Lead with Civility launches today as the handbook civic leaders have been waiting for—already an Amazon #1 bestseller in Government & Politics—written to be in your hands at the council table, in the CAO’s office, and wherever decisions shape civic culture. This is not another technical manual; it is the missing piece in civic leadership training that finally addresses the culture, courage, and inner life of leaders in an age of outrage.

Literary Titan awards Lead with Civility five stars, calling Diane Kalen-Sukra's leadership handbook a "rich, distinctive and urgently needed contribution to civic leadership, public administration and political philosophy." The review praises the book for connecting ancient wisdom with the real pressures facing today’s civic leaders—and for providing practical tools that leaders can use to confront toxicity, rebuild trust and renew civic culture.

A guest post by Dean Huard, U.S. Army veteran and former city manager, delivered a presentation on Lead with Civility by Diane Kalen-Sukra, #1 bestseller in Government & Politics, to his Texan Rotary Club on July 23rd, tying it to the 4-Way Test and Service Above Self. Huard's guest essay, Battlefield to City Hall, reflects on the moral test every leader eventually faces when idealism runs headfirst into an entrenched, uncivil system.

Tomorrow, Christopher Nolan's film of The Odyssey arrives in theatres, and millions of people who have never opened the poem will meet its story for the first time. For anyone who does, there is something far richer waiting than an adventure at sea. Beneath the storms and monsters lies one of the oldest and most useful handbooks on leadership ever written, offering timeless wisdom across the nearly 2,700 years since it was composed.

What happens when a community decides to intentionally shape its culture? In Nakusp, residents, leaders, business owners, and volunteers gathered for the "Lead with Love" initiative, featuring bestselling author Diane Kalen-Sukra. Equipped with copies of *Save Your City* and a practical roadmap for civic renewal, participants explored how kindness, civility, and shared responsibility can strengthen community life.

Kim Stephens, Executive Director of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, has published a full 14-page edition of Waterbucket eNews dedicated entirely to Diane Kalen-Sukra's new book Lead with Civility: A Handbook for Uncivil Times, calling it a "landmark commentary".

On Saturday, May 2, civic leaders gathered for the launch of Diane Kalen-Sukra’s new book, Lead with Civility: A Handbook for Uncivil Times. It was not simply a book launch. It was a civic occasion, marking a message that has become increasingly urgent in local government, public service and community life: civility is not optional. It is not a soft skill. It is a condition for trust, good governance and democratic life.

Lead with Civility: A Handbook for Uncivil Times launched this week to an extraordinary response , debuting as the #1 Amazon bestseller in Government & Politics. This reception confirms what so many leaders are telling us: the hunger for sane, principled, and courageous leadership has never been greater. In this post, we’re opening the book itself to share something rare—a compelling Prelude by Dr. Ron Dart, one of Canada’s most respected scholars and public intellectuals, a

An uncomfortable truth is that incivility rises because too many leaders and citizens have come to believe it works. In the January edition of Municipal World, I explore this in my article on leading with civility in uncivil times and ways to turn the cultural tide. In the short term, it may look effective to intimidate staff, win a meeting, force an outcome, even win an election with toxic behaviour. Incivility may win a battle, but in the end you lose the war for good gover

Kalen Academy is delighted to share that our founder, Diane Kalen‑Sukra has been named a global Top Thinker in Local Government in 2026 by the United Kingdom's Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) in recognition of her “groundbreaking research and expertise on civic culture transformation which has catalysed a movement to renew civility and trust in public life.” LGiU is an independent, non‑partisan organisation that has championed local democracy and supported councils f