The profiles and biographies of the CEOs selected were adequate and I found some of the writing compelling, but in my mind the book had several weaknesses. I did not enjoy the writing style; I felt like I was being lectured at. I also felt that Nader was using this book as a soapbox and that he was still bitter about the federal elections he ran in. While the CEO profiles were okay, Nader’s interjections were less so and really detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Another big problem I had was that it seemed that the CEOs were by-and-large company founders and that the positive actions taken were while the companies were private so it did gave me a selective view of ethical business practices. Thank you to Netgalley and Melville House for the advance reader copy.

Ralph Nader's personality and voice ring clear in consonance with his subject. Everyone in organizational management should benefit from Ralph's insights on the visions of the twelve business leaders chosen for the subjects of this book who have balanced profit with quality of life for the community in their companies and the community at large.

Recently the nonfiction book club I run had business as its topic for the month. In my email accompanying a list of books to vote on I apologized for only including books about "businesses behaving badly". I wanted some balance, but most business-positive books were either hagiographic or very self-serving memoirs. i jumped on The Rebellious CEO when it became available on netgalley because it seemed like a useful alternative. The twelve CEOs profiled here by Ralph Nader exemplify principles of corporate responsibility: responsibility to employees; responsibility to customers; responsibility to community; and responsibility to the environment. Most importantly, they have done so without sacrificing profitability, often finding that good practices can actually result in more profit.

While some of Nader's profiles border on hagiography (profile of the Patagonia founder), he is generally willing to point out shortcomings (e.g. Sol Price's not caring about impact of his products). Unfortunately one of the CEO "blindspots" Nader is most willing to point out, is a lack of enthusiasm for his 2000 and 2004 campaigns for president - something that I think is illustrative of these CEOs' wisdom. But Nader's genuine affection for these maverick personalities - many of whom he knew personally - comes through.

Unfortunately, these profiles didn't give me much cause for optimism. Virtually everyone profiled is a company founder, and there is no recipe (although Patagonia may have found one through a novel ownership scheme and Costco - a descendant of Sol Price's company - still pays higher than prevailing wages) for perpetuating these values beyond the founding generation, much less injecting them into the publicly traded corporations that dominate our economy. In chapter 11, Gordon B. Sherman (ousted CEO of Midas) very eloquently explains exactly why public companies are practically structured not to embrace these values. Public pressure can cause corporations to pay lip service to these values, and perhaps the assessment in Chapter 12 (about Paul Hawken) that lip service is the first sign of change provides some glimmer of optimism,

While this book is understandable for the general reader, it's not quite scintillating enough to recommend to someone without a prior interest in the topic. If the topic intrigues you, I suggest giving it a shot. It certainly catalogs a variety of approaches to ethical behavior, and can also serve as a gateway (useful bibliography and in-text references) to a deeper dive into the approaches that intrigue the reader most.

Many thanks to netgalley for providing an early egalley of this title.

When you think of Ralph Nader, you don't exactly think of someone who is quick to hand out compliments. One of the corporate world's most recognized critics, Nader has long been a thorn in the side of American business.

So, you can imagine my surprise to pick up "The Rebellious CEO: 12 Leaders Who Did It Right," an engaging and informative read in which Nader profiles a small group of CEOs who he believes performed extraordinarily well not just as corporate leaders but as civic reformers who should be celebrated as exceptions and whose careers should be an inspiration for students of business, executives, and the wider society. Some of these names will be familiar. Others perhaps not.

The Body Shop's Anita Roddick
Patagonia's Yvon Chouinard
Busboys and Poets' Andy Shallal
Vanguard's John Bogle

The list goes on.

It's not that these people were perfect. At times, they were far from it. Nader writes it's that these CEOs represent "a sense of what might have been and what still could be if business were rigorously framed as a process that was not only about making money and selling things but improving our social and natural world.”

Of the 12 CEOs listed, nine have since passed away. The vast majority of this also only includes the stereotypical white males who dominate America's corporate leadership. This is acknowledged in the book itself and itself is a cause for reflection.

However, with "The Rebellious CEO" Nader has given us a glimpse inside the kinds of CEOs who garner his attention, for better or for worse, and he's admirably crafted engaging and thought-provoking stories about exactly why these CEOs have stood out among others. They are not the only ones, of course, however, they seem to be the ones Nader knows best and/or the ones Nader feels most comfortable holding up as examples of what it means to "do it right" as a corporate leader.

While not a CEO, I found myself thinking about my own leadership roles and wondering what would Nader think if he looked inside my leadership world. While I think I do well, "The Rebellious CEO" makes me want to do better.

"The Rebellious CEO" should be a must-read for every aspiring corporate or non-profit leader along with veteran CEOs. Yes, it's truly that important.