Harder Than I Thought: Adventures of a 21st Century Leader

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

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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, flesh-and-blood
CEOs-contains crucial lessons for all chief executives. Walk in Jim's shoes,
and engage in challenges including:




Formulating and executing strategy

Cultivating a management team capable of outlier
performance

Working with a multi-generational board

Managing financial and labor crises

Fostering a culture of innovation and continuous
transformation

Forging global partnerships

Making ethical choices in an increasingly
transparent environment


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

Experts agree that many 20th
century leadership practices are inadequate to the stormy 21st century present.
This engaging and provocative audio book equips you with the insights you'll
need to rise with the occasion of a rapidly shifting business landscape.



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Genres: Business, Leadership

Audio

First published August 2, 2011

Reviews

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

CEOs get “The Goal” treatment. This is a fictional account of a newly hired CEO for an aircraft manufacturer. The story goes through the trials and tribulations as the CEO meets his staff and board and begins his work of saving the company. It is a lot like “The Goal”, but where “The Goal” focused on a manager learning optimization, this covered a number of areas of difficulty faced by the new CEO, from dealing with the press, making hiring and firing decisions, negotiating with the Union, you get the idea. After each chapter, there are a number of pertinent questions posed to pique additional thought, perfect for groups. This really felt like a fictionalized and plotted business case study, and I think the appropriate audience would be people in business classes. Read as a story, it was OK, but it doesn’t aspire to be great literature. I must admit, I found it entertaining listening to the audio on a long trip – it isn’t too taxing and provides a few management-related things to think about without providing pat answers. And strangely, it was a personal "double" - it mentioned two of the four companies I have worked for over my career. This is rare.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review has been published here - http://businessleadershipmanagement.w....