The effort is there.
The traction isn’t.
If that sentence just described your last six months, this book was written for you.
Most leaders don’t struggle because they lack effort.
They struggle because leadership is harder than it looks. The decisions are rarely as clear as they appear from the outside. The priorities compete. The information is incomplete. The stakes are real. And the people counting on you can’t wait for perfect certainty before moving forward.
The best leaders aren’t necessarily smarter. They don’t have better information. They aren’t working harder.
They’ve simply learned how to
create meaningful progress
There’s a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from doing everything right and still feeling off course.
This isn’t a leadership failure. It’s what happens when the conditions change faster than the tools do.
Hardcover · Available Fall 2026
The leader who
stays oriented wins.
The Map vs. The Terrain is a field guide for leaders who want to feel steady when the path forward isn’t obvious — and the responsibility still belongs to them.
Not a formula. Not a shortcut. Something practical you can return to when certainty isn’t available — and waiting for it isn’t an option.
What’s inside the book.
Not theory. Tools.
Every chapter ends with something you can use tomorrow — built for real teams, real pressure, real uncertainty.
Orient before you act
A fast read on what’s actually in front of you — not the plan you wish were still true.
Decide without full certainty
A way to move when the information is incomplete and waiting isn’t an option.
Keep the team steady
Language and moves that hold alignment when the ground keeps shifting.
The full scope of what leaders actually face.
Drawing on decades of experience with leadership teams across industries, Bill addresses the full scope of what leaders actually face when conditions stop cooperating.
Before the storm hits
How to align purpose, priorities, and people before the pressure arrives — so when it does, the team moves with direction instead of reaction.
While you’re in motion
How to make decisions with incomplete information, communicate clearly through noise, and keep the team performing when the climb gets steep.
When the map fails entirely
How to pivot in real time without losing your people — and how to lead the kind of team that comes out of uncertainty stronger than it went in.
Equip your
whole team.
Leadership development works best when everyone is working from the same framework. Volume pricing is available for organizations looking to create a shared approach to navigating uncertainty.
Equip your people with the practical tools and common language to lead with clarity and confidence — even when the terrain keeps shifting.
Bill Fournet · Founder & CEO, The Persimmon Group
More than 30 years in the room when the plan stopped working.
As founder of The Persimmon Group, Bill has advised leaders across energy, healthcare, engineering, financial services, and government — helping them find their footing when the terrain stopped matching the strategy.
“Change is constant. Chaos is a choice.”
The terrain isn’t going
to settle down.
But you can get better
at leading through it.
The Map vs. The Terrain — available Fall 2026.
Published by John Wiley & Sons
Ready to close the gap between where your organization is and where it needs to be?
Bill works directly with leadership teams through keynotes, workshops, and retreats.
