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LID Book Wins Leadership Book of the Award at the IOL Leadership Live Awards 2026
LID Book Wins Leadership Book of the Award at the IOL Leadership Live Awards 2026
Beyond Words by Kerry-Lyn Stanton-Downes won the prestigious Leadership Book of the Year at the 2026 Institute of Leadership Awards last night.
Kerry-Lyn Stanton-Downes said:
“I’m absolutely delighted Beyond Words won Leadership Book of the Year. I believe its message is needed now more than ever. As AI transforms how we work, the quality of the way we relate becomes our greatest human advantage. I hope the book gives people the language, confidence and practical tools to react les, relate better and grow faster – individually and together. My heartfelt thanks to The Institute of Leadership and to everyone at LID Publishing who believed in me and the book.”
Martin Liu, COO and Publisher at LID said:
“Kerry-Lyn has dedicated so much time and energy to this important book. So, we are extremely pleased for her. The award is a great recognition of her commitment to educating and changing the way leaders and managers relate and connect with their teams. It is the kind of book that will genuinely develop your understanding of people and it offers an inspirational path to working and living better.”
Beyond Words gets straight to the heart of what traditional leadership books often avoid: the real reason teams are struggling, relationships are strained and people are burning out. It’s not a skills gap or a motivation problem. Burnout and disconnection are symptoms – not the problem. Beyond Words provides a language and framework for paying attention to the quality of the way we relate at work.
In addition to Beyond Words by Kerry-Lyn Stanton-Downes LID Publishing had two other nominations among the ten shortlisted books: Leading in Chaos by Nicholas Janni and Amy Elizabeth Fox, and Lead with AI. Stay Human by Peter Whealy
The Institute of Leadership’s Leadership Live awards took place at the Double Tree hotel in Milton Keynes on 29 September 2026.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- For all media enquiries contact Simon Wooldridge on: M +44 (0)7377954763; E: simon.wooldridge@lidbusinessmedia.com
- LID Publishing is an award-winning business book publishing house. To find out more visit: https://lidpublishing.com/
Suggested Reading
How to Lead People from Survival to Success by Kerry-Lyn Stanton-Downes offers a science-backed approach to leadership that prioritises relationships over traditional metrics. It gives leaders practical frameworks for moving their teams from survival to thriving, showing how strong relational capacity drives creativity, collaboration and organisational success.
How modern leaders orchestrate enterprise value by Peter Whealy is a practical guide to the leadership challenges posed by artificial intelligence. Rather than focusing on the risks of the technology, it shows leaders how to build judgment, scale trust and create sustainable enterprise value alongside AI adoption.
Leading in Chaos by Nicholas Janni and Amy Elizabeth Fox is a clarion call to a new kind of leadership for a turbulent world. Building on themes from Janni’s award-winning previous book, the authors encourage leaders to develop deeper consciousness and compassion, and to see leadership as a sacred vocation grounded in presence and human connection.