For Business Leaders (and MBAs), Character Counts

This blog first appeared on the Bloomberg Businessweek website. Robert J. Thomas and I met in early fall of 1999 determined to write a book about how generational differences could impact leadership behavior. Would successful young leaders, 30 years old–raised after the Depression and World War II–hold divergent attitudes and values that would distinguish them from successful leaders 40 to 60 years older? The next three years were an odyssey full of fun, frustration, and surprises: identifying and interviewing terrific leaders in these two age groups who were willing to spend hours with us, videotaping included. We did pretty well……