The Rebellious CEO: 12 Leaders Who Did It Right

by Ralph Nader

One of corporate America's greatest foes shows how 12 CEOs he has known uniquely rejected narrow yardsticks of shareholder value by leading companies to larger models of prosperity and justice

Over the course of 7 decades Ralph Nader has been Corporate America’s fiercest critic. Supreme Court Justice William Powell singled out Nader in his infamous memo as the “single most effective antagonist of American business… [the] target of his hatred… is corporate power.”

But now, in a book that will surprise both his fans and critics, Nader profiles a small group of CEOs who he believes performed extraordinarily well as business leaders and civic reformers, some well-known, some not, who should be celebrated as exceptions whose life and career should be a course of emulation and inspiration for students of business, executives and the wider citizenry.

This select group of mavericks and iconoclasts — which includes The Body Shop’s Anita Roddick, Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard, Vanguard’s John Bogle and Busboys and Poets' Andy Shallal —give us, Nader writes, “a sense of what might have been and what still could be if business were rigorously framed as a process that was not only about making money and selling things but improving our social and natural world.”

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, History, Biography, Leadership, Economics

352 pages, Hardcover

Published November 14, 2023

About the author

American attorney, author, lecturer, political activist, and candidate for President of the United States in five elections, including the last election 0f 2008, with his role in the 2000 election in particular being subject to much debate.

Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government. Nader is the first Arab American presidential candidate in the U.S.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently the nonfiction book club I run had business as its topic for the month. In my email accompanying a list of books to vote on I apologized for only including books about "businesses behaving badly". I wanted some balance, but most business-positive books were either hagiographic or very self-serving memoirs. i jumped on The Rebellious CEO when it became available on netgalley because it seemed like a useful alternative. The twelve CEOs profiled here by Ralph Nader exemplify principles of corporate responsibility: responsibility to employees; responsibility to customers; responsibility to community; and responsibility to the environment. Most importantly, they have done so without sacrificing profitability, often finding that good practices can actually result in more profit.

While some of Nader's profiles border on hagiography (profile of the Patagonia founder), he is generally willing to point out shortcomings (e.g. Sol Price's not caring about impact of his products). Unfortunately one of the CEO "blindspots" Nader is most willing to point out, is a lack of enthusiasm for his 2000 and 2004 campaigns for president - something that I think is illustrative of these CEOs' wisdom. But Nader's genuine affection for these maverick personalities - many of whom he knew personally - comes through.

Unfortunately, these profiles didn't give me much cause for optimism. Virtually everyone profiled is a company founder, and there is no recipe (although Patagonia may have found one through a novel ownership scheme and Costco - a descendant of Sol Price's company - still pays higher than prevailing wages) for perpetuating these values beyond the founding generation, much less injecting them into the publicly traded corporations that dominate our economy. In chapter 11, Gordon B. Sherman (ousted CEO of Midas) very eloquently explains exactly why public companies are practically structured not to embrace these values. Public pressure can cause corporations to pay lip service to these values, and perhaps the assessment in Chapter 12 (about Paul Hawken) that lip service is the first sign of change provides some glimmer of optimism,

While this book is understandable for the general reader, it's not quite scintillating enough to recommend to someone without a prior interest in the topic. If the topic intrigues you, I suggest giving it a shot. It certainly catalogs a variety of approaches to ethical behavior, and can also serve as a gateway (useful bibliography and in-text references) to a deeper dive into the approaches that intrigue the reader most.

Many thanks to netgalley for providing an early egalley of this title.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

The profiles and biographies of the CEOs selected were adequate and I found some of the writing compelling, but in my mind the book had several weaknesses. I did not enjoy the writing style; I felt like I was being lectured at. I also felt that Nader was using this book as a soapbox and that he was still bitter about the federal elections he ran in. While the CEO profiles were okay, Nader’s interjections were less so and really detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Another big problem I had was that it seemed that the CEOs were by-and-large company founders and that the positive actions taken were while the companies were private so it did gave me a selective view of ethical business practices. Thank you to Netgalley and Melville House for the advance reader copy.

[Carmen Tourney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Book. Ralph was generally very understanding that they weren't perfect and didn't fault them for it. All the profiles were from a ways back. It would have been nice to see some more recent examples but the way things are now maybe there was none. (Laughs sadly!). As usual though this is one of the things Ralph Nader does best. He is relentlessly optimistic in his writings on the most depressing subjects. If you haven't already read his novel, (yes, novel) Only The Super-Rich Can Save Us, definitely fix that. It's a huge monster of a book but worth the effort. Anyway, long live (90 year old!) Ralph

[Richard Propes · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you think of Ralph Nader, you don't exactly think of someone who is quick to hand out compliments. One of the corporate world's most recognized critics, Nader has long been a thorn in the side of American business.

So, you can imagine my surprise to pick up "The Rebellious CEO: 12 Leaders Who Did It Right," an engaging and informative read in which Nader profiles a small group of CEOs who he believes performed extraordinarily well not just as corporate leaders but as civic reformers who should be celebrated as exceptions and whose careers should be an inspiration for students of business, executives, and the wider society. Some of these names will be familiar. Others perhaps not.

The Body Shop's Anita Roddick
Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard
Busboys and Poets' Andy Shallal
Vanguard's John Bogle

The list goes on.

It's not that these people were perfect. At times, they were far from it. Nader writes it's that these CEOs represent "a sense of what might have been and what still could be if business were rigorously framed as a process that was not only about making money and selling things but improving our social and natural world.”

Of the 12 CEOs listed, nine have since passed away. The vast majority of this also only includes the stereotypical white males who dominate America's corporate leadership. This is acknowledged in the book itself and itself is a cause for reflection.

However, with "The Rebellious CEO" Nader has given us a glimpse inside the kinds of CEOs who garner his attention, for better or for worse, and he's admirably crafted engaging and thought-provoking stories about exactly why these CEOs have stood out among others. They are not the only ones, of course, however, they seem to be the ones Nader knows best and/or the ones Nader feels most comfortable holding up as examples of what it means to "do it right" as a corporate leader.

While not a CEO, I found myself thinking about my own leadership roles and wondering what would Nader think if he looked inside my leadership world. While I think I do well, "The Rebellious CEO" makes me want to do better.

"The Rebellious CEO" should be a must-read for every aspiring corporate or non-profit leader along with veteran CEOs. Yes, it's truly that important.

[James Garman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction book, however, it has in common with fiction that it is the non-fiction version of a series of short stories. Ralph Nader is writing about 12 CEOs that depart from the normal way that CEOs act and become something different and make a distinct and hopefully meaningful impact on how business is conducted, which still making money, even a LOT of money which is what businesses are considered to be principally about.

I did not finish this book. I read three or four of the stories but still found interesting insights about how business could be changed from the stereotype of hiring employees, having share holders and either priorizing the customers or the stock holders in a direct basically traditional way.

Two of the individuals referenced ring interesting to the point where I still remember them even after losing interest in trying to understand how each of 12 were different. One was a beauty products owner who started in England and didn't emphasis to the same degree you would expect the concept of the "perfect beauty" that society often seems to emphasis. She actually used her establishments as a way of being healthy and engaging in community interest and good causes that help others outside the customer base, often giving time for them to act.

The other was Herb Helleker who founded Southwest Airlines, which is known as being unique in the world of travel. They had to have done something to be considered one of the top airlines in the United States when actually their boarding patterns are basically a cattle call. Herb didn't focus on the stock owners or even on the customers. His emphasis was on the employees whom he saw it as his duty to empower so that they put the customer's comfort first and would even go out of their way to help a customer with a unique problem.

I am sure there are other CEOs that would interest others and would recommend this book to those who find the idea intriguing and/or who are in business and wonder how to make their business unique.

[Mitch Reaume · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated that this book talked about some business leaders outside of the usual circles of people that get talked about and celebrated reasons beyond just that they made a lot of money or that they were a poster child of entrepreneurship.

The book got a little old at times when it felt like Ralph was just doing some name dropping/humble brags by selecting the leaders based off of his own associations and shoutouts he could give himself for his connection/role with them lolz

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

in a world where we point fingers and over generalize, this is a refreshing offering from Ralph Nader. Big corporate CEOs have earned (and most - deserve) the reputation of being greedy profiteers. But this collection from Ralph Nader shows us it doesn't have to be that way!

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Long and boring. Did not finish

[Gayle Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring!

[Joseph Saitta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my type of book. I read it for a class, and it was interesting enough to actually read but not to read by choice for me.

[Randolph Breschini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well…

Unfortunately…for me in my career…I never worked for one of these CEO/Leader types. It was always…cut costs…more profits…do more with fewer employees…worker harder and longer hours…etc.😢

Only later in my career did the business community start to talk about sustainability…environmental footprint…water scarcity…soil health…etc.

Maybe in a next life🤷🏼‍♂️😉

I did meet Ralph Nader when he spoke at Hartnell College in Salinas and I was an optimistic senior in high school…he was incredibly intelligent and passionate🙏🏻

[Joe Carbonaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

more like a 3.5, a bit repetitive. Ralph Nader injects some unnecessary political tales.