The Arc of Ambition : Defining the Leadership Journey - Hardcover

Champy, James; Nohria, Nitin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0738201030 ISBN 13: 9780738201030

Publisher: Basic Books, 2000

Synopsis

In business—or in any endeavor—ambition is the spirit of onward and upward, of striving for something worth achieving. It is the driving force behind all great experiments and risk-takings, triumphs and failures. For authors Jim Champy and Nitin Nohria, it is also the instinctive quality that makes the difference between mere management and leadership. Drawing from original interviews with contemporary figures from many walks of life—including business, politics, science, and the arts—Champy and Nohria take readers on a journey of discovery, pinpointing the defining moments, or turning points, in the evolution of leaders, as they wrestle with critical decisions and ethical dilemmas. In the process, they reveal some underlying truths about leadership, such as the ability to hold onto a dream and make it come true, know when it's time to change the business or see it die, and recognize when it's time to hand over the reins. Representing fundamentally new thinking from two of today's greatest business minds, The Arc of Ambition is certain to challenge and enlighten aspiring leaders everywhere.

About this title

About the Author

James Champy is chairman of Perot Systems consulting practice, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A pioneer of the reengineering movement, he is the co-author (with Michael Hammer) of Reengineering the Corporation and the author of Reengineering Management, two of the best-selling business books of all time. Prior to joining Perot Systems he was a founder, chairman, and CEO of CSC Index. He is the editor, with Nitin Nohria, of Fast Forward: The Best Ideas on Managing Business Change. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Nitin Nohria is a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, where he specializes in leadership and corporate renewal. An active member of several advisory boards, he is the author of over seventy-five articles and the co-author or editor of five books, including The Differentiated Network, recipient of the 1998 George R. Terry Award from the Academy of Management. He lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Reviews

In their quest to identify the particular traits of effective leaders, Champy (coauthor of Reengineering the Corporation) and Nohria, a professor at the Harvard Business School, elbowed aside the constraints of the leadership genre, which typically relies on secondhand sources, and actually interviewed many of the people they use as examples. In addition to some of the usual suspects--such as IBM's Louis Gerstner and computer entrepreneur Michael Dell--they canvass such lesser-known figures as Domain's Judy George and Dhirubhai Ambani of Reliance Industries, making an effort to span all industries. Beyond reporting on the traits that they believe have contributed to these leaders' successes (these executives "never violate values"; they "keep control by giving it up"; they "change or die"), Champy and Nohria show how readers can emulate those they've singled out, offering such advice as "return to ideas that have worked in the past" and "include specific targets to make sure you remain focused." While neither the traits nor the advice are particularly groundbreaking, the authors' well-honed and accessible presentation and fresh thumbnail profiles are surprisingly engaging. Agent, Helen Rees. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738201030
• ISBN 13: 9780738201030
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288