The Clarity Principle How Great Leaders Make the Most Important Decision in Business (and What Happens When They Don't)

Turf wars, low morale, bad politics, and misguided strategies: these are issues that claim much of a leader?s time. But this parade of dysfunctions and messy ?people? problems actually points to an organization confused about its core business, torn between competing ideas about what it is and wants to be?an organization facing an identity crisis.

Strategy and leadership expert Chatham Sullivan argues that when the purpose of a business becomes confused, it is the leaders? responsibility to restore clarity, especially in the face of tough strategic choices that have political, personal, and cultural consequences for the organization. Sullivan shows leaders how to take the decisive stand that clarifies their organization?s core purpose.

Featuring compelling stories of leaders who have succumbed to and successfully resolved their organizations? identity crises, The Clarity Principle bridges the gap between leadership and strategy and demonstrates the tremendous gains to be achieved by leaders willing to make tough choices.

Introduction 1

1 Proxy Wars 17

2 The Murky Middle 43

3 Neither Fish Nor Fowl 69

4 The Shadow Side of Strategy 87

5 Taking a Stand 121

6 The Hunger for Purpose 161

Epilogue: From Insight to Action 189

Notes 199

Acknowledgments 203

About the Author 209

Index 211

CHATHAM SULLIVAN is an organizational psychologist and a partner at Pivot, a strategic leadership boutique that helps Fortune 500 executives lead through environments of disruption, uncertainty, and complexity. Chatham has taught at the Wharton School of Business and the School of Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and worked closely with executives at many of the world's leading companies. Chatham currently lives in Belmont, Massachusetts, with his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children, Sophia, Abraham, and Lyra. For more information, please visit www.pivotleadership.com