The Crucible of Leadership (Guest Column)

Stephen J. Nelson, author of Leaders in the Crucible: The Moral Voice of College Presidents (Princeton University Press, 2000), looks at the challenges that two university presidents had to face as soon as they were chosen to lead. The challenges they faced were similar to ones that many business leaders have to deal with. In both cases, the two presidents sacrificed their own reputations and agendas for the greater good of their institution.