FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Los Angeles, California — August 10, 2026
It’s All About You! Ten Leadership Parables for Maximizing Middle Management gives the most overlooked professionals in any organization a practical, story-driven roadmap for transforming their leadership from the inside out — now available from Sulis Horizon, an imprint of Sulis International Press.
Sulis Horizon, an imprint of Sulis International Press, announces the publication of It’s All About You! Ten Leadership Parables for Maximizing Middle Management by Dr. Charles R. Retts. Drawing on more than thirty years in corporate leadership, consulting, and university instruction — including adjunct faculty roles at seven universities — Dr. Retts delivers a candid, experience-grounded guide for the managers who carry the heaviest organizational load while receiving the least support.
Middle managers are, as Dr. Retts plainly states, “smack in the middle of all the challenges in their organization.” They absorb the consequences of executive decisions they had no hand in making, shoulder accountability for employees over whom they have limited authority, and rarely receive the recognition — or the tools — necessary to lead with confidence. It’s All About You! was written specifically for these professionals: the supervisors, team leads, and department managers who are the true connective tissue of every organization, yet who too often work without a clear framework for navigating the human complexity of the job.
The book’s structure is deliberately accessible. Each of ten chapters presents a single parable drawn from Dr. Retts’s own leadership experience — real situations, real consequences, real results — followed by “Leadership Learning” analysis and interactive reflection prompts that invite the reader to assess their own instincts and responses. The format is not accidental: Dr. Retts designed it for the manager who rarely has an uninterrupted hour, let alone time for dense theory. As he writes in the introduction, “no one in management has the luxury of consistent breaks during the day, and lunch is usually from the nearest vending machine.” The parables range from navigating hostile workplace cultures and managing disengaged employees to handling conflict, building lasting professional relationships, and understanding the critical distinction between being a manager and being a leader.
What distinguishes this book from the crowded leadership shelf is its refusal to offer easy answers or inspirational abstraction. Dr. Retts’s premise is unambiguous: sustainable leadership change begins with self-knowledge, and the most important variable in any team’s performance is the leader’s own deliberate behavior. “The starting point, and key component, to Life Changing Leadership,” he concludes, “is to know and understand: Who You Want to Be as Leader. It’s all about you.” That premise — challenging, honest, and ultimately hopeful — runs through every page.
Dr. Retts brings rare breadth to his subject: his career has spanned roles from Supervisor of Corporate Training and Development to Dean of Student Affairs, and his consulting work has included management development programs for the Egyptian Ministry of Public Works and communications training for National Panasonic in Tokyo and Osaka. His published leadership articles include “While the Cat’s Away, Will the Mice Play?” and “I’m Too Nice? Caring Leaders Are Often Misjudged.”
“I wrote this book because I grew frustrated by all of the talk about poor leadership in various organizations, and saw the need for honest discussion,” says Dr. Retts. “My hope is that this book can give middle-management men and women the courage to get out of bed in the morning and face tough work-related situations with a renewed confidence armed with realistic, proven tools.”
Featuring cover art by Keri Jamison that conveys professional clarity and purposeful energy, It’s All About You! Ten Leadership Parables for Maximizing Middle Management is now available in paperback and eBook formats through Sulis International Press and wherever books are sold. ISBN paperback: 978-1-946849-86-1 | eBook: 978-1-946849-87-8.
About Sulis International Press
Sulis International Press empowers authors and delivers global entertainment and information through select fiction and nonfiction. Based in Los Angeles, Dallas, and London, its Sulis Horizon imprint publishes general nonfiction — including self-help, personal development, business, memoir, biography, and how-to titles — designed to inform, equip, and inspire readers at every stage of life.
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