David L. Dotlich is former executive vice president of Honeywell International, author of Why CEOs Fail, Unnatural Leadership, and Action Coaching from Jossey-Bass, and CEO and managing partner of CDR International, a unit of Mercer Delta Consulting. He is an educator and coach to the top leaders in the world, including executives of Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Pfizer, Washington Mutual, Nike, and many more.

James L. Noel, principal of CDR International, is the former director of executive education for General Electric's Crotonville.

Norman Walker, until recently worldwide head of human resources of Novartis, has also served as the top human resource officer for Grand Met, Kraft Foods, and Ford Motor Company.

Introduction 1

1. What Is Effective Leadership? 10

2. How Do Leaders Learn? 22

3. Joining a Company 34

4. Moving into a Leadership Role 45

5. Accepting the Stretch Assignment 58

6. Assuming Responsibility for a Business 70

7. Dealing with Significant Failure for Which You Are Responsible 81

8. Coping with a Bad Boss and Competitive Peers 93

9. Losing Your Job or Being Passed Over for Promotion 107

10. Being Part of an Acquisition or Merger 119

11. Living in a Different Country or Culture 132

12. Finding a Meaningful Balance Between Work and Family 144

13. Letting Go of Ambition 157

14. Facing Personal Upheaval 167

15. Losing Faith in the System 178

16. How Companies Can Use Passages to Develop Leadership 187

17. An Eight-Step Survive-and-Thrive Guide 201

Bibliography 215

About the Authors 219

Index 221