Leadership gurus Tichy (Control Your Own Destiny or Someone Else Will) and Bennis (On Becoming a Leader) examine the critical role judgment plays in effective leadership. Calling judgment the essence of leadership, they identify three judgment domains that can undermine any leader’s success -

people, strategy and crisis -

and explore such challenges as selecting the top team, CEO succession, and crisis as a leadership development opportunity. The good news- even if one isn’t born with good judgment, it can be learned. To sustain it, a leader must have character, courage and clear standards, especially when facing obstacles. For example, Jim McNerney, who became CEO of Boeing when it was amid a Justice Department investigation, developed a story line -

or Teachable Point of View -

that created and reinforced a theme of high ethical standards, bringing about a new partnership with Boeing’s stakeholders. Additional real-world examples from Royal Dutch Shell, Proctor & Gamble and General Electric illustrate critical points of both good and bad judgment. Easy-to-read charts, lists and matrices reinforce key points. Particularly useful is the final Handbook for Leadership Judgment focusing on the practical level. This engaging and thorough work should be mandatory reading for executives and managers at all levels.