David L. Dotlich & James L. Noel 
Leadership Passages 
The Personal and Professional Transitions That Make or Break a Leader

Leaders face numerous critical crossroads in their careers, moments that can provide extraordinary learning and growth opportunities or ensnare them and prevent further development. The good thing about these passages is that they’re predictable, and with proper preparation, leaders not only can survive them to become stronger but can use these experiences to enhance their leadership, compassion, and effectiveness. This book lays out thirteen specific ‘leadership passages’ based on research, interviews, and coaching of senior executives in such well-known companies as Johnson & Johnson, Novarits, Intel, GE, and Bank of America. For each passage, the authors describe what to expect, how the passage constitutes a choice point, and what effective leaders do to navigate and grow from the challenge. Some of the passages include: moving into a leadership role for the first time, dealing with significant failure for which you are responsible, derailing/losing your job, being acquired/merging, losing faith in the system, understanding the importance of children, family and friends, and personal upheavals such as divorce, illness, and death. The authors provide a wealth of practical tools and techniques to improve your leadership, along with real-life examples from recognizable leaders and breakthrough ways in which companies can use the concept of leadership passages to grow talent.

Table of Content

Introduction 1

1. What Is Effective Leadership? 10

2. How Do Leaders Learn? 22

3. Joining a Company 34

4. Moving into a Leadership Role 45

5. Accepting the Stretch Assignment 58

6. Assuming Responsibility for a Business 70

7. Dealing with Significant Failure for Which You Are Responsible 81

8. Coping with a Bad Boss and Competitive Peers 93

9. Losing Your Job or Being Passed Over for Promotion 107

10. Being Part of an Acquisition or Merger 119

11. Living in a Different Country or Culture 132

12. Finding a Meaningful Balance Between Work and Family 144

13. Letting Go of Ambition 157

14. Facing Personal Upheaval 167

15. Losing Faith in the System 178

16. How Companies Can Use Passages to Develop Leadership 187

17. An Eight-Step Survive-and-Thrive Guide 201

Bibliography 215

About the Authors 219

Index 221

About the author

David L. Dotlich is former executive vice president of Honeywell International, author of Why CEOs Fail, Unnatural Leadership, and Action Coaching from Jossey-Bass, and CEO and managing partner of CDR International, a unit of Mercer Delta Consulting. He is an educator and coach to the top leaders in the world, including executives of Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Pfizer, Washington Mutual, Nike, and many more.

James L. Noel, principal of CDR International, is the former director of executive education for General Electric’s Crotonville.

Norman Walker, until recently worldwide head of human resources of Novartis, has also served as the top human resource officer for Grand Met, Kraft Foods, and Ford Motor Company.