a key ingredient to the success of any enterprise.  Our children deserve nothing less.” Michael J. Petro, Executive Vice President, Committee for Economic Development “Building the quality of the early childhood workforce and developing competent lead- ers is one of our greatest challenges. Maurice’s voice is clear and strong as he outlines a set of core principles that serve as a roadmap to successful and enlightened leader- ship. In this autobiographical blueprint, he takes us through the journey of his own evolution as a thought leader while reminding us of the social justice basis of our work and challenging us to continue cultivating leadership abilities in ourselves and in our colleagues. It’s a must for novices as well as for those more seasoned in the field.” Jacqueline Jones, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning, US Department of Education and Former Assistant Commissioner, Division of Early Childhood Education, New Jersey State Department of Education COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL