Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound after Career Disasters
Authors: Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Andrew Ward
Publisher: Perseus Distribution Services
Date Published: January 2007
From the Publisher:
“Sonnenfeld and Ward show how to rise Phoenix – like from the ashes. Their account of the psychological and behavioral foundations of that important quality – resilience – is important reading for everyone who will ever face a reversal of fortune.”
— Jeffrey Pfeffer, Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University
Is it possible to rescue your career and restore your reputation after a major professional setback? In an age rife with press accounts of disgraced CEOs, politicians, and celebrities – as well as courageous but beleaguered whistleblowers and victims of rivals or envious colleagues and bosses – this question has grown more important than ever.
In Firing Back, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Andrew Ward answer the question with a resounding “Yes.” They go on to lay out a practical and an important five-step process for actually recovering from setbacks. Following these steps will help guide you through the difficult circumstances, rebuild your reputation, and chart a new future . The authors also explore strategies for surmounting common barriers to career recovery , including tricky corporate cultures and psychological stresses.
Anchored in decades of research and scholarly studies across multiple fields, this book is packed with engrossing stories and first-hand accounts from humbled but restored CEOs and executives from firms as diverse as General Electric, The Home Depot, Morgan Stanley, Apple, Staples, and Hewlett-Packard.
Firing Back offers a clear plan for anyone who needs to recover from a career setback and reclaim lost prestige and reputation – whether the setback stemmed from his own actions or forces outside her control.