Twelve and a Half

USA Today Bestseller

In his sixth business book, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and investor Gary Vaynerchuk explores the twelve essential emotional skills that are integral to his life—and business—success and provides today’s (and tomorrow’s) leaders with critical tools to acquire and develop these traits.

For decades, leaders have relied on “hard” skills to make smart decisions, while dismissing the importance of emotional intelligence. Soft skills like self-awareness and curiosity aren’t quantifiable; they can’t be measured on a spreadsheet and aren’t taught in B-schools or emphasized in institutions. We’ve been taught that emotional intelligence is a “nice to have” in business, not a requirement. But soft skills can actually accelerate business success, Gary Vaynerchuk argues. For analytical minds, it’s challenging to understand how to get “better” at being self-aware, curious, or empathetic—or even why it’s important to try.

In this wise and practical book, Gary explores the 12 human ingredients that have led to his success and happiness and provides exercises to help you develop these traits yourself. He also shares what the “half” is—that emotional ingredient of leadership he’s weakest at and makes the most effort to improve. Working through the ideas and exercises in the book, he teaches you how to discover your own “halves” and offers insight on how to strengthen them.

Gary’s secret to success is using these twelve traits in varying mixtures, depending on the situation. But how do we know when to balance patience with ambition? Humility with conviction? Gary provides real-life examples involving common business scenarios to show you how to use them together for optimum results.

This iconoclastic book will help you refine your ingredients and improve your leadership capabilities. When implemented in the proper situation, these ingredients can help leaders land promotions, retain core employees, move faster than competitors, win the loyalty of customers, and build successful organizations that last.

Gary Vaynerchuk’s secret isn’t just one skill—it’s knowing which ingredients to mix for any situation.

Emotional Intelligence Framework: Master the twelve emotional skills—from empathy and self-awareness to tenacity and ambition—that are the true drivers of success and happiness. Self-Awareness in Action: Discover your own “half,” the one leadership ingredient you’re weakest in, and learn practical, actionable exercises to strengthen it. Balancing Contradictions: Learn when to deploy patience versus ambition and humility versus conviction with real-life business scenarios that show you how to choose the right mix. Kind Candor: Overcome the fear of confrontation and deliver critical feedback that builds loyalty instead of creating entitlement or resentment. Leadership for the Modern Era: Move beyond outdated “hard skills” and build a resilient, successful organization by learning to lead with your humanity.