Mavericks by David Giles Lewis Summary

Mavericks explores bold leadership through five key traits—independence, creativity, resilience, empathy, and integrity—to inspire individuals to drive transformative change. The book argues that embracing a "maverick mindset" helps challenge outdated norms, innovate solutions, and create impact in careers and communities. It includes real-world examples and strategies for fostering experimental cultures in organizations.

Aspiring leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals seeking to innovate or lead organizational change will benefit from Mavericks. It’s ideal for those tired of conventional leadership models and eager to cultivate courage, originality, and resilience. The book also appeals to HR teams and educators focused on developing future-ready leaders.

The authors identify independence (thinking beyond norms), creativity (solving problems unconventionally), resilience (persisting through setbacks), empathy (understanding stakeholders’ needs), and integrity (aligning actions with values). These traits are presented as learnable skills, not innate qualities, supported by interviews with trailblazing leaders.

The book emphasizes questioning assumptions, embracing calculated risks, and learning from failures. It advocates for “rebellious curiosity”—challenging rigid hierarchies and experimenting with new ideas. Practical steps include fostering diverse collaborations and reframing resistance as a catalyst for growth.

While specific examples aren’t detailed in summaries, the book profiles leaders across industries who defied conventions to achieve breakthroughs. These anonymized stories illustrate how mavericks navigate ridicule, leverage creativity, and build resilient teams to drive measurable impact.

Unlike formulaic leadership guides, Mavericks rejects one-size-fits-all advice. It positions rule-breaking and ethical dissent as virtues, not liabilities. The focus on organizational experimentation and authenticity contrasts with hierarchical, compliance-driven models.

Yes. The book argues that maverick-led organizations outperform peers by valuing dissent, rewarding curiosity, and decentralizing decision-making. Strategies include replacing strict policies with flexible guidelines and empowering employees to test ideas without fear of failure.

No major critiques are cited in available sources, but some readers may find its anti-establishment stance overly idealistic. The authors counter this by stressing that mavericks balance rebellion with responsibility—disrupting systems while maintaining ethical accountability.

Highly relevant. As AI and globalization accelerate change, the book’s emphasis on adaptability, creative problem-solving, and empathetic leadership aligns with modern demands. Its principles help leaders navigate hybrid work, ethical AI, and generational shifts.

David Giles Lewis (LBS lecturer, Thinkers50 Radar honoree), Jules Goddard (LBS Fellow, strategy expert), and Tamryn Batcheller-Adams (leadership psychologist). Their combined expertise in academia, consulting, and global leadership informs the book’s research-backed insights.

Yes. It offers tools like the Qi Index (measuring team interaction quality) and experimentation blueprints to test ideas sustainably. These frameworks help readers transition from theory to practice while avoiding reckless risk-taking.

Failure is reframed as a necessary step for innovation. The book advises leaders to create “safe-to-fail” environments, analyze setbacks without blame, and iterate rapidly. Resilience is strengthened through purpose-driven persistence, not avoiding mistakes.