Collectible Hardcover with dust jacket, Signed by author
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"...a well-timed new book...on how executives recover from career disasters." -- The Economist, February 15, 2007
"...an excellent book...essential for leaders and aspiring leaders in all walks of life." -- The Financial Times, January 17, 2007
"A sophisticated self-help guide for the fallen chief executive" -- BusinessWeek, February 12, 2007
"Firing Back is full of wreckage and hard-fought redemption, sparing little detail and never going gooey." -- FORBES, March 12, 2007
...Firing Back should be read by anyone who has success on their agenda. -- Donald Trump
...insight valuable for anyone who wants to reach the top and stay there. -- Jim Cramer, Journalist, Host of CNBC's "Mad Money"
A stunning achievement. One of the best books on leadership I've read in a very long time. -- Warren Bennis, University Professor, University of Southern California and author of On Becoming a Leader
An insightful, compelling work filled with real-life examples of triumphs, failures and recoveries. -- Jamie Dimon, CEO JPMorgan Chase
Given that the average tenure for a chief executive has been steadily declining, the timing of the book could not be better. And for anyone else who has ever been fired, it is nice to know that F. Scott Fitzgerald got it wrong. Apparently, there are second acts in American (business) lives. -- The New York Times, February 4, 2007
I wish I'd written this book myself and surely recommend all aspiring leaders read it. -- Roger Enrico, Former Chairman and CEO, Pepsico
"...an excellent book...essential for leaders and aspiring leaders in all walks of life." -- The Financial Times, January 17, 2007
"A sophisticated self-help guide for the fallen chief executive" -- BusinessWeek, February 12, 2007
"Firing Back is full of wreckage and hard-fought redemption, sparing little detail and never going gooey." -- FORBES, March 12, 2007
...Firing Back should be read by anyone who has success on their agenda. -- Donald Trump
...insight valuable for anyone who wants to reach the top and stay there. -- Jim Cramer, Journalist, Host of CNBC's "Mad Money"
A stunning achievement. One of the best books on leadership I've read in a very long time. -- Warren Bennis, University Professor, University of Southern California and author of On Becoming a Leader
An insightful, compelling work filled with real-life examples of triumphs, failures and recoveries. -- Jamie Dimon, CEO JPMorgan Chase
Given that the average tenure for a chief executive has been steadily declining, the timing of the book could not be better. And for anyone else who has ever been fired, it is nice to know that F. Scott Fitzgerald got it wrong. Apparently, there are second acts in American (business) lives. -- The New York Times, February 4, 2007
I wish I'd written this book myself and surely recommend all aspiring leaders read it. -- Roger Enrico, Former Chairman and CEO, Pepsico
From the Back Cover
Is it possible to rescue your career and restore your reputation after a major professional setback? In an age rife with press accounts of disgraced CEO’s, politicians, and celebrities-as well as courageous but beleaguered whistle-blowers and victims of rivalries or envious colleagues and bosses-this question has grown more important than ever.
In Firing Back, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Andrew Ward answer the question with a resounding “Yes”. They go on to lay out a practical and important five-step process for actually recovering from setbacks. Following these steps will help guise you through difficult circumstances, rebuild your reputation, and chart a new future. The authors also explore strategies for surmounting common barriers to career recovery, including tricky corporate cultures ad psychological stresses.
Anchored in decades of research and scholarly studies across multiple fields, this book is packed with engrossing stories and firsthand accounts from humbled but restored CEOs and executives from firms as diverse as General Electric, the Home Depot, Morgan Stanley, Apple, Staples, and Hewlett-Packard.
Firing Back offers a clear plan for anyone who needs to recover from a career setback and reclaim lost prestige and reputation-whether the setback stemmed from his own actions or forces outside her control.
Learn more about this book at www.firingbackbook.com
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tennyson was right: "To strive, to seek, to find...and not to yield."
January 22, 2007
Format:Hardcover
As I began to read this book, I was reminded of Jack Dempsey's observation that "champions get up when they can't." All of us have encountered professional setbacks of one kind or another and some of them are especially difficult to overcome. Most of the examples which Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Andrew Ward cite in this book involve CEOs who either "fired back"and eventually prevailed after a career setback (e.g. Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Bernie Marcus, Jimmy Carter, and George Foreman) or never fully recovered from them (e.g. Jill Barad, John Scully, Leona Helmsley, Jacques Nasser, and Linda Warnaco). The former demonstrate the importance of "seven lessons to turn tragedy into triumph" which Sonnenfeld and Ward recommend; the latter demonstrate the probable consequences of failing to understand and then apply those lessons on which a five-step strategy - "for rescuing and restoring a career and reputation after a devastating professional setback" -- is based.
It would be a disservice to Sonnenfeld and Ward as well as to those who read this brief commentary if I were to list the "lessons" and "steps" which are best revealed within the narrative of this remarkably thoughtful, eloquent, and practical book. Each is anchored in a real-world context. Each is relevant to anyone now embarked upon or preparing for a professional career. I mention this last point because some who consider purchasing this book may incorrectly assume that its material will be of greatest value only to senior-level executives. On the contrary, all of Sonnenfeld and Ward's observations and recommendations can be of substantial benefit to anyone who wishes to (a) avoid "a devastating professional setback" or (b) recover from one.
In essence, this book provides Sonnenfeld and Ward's response to this question: "How can I overcome a professional setback?" To their credit, at no time do they minimize or trivialize the impact of a professional setback. (Presumably each has experienced a few of his own.) They fully appreciate the difficulty of overcoming the debilitating psychological stress of failure, the challenges of failure to one's reputation (both personal and professional), social biases about failure, and other challenges which may be unique to one's company, its culture, and its industry. If not "tragic" or "devastating," a setback almost always lowers one's self-esteem, is embarrassing, and has adverse financial consequences. More often than not, there is collateral damage to one's family members and/or to one's close colleagues at work so guilt also comes into play.
Recall the Dempsey quotation provided earlier. Presumably Sonnenfeld and Ward agree with Dempsey on the importance of courage and also with me that it is much easier to summon the courage to "get up" when you are convinced that the situation is not hopeless, and, that you can indeed recover if you understand what has happened, why it has happened, and how you can - and should -- respond to it. Of course, it is preferable to avoid a setback in the first place. ("If `ifs' and `buts' were fruits and nuts....") Most of us are not so fortunate and I, for one, have learned the most important lessons from failures (mine and others') rather than from successes. Whether or not a given failure is our "fault," it is certainly our responsibility to take full advantage of the learning opportunity it offers, and then to make positive and productive use of whatever truth has been revealed.
It is interesting to examine the lives of "great leaders [who] rebound after career disasters" but, in my opinion, it is imperative to examine with rigor and candor one's own values, attitudes, and behavior - especially when struggling to understand and then recover from a professional setback which is invariably a personal setback, also. As Sonnenfeld and Ward make crystal clear, this journey of personal discovery is by no means easy. Nonetheless, it is one which must be initiated with commitment and then sustained by persistence throughout one's life. If and when setbacks occur - and they always do - the practical advice which Sonnenfeld and Ward offer in this book will enable those who absorb and digest it to understand and (yes) accept what has happened, understand why it has happened, and then leverage that wisdom effectively and productively, not only in their careers but in their personal lives.
It would be a disservice to Sonnenfeld and Ward as well as to those who read this brief commentary if I were to list the "lessons" and "steps" which are best revealed within the narrative of this remarkably thoughtful, eloquent, and practical book. Each is anchored in a real-world context. Each is relevant to anyone now embarked upon or preparing for a professional career. I mention this last point because some who consider purchasing this book may incorrectly assume that its material will be of greatest value only to senior-level executives. On the contrary, all of Sonnenfeld and Ward's observations and recommendations can be of substantial benefit to anyone who wishes to (a) avoid "a devastating professional setback" or (b) recover from one.
In essence, this book provides Sonnenfeld and Ward's response to this question: "How can I overcome a professional setback?" To their credit, at no time do they minimize or trivialize the impact of a professional setback. (Presumably each has experienced a few of his own.) They fully appreciate the difficulty of overcoming the debilitating psychological stress of failure, the challenges of failure to one's reputation (both personal and professional), social biases about failure, and other challenges which may be unique to one's company, its culture, and its industry. If not "tragic" or "devastating," a setback almost always lowers one's self-esteem, is embarrassing, and has adverse financial consequences. More often than not, there is collateral damage to one's family members and/or to one's close colleagues at work so guilt also comes into play.
Recall the Dempsey quotation provided earlier. Presumably Sonnenfeld and Ward agree with Dempsey on the importance of courage and also with me that it is much easier to summon the courage to "get up" when you are convinced that the situation is not hopeless, and, that you can indeed recover if you understand what has happened, why it has happened, and how you can - and should -- respond to it. Of course, it is preferable to avoid a setback in the first place. ("If `ifs' and `buts' were fruits and nuts....") Most of us are not so fortunate and I, for one, have learned the most important lessons from failures (mine and others') rather than from successes. Whether or not a given failure is our "fault," it is certainly our responsibility to take full advantage of the learning opportunity it offers, and then to make positive and productive use of whatever truth has been revealed.
It is interesting to examine the lives of "great leaders [who] rebound after career disasters" but, in my opinion, it is imperative to examine with rigor and candor one's own values, attitudes, and behavior - especially when struggling to understand and then recover from a professional setback which is invariably a personal setback, also. As Sonnenfeld and Ward make crystal clear, this journey of personal discovery is by no means easy. Nonetheless, it is one which must be initiated with commitment and then sustained by persistence throughout one's life. If and when setbacks occur - and they always do - the practical advice which Sonnenfeld and Ward offer in this book will enable those who absorb and digest it to understand and (yes) accept what has happened, understand why it has happened, and then leverage that wisdom effectively and productively, not only in their careers but in their personal lives.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
While I'm not in the league of the leaders featured in 'Firing Back' it
has had a profound impact on how I dealt with a recent set back. I realize
now, that I have a choice - even in defeat. The advice is practical and
quickly changed how I viewed my situation. I now know I'm not alone and am
excited about my new path of 'Firing Back'.
has had a profound impact on how I dealt with a recent set back. I realize
now, that I have a choice - even in defeat. The advice is practical and
quickly changed how I viewed my situation. I now know I'm not alone and am
excited about my new path of 'Firing Back'.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Unfortunately, much of the literature on CEOs depicts them as either Gods , demons or idiots. I have worked with many CEOs and have found them to be human beings - just like the rest of us. Jeff Sonnenfeld is one of the few authors who has actually interacted with hundreds of CEOs. This book depicts the 'human drama' of success and failure at the top of the executive world. It also has lessons about defeat, courage and perserverence that we can all use. Lots of books talk about what we can learn from success stories - few talk about what we can learn when we fail. From my experince, most of of learning comes from our losses - not our victories. We will all face adversity. We will all fail. 'Firing Back' gives us some great ideas about how to make a comeback when that happens.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very useful
Those who undergo a career setback face difficult issues including low confidence, damaged reputation, and bewilderment about where to start over. Read more
Published 16 months ago by darkhorse86
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book
A must have for any executive that during these turbulent times has been laid off. Also invaluable reading for head hunters advising displaced executives
Published on August 9, 2009 by Hugo Caviedes Mondragon
3.0 out of 5 stars
firing story teller
it is a good narration, and make some examples of the top rebound but nothing special. It is a little job market news with a little ovious HR market practices
Published on December 3, 2008 by L. Cordoba
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent insights but a little repetitive
I just finished reading this book, and though it could be improved on, it's unique and helpful. At times the authors try to stress how helpful the experiences of CEOs are to us... Read more
Published on July 10, 2008 by Medvlst
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great read from Sonnenfeld
I am very pleased to be able to recommend this excellent book. I am an admitted fan of Dr. Sonnenfeld, and both loved and recommended his earlier work on CEO's, "The Hero's... Read more
Published on July 4, 2008 by Michael Feder
4.0 out of 5 stars
Turn career disaster into triumph
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, "There are no second acts in American lives." Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Andrew Ward disagree. Read more
Published on March 20, 2008 by Rolf Dobelli
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rx: give it to a young manager
A profound study of CEO career setbacks and comebacks. As we are all CEOs of our own lives, there is no one who wouldn't profit from a close read, and re-read, of this excellent... Read more
Published on September 21, 2007 by John A. Sarkett
2.0 out of 5 stars
Did An Editor Read This Book?
I'm about a third of the way through this book and have had to stop reading several times, in sheer amazement. Read more
Published on August 24, 2007 by Grammar Curmudgeon
3.0 out of 5 stars
Adequate
I bought this from a magazine recommendation. The recommendation highlighted the telling of past business titans who had failed and how they rebounded. Read more
Published on April 14, 2007 by R. Spell
3.0 out of 5 stars
You get what is expected with minor detractors
Sonnefeld and Ward deliver a book who's title delivers exactly what you would expect; understanding failure, how to reconstruct, rebound and fire back. Read more
Published on February 21, 2007 by Jon F. Shoberg
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
See all 100 books this book cites
- Extraordinary Minds: Portraits Of 4 Exceptional Individuals And An Examination Of Our Own Extraordinariness (Masterminds) by Howard E. Gardner on 5 pages
- Fall from Grace: The Untold Story of Michael Milken by Fenton Bailey on page 209, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Theory of the Leisure Class (Dodo Press) by Veblen Thorstein Veblen on page 55, and Back Matter
- Paint Your Wagon by Alan Jay Lerner on page 16, and page 82
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie on page 56, and Back Matter
See all 100 books this book cites
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