This book is about leadership in context-not leadership that emerges solely from the qualities of the human character, but leadership that springs forth from an appreciation and understanding of one's situation in the world. Economic,social, and political conditions change over time, and these changes require dis-tinct leadership styles and approaches for success. Would Walt Disney be a suc-cess in today's hypermedia environment? What about Henry Ford-would his steadfast and uncompromising focus on productivity through mass production resonate with today's automobile industry? It is hard to even imagine that someone as recently heralded as Jack Welch could lead today in the manner and approach that gave him and his company such prominence just a few years ago.

NO SPHERE OF ACTIVITYhas impacted the evolution of society in the twentieth century more than business. The list of hallowed leaders from that period in time reads like a who's who of history's greatest trailblaz-ers: Henry Ford, Walt Disney. Katherine Graham. Bill Gates. How did these leaders succeed so famously when so many others failed? And what can today's leaders learn from them?

In this landmark book, Anthony J. Mayo and Nitin Nohria break new ground in our understanding of the requirements of truly great leadership, Illustrated through dozens of fascinating profiles of business visionaries, In Their Time reveals that out-standing leaders possess more than charis-matic personalities and an appetite for risk. They have "contextual intelligence"-a profound ability to understand the spirit of the times and harness the opportunities it presents to create successful organiza-tions. The book identifies three distinct paths that the best leaders forge to great-ness-entrepreneurial innovation, savvy management, and transformational leader-ship-and explores the contextual factors that leaders must "read" correctly in order to succeed.

Based on an exhaustive study of one thou-sand of the twentieth century's most influ-ential business leaders, In Their Time is also a canon of the key individuals whose lega-cies changed how we live and work today. Through riveting stories that weave their way through the burgeoning marketplace of the early 1900s, the doldrums of the Great Depression, and into the technology gold rush of the late twentieth century,the book brings to life how contextual intelligence guided leaders from unsung heroes like pioneering minority business-woman Madam C. J. Walker to well-known leaders like IBM's Lou Gersmer and Coca-Cola's Robert Woodruff.

Who will be the business champions of the twenty-first century? How will the times shape their paths to success?Fascinating and insightful, In Their Time will inspire readers as they build and shape their own lasting legacies.

Foreword  ix

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction xv

ONE

1900-1909

Land of Business Opportunity

TWO

1910-1919

Breaking Frontiers

THREE

1920-1929

From Prosperity to Despair

FOUR

193o-1939

Survival Through Adaptation and Renewal

FIVE

1940-1949

Reaching New Heights Through Standardization

SIX

1950-1959

Feeding the Machine of Consumption

SEVEN

1960-1969

Business in a Bubble

EIGHT

1970-1979

Managing Through the Malaise

NINE

1980-1989

Restoring Glory in American Business

TEN

199o-1999

Reengineering, Restructuring, and Reality Check

Epilogue

Appendix 365

Notes 373

Index 421

About the Autbors 443