The Power of Total Commitment uses a story format to teach what was discovered when Marshall Goldsmith and Frank Wagner were tasked by the IBM Corporation to research and design a program around the Excellent Manager. IBM had been referenced quite extensively as an excellent company in the groundbreaking book In Search of Excellence. That book focused on why some companies maintained excellence for so long. IBM wanted to know how the cultural attributes uncovered in that work applied to the individual manager. Excellent managers from IBM, as well as a number of other highly successful companies were studied. What they had in common was the ability to demonstrate a high level of commitment and get others to do the same. The Power of Total Commitment unravels the mystery that often surrounds peoples' understanding of commitment. And, it provides a useful set of actions any leader can take to be a leader of commitment in his, or her, organization.