Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success

Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success is the sixth business book by bestselling author, entrepreneur and investor Gary Vaynerchuk. It focuses on twelve emotional skills presented as tools for leaders to acquire and develop.

Key details

• Author: Gary Vaynerchuk
• Business book
• Sixth business book by the author
• Centres on twelve essential emotional skills

Synopsis

Gary Vaynerchuk argues that while leaders often prioritise “hard” skills, emotional intelligence is frequently treated as optional because it is difficult to quantify and is not typically taught or emphasised in formal institutions. He presents soft skills such as self-awareness, curiosity and empathy as practical ingredients that can accelerate business success, particularly for analytical thinkers who may struggle to understand how to improve in these areas.

The book explores twelve human traits that the author links to his own success and happiness, alongside exercises designed to help readers develop them. It also introduces the idea of the “half”: the emotional ingredient of leadership he finds most challenging and actively works to strengthen, with guidance on identifying and improving your own. Real-life examples of common business scenarios are used to show how different traits can be balanced together depending on the situation.