Harder Than I Thought: Adventures of a Twenty-First Century Leader

Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan, Shannon O'Donnell

Harvard Business Press, Nov 13, 2012 - Business & Economics - 336 pages

Meet Jim Barton, new CEO of Santa Monica Aerospace. Jim's job won't be easy: the company's hemorrhaging cash, struggling to regain investors' trust after an accounting scandal, and striving to transform its military and manufacturing culture to become a global aerospace integrator.

Jim isn't real: Harder Than I Thought is a novel. But his story--developed in consultation with seasoned, actual CEOs--contains crucial lessons for all chief executives. Walk in Jim's shoes to engage in challenges that include:

1. Formulating and executing strategy
2. Managing financial and labor crises
3. Fostering a culture of innovation and continuous transformation
4. Forging global partnerships
5. Making ethical choices in an increasingly transparent environment

As events in each chapter push Barton to the edge of his abilities, he seeks counsel from a panel of expert advisers. These collaborative reflections invite you to apply the lessons from this story to your own situation.

Experts agree that many twentieth-century leadership practices are inadequate to the stormy twenty-first-century present. This engaging and provocative book equips you with the insights you'll need to rise with the occasion of a rapidly shifting business landscape.

Contents

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About the author

Robert D. Austin is dean of the faculty of Business Administration at the University of New Brunswick and Professor (on leave) of Management of Innovation and Creativity at Copenhagen Business School. Richard L. Nolan is the William Barclay Harding Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, at Harvard Business School and professor emeritus of Management and Organization at the Foster School of Business, University of Washington. Shannon O’Donnell is a PhD fellow in the Department of Management, Politics, and Philosophy at Copenhagen Business School. Together they authored The Adventures of an IT Leader (Harvard Business Press, 2009), which introduced us to Jim Barton as he entered his previous role as CIO.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Harder Than I Thought: Adventures of a Twenty-First Century Leader
• Authors: Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan, Shannon O'Donnell
• Publisher: Harvard Business Press, 2012
• ISBN: 1422142302, 9781422142301
• Length: 336 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Leadership; Business & Economics / Strategic Planning