Why Ceos Fail: The 11 Behaviors That Can Derail Your Climb To The Top--And How To Manage Them

If any of the following behaviors sound like you or someone you work with, beware! In Why CEOs Fail, David L. Dotlich and Peter C. Cairo describe the most common characteristics of derailed top executives and how you can avoid them:
Arrogance—you think that you're right, and everyone else is wrong.
Melodrama—you need to be the center of attention.
Volatility—you're subject to mood swings.
Excessive Caution—you're afraid to make decisions.
Habitual Distrust—you focus on the negatives.
Aloofness —you're disengaged and disconnected.
Mischievousness—you believe that rules are made to be broken.
Eccentricity—you try to be different just for the sake of it.
Passive Resistance—what you say is not what you really believe.
Perfectionism—you get the little things right and the big things wrong.
Eagerness to Please—you try to win the popularity contest.

David L. Dotlich, former Executive Vice President of Honeywell International and Groupe Bull, is a partner of CDR International (www.cdr-intl.com) and coauthor of Action Learning ( Jossey Bass, l998), Action Coaching (Jossey Bass, l999), and the breakthrough best-selling book Unnatural Leadership: Going Against Intuition and Experience to Develop Ten New Leadership Instincts (Jossey-Bass, 2002). He is a business adviser, educator and coach to top executives in many global corporations.

Peter C. Cairo is a partner in CDR International and member of the faculty of Columbia University Business School Executive Education. He has worked with many companies in the areas of leadership development, executive coaching, and organizational effectiveness. He is coauthor with David Dotlich of Action Coaching and Unnatural Leadership, both from Jossey-Bass.

"...it follows a simple, clean formula that seems to make intuitive sense and is backed up with real-life case studies...an interesting and enlightening read..." (Leadership & Organization Development Journal, August 24, 2003)
"...particularly refreshing...the balance is right..." (Director, March 2006)