It is never easy to lead a process of cultural change in a large, established organisation. When Carly Fiorina accepted the role of CEO of Hewlett Packard with a mandate for introducing cultural change, she knew she was in for a struggle. Her book, Tough Choices: a Memoir, gives her perspective on just how great that struggle was.
There are numerous insights for leaders that can be gleaned from the book by observing the way in which the author dealt with issues such as: misalignment of actual behaviour with stated organisational values, failures of communication and co-operation between different business units within the organisation, introduction of change into a conservative environment, passive-aggressive behaviour in the board room, shortage of leadership, and merger with an organisation which had a significantly different corporate culture.
Ultimately, Carly Fiorina was fired from Hewlett Packard. She says, “Life isn’t always fair, and I was playing in the big leagues… I had made mistakes, but I had made a difference… I had made tough choices, and I could live with their consequences.” Any leader of a substantial organisation needs to be tough enough to handle the criticism, conflict and difficult choices which necessarily come with the role. I highly recommend this book because of the helpful way in which it canvases these issues.