Synopses & Reviews
Behind the headlines one of the most talked-about business leaders in the world tells her own story.
By accepting the CEO job at Hewlett-Packard, an iconic company that had lost its way, Carly Fiorina confirmed her status as the most powerful businesswoman in America. But she also made herself a target for everyone who disliked her bold leadership style and resented her rapid rise.
For six years, as she led HP through drastic changes and a controversial merger, Fiorina was the subject of endless analysis, debate, and speculation. She appeared on the cover of every major magazine and her every word was scrutinized. Yet in all that time, the public never got to know the person behind the persona.
Tough Choices will finally reveal the real Carly Fiorina, who writes with brutal honesty about her triumphs and failures, her deepest fears and most painful confrontations including her sudden and very public firing by HP's board of directors.
It's an amazing life story: Fiorina was a liberal arts major and law school dropout who didn't even consider a business career until her mid-twenties. But soon she was blazing through big jobs at AT&T and then Lucent Technologies, with a growing reputation as a creative, hardworking, visionary leader. Her career path would have been remarkable for anyone, but in an industry dominated by men, it was unprecedented.
Tough Choices shows what it's really like to lead a major corporation in a time of great change while trying to stay true to your values. It's one woman's inspiring story, along with her unique perspective on leadership, technology, globalization, sexism, and many other issues.
Review
"Ms. Fiorina is at her best when recounting the travails of a woman in a male-dominated business culture.... [She] is also good in her psychological descriptions of the constant betrayals that occur in corporate bureaucracies. The woman that emerges from these pages is cultured, sensitive and vulnerable, even as she acts tough."
-- The Economist
Review
Praise for Carly Fiorina's
Tough Choices:
“A reminder of the undeniable courage and talents of one of the most notable business leaders—male or female—of recent years.” —Financial Times
“Her prose is fluid and her voice is authentic. Ms. Fiorina has waited a long time to tell her story, and she does so memorably.” —The Wall Street Journal
Synopsis
The New York Times bestseller by the most talked about woman in American business. For five and a half years, Carly Fiorina led Hewlett-Packard through major internal changes, the worst technology slump in decades, and the most controversial merger in high-tech history. Yet just as things were about to turn around, she was abruptly fired, making front-page news around the world.
Fiorina has been the subject of endless debate and speculation. But she has never spoken publicly about crucial details of her time at HP, about the mysterious circumstances of her firing, or about many other aspects of her landmark career. Until now.
In this extraordinarily candid memoir, she reveals the private person behind the public persona. She shares her triumphs and failures, her deepest fears and most painful confrontations. She shows us what it was like to be an ambitious young woman at stodgy old ATandT and then a fast- track executive during the spin-off of Lucent Technologies. Above all, she describes how she drove the transformation of legendary but deeply troubled HP, in the face of fierce opposition.
One of Fiorina?s big themes is that ?in the end business isn?t just about numbers; it?s about people.? This book goes beyond the caricature of the ?powerful woman executive? to show who she really is and what the rest of us?male or female, in business or not?can learn from the tough choices she made along the way.
Synopsis
Behind the headlines-one of the most talked about business leaders in the world tells her own story.
Abridged CDs - 5 CDs, 6 hours
Synopsis
The former CEO and bestselling author returns to help conservatives reach a broader audience and unlock the countrys full potential.
Since the 2006 publication of her New York Times bestseller Tough Choices, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina has faced a new round of challenges. She ran for the Senate as a Republican in deep-blue California; battled breast cancer; suffered the loss of a step-daughter; and launched the Unlocking Potential Project, a new grassroots organization.
Now she has a message for those who worry about Americas future: Our wounds are self-inflicted. We have all the resources we need to prosper, but we dont tap into them. By ignoring conservative principlesor failing to articulate those principles in ways that connect with regular peopleRepublicans have missed many opportunities to lead.
Fiorina believes that politics, like business, is primarily about people. She shows how conservatives can reach out across the usual barriers of gender, race, income, and party affiliation to craft a message that appeals to a wide range of Americans. Her book will be an important blueprint for conservatives as we approach the critical elections of 2016.
About the Author
Carly Fiorina was president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005, and chairman from 2000 to 2005. Before joining HP, she spent nearly twenty years at AT&T and Lucent Technologies, where she held a number of senior leadership positions. She has a B.A. in medieval history and philosophy from Stanford University, an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland, and an M.S. in business from MIT's Sloan School.