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Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.
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Defining Moments: When Managers Must Choose Between Right and Right Hardcover – September 6, 2016

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 230 ratings
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When Business and Personal Values Collide

“Defining moments” occur when managers face business decisions that trigger conflicts with their personal values. These moments test a person’s commitment to those values and ultimately shape their character. But these are also the decisions that can make or break a career. Is there a thoughtful, yet pragmatic, way to make the right choice?

Bestselling author Joseph Badaracco shows how to approach these dilemmas using three case examples that, when taken together, represent the escalating responsibilities and personal tests managers face as they advance in their careers. The first story presents a young manager whose choice will affect him only as an individual; the second, a department head whose decision will influence his organization; the third, a corporate executive whose actions will have much larger, societal ramifications. To guide the decision-making process, the book draws on the insights of four philosophers—Aristotle, Machiavelli, Nietzsche, and James—who offer distinctly practical, rather than theoretical, advice. Defining Moments is the ultimate manager’s guide for resolving issues of conflicting responsibility in practical ways.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    160 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harvard Business Review Press
  4. Publication date
    September 6, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    6.4 x 0.7 x 9.3 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9781633692398
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1633692398
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE for Defining Moments:

“Offers wisdom not only for managers, as the title implies, but for anyone facing . . . tough choices in life.” — Wall Street Journal

“Well-crafted and interactive . . . provides questions, reflections, and even a basic philosophy course.” — USA TODAY

“A surprisingly practical framework for confronting ethical problems.” — BusinessWeek

“Defining Moments offers valuable insight for practitioners on how to manage real-world situations and react appropriately on a day-to-day basis.” — Choice

About the Author

Joseph L. Badaracco is the John Shad Professor of Business Ethics at Harvard Business School, where he has taught courses on leadership, strategy, corporate responsibility, and management in the school's MBA and executive programs. His books on these subjects include the New York Times bestseller, Leading Quietly, and his latest book, Managing in the Gray.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1633692396
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard Business Review Press; Reissue edition (September 6, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781633692398
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1633692398
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 0.7 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 230 ratings

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Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
230 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Candyman
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly important book for new managers.
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2008
Verified Purchase
I read this a few years after I had been in senior management and wished deeply that I had discovered it earlier. One of the great challenges facing new managers is decision making where the choices all involve some positive and negative aspects. There are also many organization pressures that force individuals to consider suboptimal paths to "be a team player."

It's a slippery slope and one that is hard to navigate without a great deal of thought and a clarity of personal professional purpose.

This is a small book that easily engages the reader in a fascinating path to understanding these core management issues.

Management, especially senior management, starts to look like politics and turns into a soup of interests and circumstances that make the "right" decision hard to discern and possibly even harder to live with.

Given the impact to size ratio and high quality of the writing I'd make this book a must-read in the category.
4 people found this helpful
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Happy Hiker
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting approach to ethical thinking
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2015
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I thought that this would be another boring text book that I had to buy for school. Not so really. This book incorporates the philosophical thinking of various famous philosophers throughout time with modern ethical business scenarios. This turned out to be an interesting and quick read.
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Reauxdom
4.0 out of 5 stars Defining Moments: When Manager Must Choose Between Right and Right
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2007
Verified Purchase
When managers are making choices, we typically evaluate them by attempting to determine which choice is right and which is not. Many times both choices are "right" choices which makes the decision more difficult and more frustrating for managers.

Badaracco provides excellent examples of real life situations where managers had to choose between "right" and "right" in making a decision. The decision making process used by each manager in the examples was assessed from the philosophical prospectives of three prominant philosophers, Aristotle, Nietzsche, and Machiavelli.

A great read with valuable advice for everyone, not just managers.
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An ethics guidebook for anyone in the professional world.
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
I read this for a graduate course in organizational management and decision making. I quite enjoyed reading it. This book provides suggestions for how you can craft your own ethical framework, exploring examples of managerial decision making and the musings of various philosophers on ethics. I read it in a few hours, and would highly recommend it to anyone in a supervisory position, or young professionals hoping to advance themselves in your career. One take-away from this book is establishing who you want to be professionally, and what values you consider most important.
2 people found this helpful
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HQB
3.0 out of 5 stars This is how b-people think.
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2012
Verified Purchase
I read this book for a class several years ago and it seemed enlightening at the time. Ethical dilemma? Circumnavigate it and achieve the original goal, have your cake and eat it too.

However, something just didn't feel right. As I joined the business world and experienced dilemmas for myself, I now characterize the tone of the book as "the result is what matters".

This book is probably most useful for a PR or other type of spokesman. It's about putting the politically correct spin on things (supported by token actions) to go after the desired goal. It's worth reading to understand how businesspeople (and lawyers, politicians and other public figures) may speak and think. But if something doesn't feel right on a purely ethical level, you're not alone.
6 people found this helpful
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R. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone searching to "Become who the are."
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2017
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I love that this book looks at business ethics from a perspective of right versus right, as this is so often the position people find themselves. It was an easy read and offered great insights! Love this book.
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J. Barnes
5.0 out of 5 stars I am delighted by this book and very pleased to recommend it ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
I am delighted by this book and very pleased to recommend it to all. The book certainly lives up to its title and is a great adjunct for me in teaching business ethics beyond the core philosophies at the Master's degree level. Apart from the ethical issues this book has inspired me to look more to literature both historical and cultural s part of forming my lectures and delivering them. I have purchased several of the books and DVD's cited in this lovely book.

John Barnes
Bangkok Thailand
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth it...
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
I was a student at the same MBA program where Badaracco teaches. I overlooked his class then, but 15 years later I came across this gem and loved it. Anyone can learn the basics - Finance, Marketing, etc... - but truly great leadership comes from being able to navigate situations like this book presents. As the head of my company, this book has been very valuable in giving me a framework to think through aspects of my job, and to help me better understand myself as well. I'll be reading some of his other works as well...
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
Quite simply superb. A must read for everyone and a must have for any aspiring manager.
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BARTHELEMY
4.0 out of 5 stars Defining Moment
Reviewed in France on May 19, 2013
Verified Purchase
a very exciting and relevant book dedicated do ethical dilemmas in business and management. More helpful than theoretical books about ethics, very often reducing ethics to sustainable development and compliance.
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Michael L
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2018
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As described in the listing
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Kindle Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars hmmmm........
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 22, 2011
Verified Purchase
I have wanted this book for a while so invested in a used copy. I had already read 'leading quietly' : I have to say I was disappointed. The book is written almost as an academic helicopter ride, high level, a few hovering moments and then due to fuel limitations you return to base. Perhaps if this were revisited with some actual case studies over than the three starkly different case studies this could and should be a very important book in the reading and reflection list of any would be leader... anyone can do the easy path, we need more books like this to challenge the hopes and limitations of leaders today
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edouard Ntirampeba
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on February 5, 2016
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Excellent book!
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