In our search for the quintessence of leadership, we’ve quoted many CEO’s about the qualities of great leaders. Following the maxim that if failure doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale School of Management and founder of the non-profit Chief Executive Leadership Institute, has sharpened his vision and status by focusing on the lessons learned when CEO’s rebound from failure. Sonnenfeld’s latest book is Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After Career Disasters.
In a Fortune article entitled “The Liberating Effect of Failure“, he is interviewed about his findings. You can also find video interviews with the fired heads of Starbucks, Motorola and Jet Blue. Their unique viewpoint creates a valuable perspective which also sheds light on the challenges of leadership. They are also interviewed here about what they learned when they were fired – and what they’re doing now.