The good struggle: responsible leadership in an unforgiving world

Advance Praise for The G ood Struggle

“Badaracco has written a valuable book that examines the

evolving fundamentals o f leadership in a contemporary

world filled with greater uncertainty and more intense

m arket pressures. The Good Struggle compels readers to

look within, find what they bring to the table, and reflect

on how the challenges o f leadership impact all our lives in

a very personal way.”

— Gail McGovern, President and C EO ,

American Red Cross

“Joseph Badaracco defines the essence o f success in build￾ing a business: Live with the reality one competes in, but

never stop dreaming about what might be possible.”

— Tom Sternberg, Managing General Partner,

Highland Consumer Fund; Chairman

Emeritus, Staples, Inc.

“Leading responsibly does not equate to leading success￾fully. It is indeed a ‘struggle.’ This book challenges the

reader to develop the right path for the long term. If you

want answers, don’t read this book. But if you want the

right questions to ask, then this is the ultimate reference

book to read again and again.”

— Ann Fudge, former Chairman and C EO ,

Young & Rubicam Brands

“People who consider themselves leaders or aspire to

leadership in today’s complex world must read this book.

Its message is powerful: True leadership is forged from

the personal crucible of struggle, values, and choices that

justify the risks and time spent being a leader.”

— Ronald K. Machtley, President,

Bryant University

“In this book, Joseph Badaracco, with his marvelous in￾sight, foresight, and understanding about leadership,

poses vital questions for leaders. In these times o f turmoil

and uncertainty, leaders must face these questions

head on.”

— Kunio Nakamura, former President,

Panasonic Corporation

“Dealing successfully with VU C A — volatility, uncer￾tainty, complexity, and ambiguity— is inescapable for suc￾cessful leaders today in their struggle to make the best

choices for their companies, for their people, and for

themselves. The Good Struggle provides an approach for

leading responsibly amidst all the diverging forces.”

— Daniel Vasella, MD, former Chairman

and C E O , Novartis AG

THE GOOD STRUGGLE

m CHAUa

j,a n l a i - . woe

Harvard Business Review Press

------— _fiajton, Massachusetts

THE GO OSH

STRUGGLE

Responsible Leadership in an

Unforgiving World

Copyright 2013 H arvard Business School P ublishing C orporation

All rights reserved

Printed in the U nited States o f A m erica

10 98765432 1

N o part o f this publication m ay be reproduced, stored in or introduced

into a retrieval system, or transm itted, in any form , or by any m eans

(electronic, m echanical, photocopying, recording, or otherw ise), w ithout

the prior perm ission o f the publisher. Requests for perm ission should be

directed to perm issions@ hbsp.harvard.edu, or m ailed to Perm issions,

H arvard Business School Publishing, 60 H arvard W ay, Boston,

M assachusetts 02163.

T h e w eb addresses referenced in this book w ere live and correct at the

tim e o f the book’s publication but m ay be subject to change.

Library o f Congress C ataloging-in-Publication D ata

Badaracco, Joseph.

T h e good struggle : responsible leadership in an unforgivin g world /

Joseph L . Badaracco.

pages cm

IS B N 978-1-4221-9164-4 (alk. paper)

1. Leadership. 2. Social responsibility o f business. I. T itle.

H D 5 7.7.B 327 2013

658.4'092— dc23

2013018295'

T h e paper used in this publication m eets the requ irem ents o f the

A m erican N ational Standard for Perm anence o f Paper for P ublications

and D ocum ents in Libraries and A rchives Z 39.48-1992.

For my colleagues

Need and struggle are what excite and inspire us.

William James

What you spend years building, someone could

destroy overnight. Build anyway.

Mother Teresa

CON TEN TS

CHAPTER ONE

Enduring Questions, Emerging Answers 1

CHAPTER TWO

Am I Really Grappling with the Fundamentals? 23

CHAPTER THREE

W hat Am I Really Accountable For? 55

CHAPTER FOUR

How Do I Make Critical Decisions? 85

CHAPTER FIVE

Do W e Have the Right Core Values? 1 15

CHAPTER SIX

W hy Have I Chosen This Life? 151

Research Background 173

Notes 179

Index 193

Acknowledgments 201

About the Author 2 0 5

THE GOOD STRUGGLE