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Twelve and a Half
What It’s About
In his sixth business book, Gary Vaynerchuk, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and investor, reveals the twelve essential emotional skills that are an integral part of his life—and business success—and provides today's (and tomorrow's) leaders with critical tools to master and develop these qualities.
Three Key Ideas
Emotional Skills Drive Results
Vaynerchuk argues that twelve emotional traits, from gratitude to conviction, outperform analytics and metrics as the real engine of lasting business success.
Proportion Over Possession
Having the twelve traits matters less than knowing how to combine them in the right proportions for each specific situation, like a chef adjusting a recipe.
Kind Candor as the Missing Half
Kindness without honest feedback is a setup for entitlement, and Vaynerchuk admits this half-skill is his own most costly personal weakness.
Read a Sample
Twelve and a Half by Gary Vaynerchuk
The Phone Call That Proves the Whole Point
Picture the moment. An executive from one of VaynerMedia's biggest clients is on the line, and he is furious. An employee at the agency has just sent something careless and negative from the client's account, out into the world for everyone to see. The client represents close to a third of the company's total revenue. The demand is simple and blunt: fire the person who did this, or else.
Most leaders would have done the math in a heartbeat. Thirty percent of revenue against one junior employee is not a hard spreadsheet problem. You protect the account, you cut the person loose, you move on.
Gary Vaynerchuk said no.
Who It’s For
- Anyone who wants to understand why emotional intelligence matters more than short-term metrics in business.
- Anyone who manages a team and struggles to deliver honest, direct feedback without damaging relationships.
- Anyone who feels behind on their goals and needs a realistic, long-term perspective on success and ambition.
- Anyone who is building a company and wants a practical framework for developing the inner traits that sustain growth.
About the Author: Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur, investor, and the CEO of VaynerMedia, the agency he co-founded. He grew up in a family that immigrated from the Soviet Union and built his early reputation by transforming his father's liquor store into one of the first major wine e-commerce businesses in the late 1990s.
He is a prolific content creator and public speaker known for his direct communication style. Twelve and a Half is his sixth business book, and it draws heavily on his own experiences running VaynerMedia and investing in early-stage companies and emerging markets.
