New book from Will Parks, UNICEF humanitarian, scholar and thought leader; “Graceful Leadership – Inspiring hope, creativity and resilience in times of peace and crisis”

Graceful Leadership – Inspiring hope, creativity and resilience in times of peace and crisis is the new book from passionate humanitarian Dr Will Parks, who has worked in a leadership role for UNICEF in multiple countries across the globe.

Graceful Leadership will be published, in paperback and ebook, on 29th May 2025.

This book has been written for aspiring, emerging and established leaders of businesses, governmental, and non-profit agencies around the world, encouraging them to join the call for leaders to genuinely care for their people and our planet.

In a world increasingly disrupted by complex challenges, traditional command-and-control leadership often falls short. Graceful Leadership is the approach the world needs.

Graceful Leadership has been forged by Will Parks’ lifelong work with UNICEF, alongside profound insights from prominent scholars, leaders and coaches. Dr Parks provides a proven framework for graceful leadership, supercharging personal and organisational performance in both stable and turbulent times.

The book beautifully blends philosophy and practical tools to help leaders guide their teams with compassion and coaching, enabling them to: Perform and thrive, even in times of uncertainty; create a positive work culture that fosters trust, resilience, joy and collaboration, liberating teams to be the best version of themselves; develop self-awareness and empathy, allowing for deeper connections with colleagues and a more adaptable leadership style; build enduring, trust-based relationships that enhance communication and creativity, reduce conflict and nurture talent; and step into a kinder, deeply empowering and more benevolent way to lead on a journey of self-discovery to enrich skills, elevate others and embrace the strength of graceful leadership.

Graceful Leadership – Inspiring hope, creativity and resilience in times of peace and crisis will demonstrate how to:

Master resilient leadership in uncertainty: Gain tools and strategies to lead with confidence and grace, enabling personal and organisational success even in the face of complex challenges.
Foster a thriving work culture: Learn to create environments of trust, joy, and collaboration, empowering teams to perform at their best and unlock their full potential.
Cultivate emotional intelligence: Enhance self-awareness and empathy to build stronger connections, improve communication, and develop a more adaptable, compassionate leadership style.

Chapters include: The Pacific Ring of Fire, Graceful leadership, Rapid response, Why graceful leadership matters, How to become and remain a graceful leader, 15 graceful leadership practices, and 8 graceful leadership tools.

Graceful Leadership has received many glowing endorsements, including:

“This book is an appeal to the best in us, to be a kind and thoughtful human as well as an effective leader. Will Parks has integrated research from experts with his humanitarian work into a framework for effective, graceful leadership. Read it and practise it – the people around you will appreciate it!”
Prof. Richard Boyatzis, academic, executive coach, co-author of Primal Leadership and author of The Science of Change

“Drawing on the wisdom of the world’s top leadership gurus and the author’s personal experience of working with UNICEF in several challenging assignments, this book makes a compelling case that leading with grace is the most relevant trend of leadership development of our times.”
Kul Gautam, former UNICEF deputy executive director and assistant secretary-general of the United Nations, and author of Global Citizen from Gulmi

“A comprehensive and beautifully written guide for current and future leaders. Using personal stories and wisdom from experts, Will Parks shows us how to move from old-style command and control to serving the world by leading through compassion and coaching. You will want to keep this book nearby as it is packed with pragmatic practices and tools that you’ll refer back to again and again.”
Cindy Wigglesworth, founder and president of Deep Change, Inc., and author of SQ21