An insiders' account of failed efforts to control corporate misconduct-and a forceful plan to do so.

Nothing anyone has done in the past 50 years has stopped, or even slowed, corporate misconduct. Business schools have required courses on ethics, regulators have implemented laws and levied fines, and journalists have exposed the scandals named names, yet misconduct continues. Why? Is it simply the case of a few bad apples? Or maybe it's a bad orchard? Two pioneers in the field of business ethics and social responsibility present an insider's account examining the systematic and individual failures resulting in some of the most brazen cases of corporate misconduct. Their deep dive reveals the root of the problem and poses a bold new approach for putting a stop to it-for good.

This book is a reckoning for every company, board member, and individual in a corporate leadership position.

But what exactly should you do? And how will you know whether it's working? Too many people assume that good intentions will result in meaningful actions and leave it at that. But thanks to Marc Epstein and Kristi Yuthas, social impact can now be evaluated with the same kind of precision achieved for any other organizational function.

Based on years of research and analysis of field studies from around the globe, Epstein and Yuthas offer a five-step process that will help you gain clarity about the impacts that matter most to you and will provide you with methods to measure and improve them. They outline a systematic approach to deciding what resources you should invest, what problem you should address, and which activities and organizations you should support. Once you've made those decisions, you can use their tools, frameworks, and metrics to define exactly what success looks like, even for goals like reducing global warming or poverty that are extremely difficult to measure. Then they show you how to use that data to further develop and increase your social impact.

Epstein and Yuthas personally interviewed leaders at over sixty different organizations for this book and include examples from nearly a hundred more. This is unquestionably the most complete, practical, and thoroughly researched guide to taking a rigorous, data-driven approach to expanding the good you do in the world.

An insiders' account of failed efforts to control corporate misconduct-and a forceful plan to do so.

Nothing anyone has done in the past 50 years has stopped, or even slowed, corporate misconduct. Business schools have required courses on ethics, regulators have implemented laws and levied fines, and journalists have exposed the scandals named names, yet misconduct continues. Why? Is it simply the case of a few bad apples? Or maybe it's a bad orchard? Two pioneers in the field of business ethics and social responsibility present an insider's account examining the systematic and individual failures resulting in some of the most brazen cases of corporate misconduct. Their deep dive reveals the root of the problem and poses a bold new approach for putting a stop to it-for good.

This book is a reckoning for every company, board member, and individual in a corporate leadership position.

For some dominant visionaries], too much interference will stifle their ambition. For others, not interfering might allow them to go haywire and destroy the company. The Brilliant Jerk Conundrum shows how to tell the difference and what to do about it.
--Srikant M. Datar, professor and senior associate dean at Harvard Business School and member of four boards

In my 50 years as an executive and board member in Silicon Valley, I interacted with many brilliant jerks. I came within a whisker of joining the Theranos board and pulled out at the last minute. Disruptors can be unpredictable and unrealistic. You've captured how to navigate that challenge in this book.
--Dick Levy, former CEO and chairman of Varian

With a strong leader at the helm, what can possibly go wrong?

Betting on a dominant visionary is one of the biggest business gambles an investor, employee, or board member will ever make. If things go right, a visionary's wizardry changes entire industries and generates massive value for shareholders, employees, and society. But if things go wrong, millions (possibly billions) of dollars are lost--and sometimes people go to jail. The challenge for investors, employees, and board members is knowing the difference between an inspired visionary such as Steve Jobs, a firebrand entrepreneur like Elon Musk, and an idealistic time bomb like Elizabeth Holmes and if, when, and how to intervene.

Rob Shelton and Marc J. Epstein have gathered the cautionary tales and the wisdom of board directors and executives who have dealt with dominant visionaries to deliver a prescription for success. With this guide you'll be able to identify what kind of visionary you have and develop successful tactics to govern and thrive with the brainiest and the jerkiest of them all.

As an individual who has served on various nonprofit boards, and as the president and CEO of a large nonprofit organization, I can attest to how valuable this book is. Marc Epstein and Warren McFarlan offer insight into the expectations of nonprofit board members, which is extraordinarily beneficial to individuals considering their first nonprofit board and to seasoned professionals already serving on boards. --Gail McGovern, President and CEO, American Red Cross
Excerpted from Foreword

This book is a roadmap for the business person who wants to serve on a nonprofit board, and unwittingly assumes that the approaches that worked so well in the for-profit world can be seamlessly extrapolated to the nonprofit board room. --Roseanna H. Means, M.D., founder and president, Women of Means

A must-read for all new and existing nonprofit board members. It is full of practical advice that will help improve the effectiveness of nonprofit board members and the organizations they serve. --Roger Servison, president emeritus, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and vice chairman, Boston Symphony Orchestra

What a powerful tool now available for anyone involved with governance of America's nonprofit enterprises. The analysis is cogent and concise, amply supported by real-life examples. --George B. Beitzel, chairman emeritus, Amherst College, and chairman emeritus, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Joining a Nonprofit Board offers practical advice in complementing your business experience with the nuances of nonprofit governance, performance, and management in order to fully achieve the societal mission. --Jeffrey C. Thomson, president and CEO, Institute of Management Accountants

This book will guide you through the differences between for-profit and nonprofit organizations (and boards). It will help you navigate through all the nuances in which nonprofit organizations actually operate on a day-to-day basis.--Elaine Ullian, former president, Boston Medical Center

Joining a Nonprofit Board is a must-read. This book should be required reading and distributed at the opening board meeting. --Agnes C. Underwood, former head, Garrison Forest School and National Cathedral School; vice president/managing associate, Carney, Sandoe and Associates

A Board needs a unifying and visionary objective--'It must be World Class.' This book successfully shows how to create a World Class Board. --W. Richard Bingham, former chairman, California Academy of Sciences

For some dominant visionaries], too much interference will stifle their ambition. For others, not interfering might allow them to go haywire and destroy the company. The Brilliant Jerk Conundrum shows how to tell the difference and what to do about it.

--Srikant M. Datar, professor and senior associate dean at Harvard Business School and member of four boards

In my 50 years as an executive and board member in Silicon Valley, I interacted with many brilliant jerks. I came within a whisker of joining the Theranos board and pulled out at the last minute. Disruptors can be unpredictable and unrealistic. You've captured how to navigate that challenge in this book.

--Dick Levy, former CEO and chairman of Varian

With a strong leader at the helm, what can possibly go wrong?

Betting on a dominant visionary is one of the biggest business gambles an investor, employee, or board member will ever make. If things go right, a visionary's wizardry changes entire industries and generates massive value for shareholders, employees, and society. But if things go wrong, millions (possibly billions) of dollars are lost--and sometimes people go to jail. The challenge for investors, employees, and board members is knowing the difference between an inspired visionary such as Steve Jobs, a firebrand entrepreneur like Elon Musk, and an idealistic time bomb like Elizabeth Holmes and if, when, and how to intervene.

Rob Shelton and Marc J. Epstein have gathered the cautionary tales and the wisdom of board of directors and executives who have dealt with dominant visionaries to deliver a prescription for success. With this guide, you'll be able to identify what kind of leadership you have and develop successful tactics to gover and thrive with the brainiest and jerkiest of them all.