From one of the most respected names in business and leadership, a rare look at the specifics of how great leaders achieve "common purpose" and success within their organizations.

What is common purpose? It is that rare, almost-palpable experience that happens when a leader coalesces a group, team or community into a creative, dynamic, brave and nearly invincible "we." It happens the moment the organization's values, tools, objectives and hopes are internalized in a way that enables people to work tirelessly toward a goal. Common purpose is rarely achieved. But Kurtzman has observed that when a leader is able to bring it about, the results are outsized, measurable and inspiring. Based on Kurtzman's all-new interviews with more than 50 leaders, including Ron Sargent, Ilene Lang, Micky Arison, Simon Cooper, Joel Klein, Janet Field, Steve Wynn, Shivan Subramaniam, Michael Dell, Richard Boyatzis, Tom Kelley, Michael Milken, and Warren Bennis Contains research on leadership Kurtzman has conducted during his years at "The New York Times," the "Harvard Business Review," Booz & Company, as well as with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mercer, and Korn/Ferry

Based on all new interviews with some of the most dynamic, successful, and enduring leaders, "Common Purpose" sheds new light on the meaning of leadership, the crucial qualities of leaders, and most importantly, how to lead.

Practical ideas from the best brains in Business
A sharp, jargon-free guide to the core curriculum of an MBA program, "MBA in a Book" shows how to master the big ideas of business and use them in a practical way to build and enhance career success.
"In the world of business, ideas matter. . . . Some of the sharpest minds in the business world give perceptive looks into innovation, marketing, finance, strategy, and leadership, providing stimulating, useful perspectives on these core topics."
--Larry Bossidy, retired chairman and CEO of Honeywell International and coauthor of "Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done"
Great business thinkers such as Michael Porter, Rosabeth Kanter, and Bill George of Harvard Business School; Paul Argenti of the Tuck School at Dartmouth; Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of Yale; Peter Senge of MIT; the entrepreneur and inventor Dean Kamen; and the financial innovator Michael Milken are just a few of the best brains in business, providing the intellectual nourishment that will help you play the game of business at the highest level.

I call these problems the Decline and Crash of American economy because they are pulling down our standard of living, threatening our wealth, and weakening our standing in the world, not just in an overnight 508-point collapse of the stock market, but in a slow, steady, unrelenting decline of the economy as a whole. And there is little evidence that the correct steps are being taken-at any level-to end that decline. This book is not mean to scare, but is meant to wake people up. Our country is at risk, our investments are in jeopardy, and our future is uncertain. I will show where our problems lie and how they will affect us, and offer a plan to resurrect the United States from its decline. -from the Introduction