The book tries to answer a simple question: Why do only some people reach CXO level while most remain stuck in ?middle management?? Young talent shows great promise in early years ? passion, intelligence, subject matter expertise. But then they suddenly hit a glass ceiling. While they continue to be valuable at their current levels, there is hesitation in promoting them. They fail to make the cut for serious leadership roles. Usually it is either because of some 'missing skills' or some 'bad habits'. Over two decades of management life, the author has personally mentored more than a hundred careers and seen some succeed but many remain stuck. He gave feedback to them on their 'bad habits' or 'missing skills', and seen some blossom and develop, but most not being able to change. It was as if something was holding them back, as if a part of them was not willing to improve. After all, how do you let go of the style that has made you successful thus far? So, in a large, listed company, the author designed and delivered a workshop around this theme - how do we make our middle managers more effective. This was very well received, scoring a Net Promoter Score of 94% (a good training generally received 80%), and becoming their highest rated workshop. Someone told Penguin and they commissioned to write a book on these 'timeless skills'.