The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive

A gripping tale that reveals what occupies the minds of the world’s best business leaders As CEO, most everything that Rich O'Connor did had something to do with at least one of the four disciplines on his famed "yellow sheet." Some of the firm's executives joked that he was obsessed with it. Interestingly, only a handful of people knew what was on that sheet, and so it remained something of a mystery. Which was okay with Rich, because no one really needed to understand it, other than him. He certainly never suspected that it would become the blueprint of an employee's plan to destroy the firm. In this stunning follow-up to his best-selling book, The Five Temptations of a CEO, Patrick Lencioni offers up another leadership fable that's every bit as compelling and illuminating as its predecessor. This time, Lencioni's focus is on a leader's crucial role in building a healthy organization - an often overlooked but essential element of business life that is the linchpin of sustained success. Readers are treated to a story of corporate intrigue as Rich O'Connor, fictional CEO of technology consulting company Telegraph Partners, faces a leadership challenge so great that it threatens to topple his company, his career and everything he holds true about what makes a leader truly exceptional. In the story's telling, Lencioni deftly helps his readers understand the disarming simplicity and power of creating a healthy organization and reveals four key disciplines that they can follow to achieve it. In The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, Lencioni delivers an utterly gripping tale with a powerful and memorable message for all who strive to be remarkable leaders.

The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive ix Introduction xi THE FABLE PART ONE: GREEN’S PAIN 1 The Rival 3 Reconnaissance 5 PART TWO: THE HISTORY 9 Two CEOs 11 Desperate Epiphany 14 Practice 17 The Gatekeeper 20 Asleep at the Gate 22 Misorientation 28 Hesitation 31 Confrontation 34 The Virus 38 Mending Fences 40 Off-Sites 43 Meadowood 46 The Day of Reckoning 56 360° Feedback 63 Unraveling 71 Cold Water 74 Moment of Truth 76 PART THREE: GREEN’S OPPORTUNITY 83 Reacquaintance 85 Contact 88 Discipline One 93 Discipline Two 100 Discipline Three 107 Discipline Four 113 The Realization 127 PART FOUR: THE RESOLUTION 129 The Decision 131 White Flag 133 Afterword 135 ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH:THE MODEL 137 Putting the Disciplines into Practice: A Summary and Self-Assessment 139 Acknowledgments 181 About the Author 183