WINTHE LONG GAME

New book · April 27, 2027

Win the Long Game

How Frontline Leaders Build Accountability, Develop People, and Deliver Results Without Burning Out

By A.D. Edwards · 650+ hires · TEDx speaker · Frontline leadership strategist

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Hardcover · Paperback · Ebook · Audiobook

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Cover of Win the Long Game by A.D. Edwards

The Book

“Being good at the job and being good at leading people who do the job are not the same thing.”

“Frontline leadership requires something beyond technical ability. It requires personal capacity.” Drawing on nearly ten years of leading frontline teams, A.D. Edwards shows how to build that capacity and put it to work.

Build accountability

Hold the standard without losing the person. In A.D.’s words, “accountability and respect belong in the same conversation.”

Develop people

Help people see the potential they have beyond the position they currently hold, at work and in life.

Deliver without burning out

“You cannot sustain the long game if you’ve depleted the person who has to play it.”

Written for: Supervisors · Team leads · Operations managers · Newly promoted managers · The HR and L&D leaders who develop them

The Framework

The Six Pillars

The six pillars build leadership capacity. Chess teaches how to execute leadership. One prepares the leader; the other guides the leader’s decisions.

SPF Protects You

Part I
Spiritual: The KingProtect what matters. An inner compass that holds when the decision is inconvenient.
Physical: The PawnProgress builds endurance. Take care of the body that has to show up.
Financial: The RookKnow what your moves cost, for your household and your operation.

EMS Saves You

Part II
Emotional: The BishopSee another angle. Recognize what’s happening inside you before it becomes someone else’s problem.
Mental: The KnightThink outside the box. Business is systems, so fix the process, not just the problem.
Social: The QueenLead in every direction: up, across and down, without compromising who you are.

Free leadership self-assessment

Are You Winning the Long Game?

12 statements. A score for each of the six pillars, and a clear read on which one deserves your attention next.

Take the free self-assessment

Inside the Book

What’s inside

Part I: SPF Protects You

  1. The Two-Week Trip That Lasted Six Years
  2. When Rules Become Suggestions
  3. The First Two Weeks, I Didn’t Work Out
  4. Accepting the Hearing Aid
  5. When the Light Never Turns Off
  6. The Freedom to Lead
  7. Always Level Up
  8. When Trust Had to Become a System

Part II: EMS Saves You

  1. More Than an Attendance Record
  2. The Size of the Wreckage
  3. How You Hand Them the Water
  4. Tell Me When I’m Wrong
  5. The Rooms I Learned to Read
  6. The Weight of a Whisper
  7. The Buck Stops Here
  8. The Culture People Talk About

…and more

Free

Read the introduction

“The Lessons I Didn’t Understand”: the two lessons A.D.’s father left him, and why they became the philosophy behind Win the Long Game.

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“You cannot guarantee that people will stay. But you can build a workplace they have to think twice about leaving.”

A.D. Edwards · Chapter 19

Coming April 27, 2027

Pre-orders open soon

Hardcover, paperback, ebook and audiobook. Retailer links will appear here the moment pre-orders open.

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Speaking & Leadership Training

Keynotes, workshops and programs

For organizations developing frontline supervisors, built on the book and taught by a practitioner who has led teams of 75 to 100+.

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Keynotes

Inspire leaders to think and lead differently.

Workshops

Develop practical skills for frontline teams.

Programs

Build consistent leadership practices over time.

TEDx speaker · National Speakers Association member · Keynote speaker since 2019

For Teams & Organizations

Bulk orders for teams

Copies for your supervisors and team leads. Books can be ordered on their own or added to any keynote, workshop or program.

Request bulk pricing

Or email booking@mradedwards.com with how many copies you need and your timeline.

A.D. Edwards

About the Author

A.D. Edwards

A.D. Edwards is a frontline leadership strategist, TEDx speaker and author. Raised on Chicago’s South Side, he has spent nearly ten years in frontline leadership, including more than seven years as an operations manager running frontline teams of 75 to 100+ people, and has taken part in more than 650 hires.

A member of the National Speakers Association and a Certified Transformational Life Coach, he has delivered keynotes since 2019 and hosts the entrepreneurial interview show Innovators Unveiled.

650+ hiresTEDx speakerNSA memberKeynote speaker since 2019
More at MrAdEdwards.com ↗

Free Leadership Resources

Free tools for frontline leaders

See all free resources →
2-page printable guide The Frontline Leader’s Difficult Conversation Cheat Sheet Five ready-to-use scripts that help you correct performance, reinforce standards and protect dignity, built on A.D.’s Commend · Counsel · Encourage method. Get the Free Conversation Guide → 30-day supervisor checklist Your First 30 Days as a Frontline Leader One small, concrete leadership action for each of your first 30 days, from listening first to building trust that lasts. Download the 30-Day Supervisor Checklist → Field guide for managers and HR 7 Leadership Mistakes That Cost Companies Good Employees Seven common leadership habits that create avoidable friction and turnover, and the better move to make instead. Get the Free Leadership Mistakes Guide →

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Release news, pre-order announcements and leadership insights, straight from A.D.

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