The Book of Hard Choices: How to Make the Right Decisions at Work and Keep Your Self-Respect

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: Look the Other Way or Face Down the Corruption? : Part 1
All of us like to think that, in any given situation, we'd act with integrity and do the right thing. But what happens when we get to work each morning? Do the same rules we follow in our personal lives apply to our work lives?

Chapter 1: Look the Other Way or Face Down the Corruption? : Part 2
At about the same time that David was reaching out to the community, a wealthy construction company owner, Ralph Dietrick, decided to run for the county board of supervisors. He invested a lot of his money in the campaign to unseat a longtime supervisor

Chapter 1: Look the Other Way or Face Down the Corruption? : Part 3
David was determined to change the company and end the corruption. The turning point came when he developed and presented to the planning commission the first project that did not have to be appealed to the board of supervisors.

All of us like to think that, in any given situation, we'd act with integrity and do the right thing. But what happens when we get to work each morning? Do the same rules we follow in our personal lives apply to our work lives?

The lines between right and wrong become blurred when we must weigh our obligations to our employer against our own ideas about what is right and wrong. Should altruism trump profit, even to the detriment of the organization? When should you step in to protect an employee and when should the employee be left to take the heat? If the CEO is up to some unethical accounting, should you always risk your job-and the company's reputation-to sound the alarm?

These are the hard choices, the dilemmas that put your integrity to the test and require you to look beyond organizational policy and industry precedents to find an answer that reflects your personal sense of justice. The Book of Hard Choices goes to the heart of these difficult decisions. James Autry and Peter Roy, experienced executives themselves, interviewed numerous leaders about the tough decisions they've made on the job. They spoke with people like former Starbucks president Howard Behar, Iowa Cubs owner Michael Gartner, and Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa as well as entrepreneurs, military officials, members of the clergy, and a whole host of leaders. The authors dig into the thinking process these people went through, as well as the emotional strain, the self-doubt, and the fear of a wrong decision's impact on their business, family, or coworkers. Not everyone in this book made the right choice, but all of them were forced to examine their values and make decisions in complicated circumstances. The result is hard-won wisdom on how to navigate the ethical gray-areas of work life-from daily challenges to possible career ending choices-and make the best possible decisions in the most difficult situations.

James A. Autry was the president of the magazine group for Meredith Corp., responsible for such publications as Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies Home Journal. He is the author of six books, including the top selling Love and Profit: The Art of Caring Leadership. He is currently a business consultant with top corporations and has an active speaking schedule.

Peter Roy is the former president of Whole Foods Market, which Fortune magazine first named one of the "Top Companies to Work For" during his tenure. He is currently a director of Avalon Natural Products, Traditional Medicinals and the Naked Juice Company as well as a trustee of the National Outdoor Leadership School. He lives on Pawle's Island, South Carolina.

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