First Person: Tales of Management Courage and Tenacity

In this collection of first-person accounts from the Harvard Business Review, the 11 contributors describe the hazards and frustrations of trying to be a good manager. From How I Learned to Let My Workers Lead and Reluctant Entrepreneur to Nothing Prepared Me to Manage AIDS and The Purpose at the Heart of Management,
these essays document the complex and often conflicting responsibilities of the manager: conceiving and implementing strategy; motivating people to do what’s best for customers, the business, and themselves; putting themselves in the hot seat of authority while pushing people toward shared responsibility; and developing sensitivity to the needs of subordinates while having the courage to say no. Unrelentingly compelling…. The perfect refutation for anyone who claims a career in business is boring. - Quality Digest