The Arc of Ambition: Defining Moments in the Making of a Leader

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.)