The Clarity Principle:How Great Leaders Make the Most Important Decision in Business (and What Happens When They Don't)

Turf wars, low morale, bad politics, and misguided strategies claim much of a leader’s time.  But this parade of dysfunctions and messy “people” problems actually points to an organization confused about its core business, torn between competing ideas about what it is and wants to be — an organization facing an identity crisis.

In our summary of The Clarity Principle, strategy and leadership expert Chatham Sullivan argues that when the purpose of a business becomes confused, it is the leaders’ responsibility to restore clarity, especially in the face of tough strategic choices that have political, personal, and cultural consequences for the organization. 

Sullivan is an organizational psychologist and a partner at Pivot, a strategic leadership consulting firm.  He has taught at the Wharton School of Business and the School of Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and worked closely with executives at some of the world’s most influential organizations, such as PayPal, eBay, Nike, Johnson & Johnson, and other Fortune 500 companies.

Featuring compelling stories of leaders who have succumbed to and successfully resolved their organizations’ identity crises, The Clarity Principle bridges the gap between leadership and strategy, and demonstrates the tremendous gains to be achieved by leaders willing to make tough choices to clarify their organization’s core purpose.