FORTUNE The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time: How Apple, Ford, IBM, Zappos, and others made radical choices that changed the course of business.

Decisions equal success-nothing happens until one is made. Businesses make millions of decisions every day. But once in a great while a leader makes a truly game-changing decision that shifts not only the strategy of a single company but how everyone does business. These big decisions are counterintuitive-they go against the conventional wisdom. In hindsight, taking a different direction may seem easy, but these bet-the-company moves involve drama, doubt, and high tension. What made Apple's board bring back Steve Jobs to the company? How did Johnson & Johnson decide to recall every bottle of Tylenol after a poisoning scare that involved only a small batch of the drug? What made Henry Ford decide to double the wages of his autoworkers, and how did that change the American economy for the next century? Here management consultant Verne Harnish, the CEO of Gazelles, and __Fortune__'s editors provide the background stories behind the greatest business decisions of all time. In this fully original book, you'll get a glimpse into the thought processes leading up to these groundbreaking moments and will learn how the decisions have shaped the thinking of today's top leaders. The book also contains an insightful foreword by management guru **Jim Collins**, the author of __Built To Last__ and __Good To Great__, which explains the importance of decision making in creating a successful company. **ADVANCED PRAISE FOR FORTUNE Greatest Business Decisions**"CEOs make thousands of decisions every year, but only a few of them have dramatic impact on a company's brand, performance, and culture. IBM knows something about those types of 'big bets.' This book is a concise look at some of those big decisions and the C-suite moves that separated winners from the competition." **- Samuel J. Palmisano,** Chairman and former CEO, IBM"A great resouce! Learning about how others make great decisions can help you make great decisions! A fascinating, practical history that can change the way that you make decisions. Required reading for decison-makers- at all levels!" **-Marshall Goldsmith**, named the No. 1 Leadership Thinker in the World by Thinkers50, is a consultant and author of the New York Times bestsellers MOJO and What Got You Here Won't Get You There."When you look at the best business decisions that have been made throughout the years, a clear pattern emerges: The best decisions require not only great insight, but courage and commitment as well. The greatest business leaders are the ones who focus their energy not solely on profits, but on improving people's lives. These important lessons from our past, which this book brings to light, are more relevant than ever today." **-Bill Ford**, Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Decisions equal success-nothing happens until one is made. Businesses make millions of decisions every day. But once in a great while a leader makes a truly game-changing decision that shifts not only the strategy of a single company but how everyone does business. These big decisions are counterintuitive-they go against the conventional wisdom. In hindsight, taking a different direction may seem easy, but these bet-the-company moves involve drama, doubt, and high tension. What made Apple's board bring back Steve Jobs to the company? How did Johnson & Johnson decide to recall every bottle of Tylenol after a poisoning scare that involved only a small batch of the drug? What made Henry Ford decide to double the wages of his autoworkers, and how did that change the American economy for the next century? Here management consultant Verne Harnish, the CEO of Gazelles, and Fortune 's editors provide the background stories behind the greatest business decisions of all time. In this fully original book, you'll get a glimpse into the thought processes leading up to these groundbreaking moments and will learn how the decisions have shaped the thinking of today's top leaders. The book also contains an insightful foreword by management guru Jim Collins , the author of Built To Last and Good To Great , which explains the importance of decision making in creating a successful company. ADVANCED PRAISE FOR FORTUNE Greatest Business Decisions "CEOs make thousands of decisions every year, but only a few of them have dramatic impact on a company's brand, performance, and culture. IBM knows something about those types of 'big bets.' This book is a concise look at some of those big decisions and the C-suite moves that separated winners from the competition." - Samuel J. Palmisano, Chairman and former CEO, IBM "A great resouce! Learning about how others make great decisions can help you make great decisions! A fascinating, practical history that can change the way that you make decisions. Required reading for decison-makers- at all levels!" -Marshall Goldsmith , named the No. 1 Leadership Thinker in the World by Thinkers50, is a consultant and author of the New York Times bestsellers MOJO and What Got You Here Won't Get You There. "When you look at the best business decisions that have been made throughout the years, a clear pattern emerges: The best decisions require not only great insight, but courage and commitment as well. The greatest business leaders are the ones who focus their energy not solely on profits, but on improving people's lives. These important lessons from our past, which this book brings to light, are more relevant than ever today." -Bill Ford , Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Decisions equal success--nothing happens until one is made. Businesses make millions of decisions every day. But once in a great while a leader makes a truly game-changing decision that shifts not only the strategy of a single company but how everyone does business. These big decisions are counter intuitive--they go against the conventional wisdom. In hindsight, taking a different direction may seem easy, but these bet-the-company moves involve drama, doubt and high tension. What made Apple's board bring back Steve Jobs to the company? How did J&J decide to recall every bottle of Tylenol after a poisoning scare that only involved a small batch of the drug? What made Henry Ford decide to double the wages of his auto workers and how did that change the American economy for the next century? Here management consultant Verne Harnish, the CE0 of Gazelles, along with Fortune's editors, provide the background story behind the 20 great business decisions of all time. You'll get a glimpse into the thought process leading up to these groundbreaking moments and will learn how these decisions have shaped the thinking of today's top leaders. The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time will spur debates and ignite conversations from board rooms to coffee shops and all will be wondering how one might apply these lessons to one's own business. BUS000000,Business Apple brings back Steve Jobs / Adam Sashinsky How free shipping saved Zappos / Jennifer Reingold Why Samsung lets its stars goof off / Nicholas Varchaver At Johnson & Johnson, the shareholder comes last / Timothy K. Smith Why daydreaming pays off big at 3M / Geoff Colvin How Intel got consumers to love chips / David A Kaplan Jack's GE cathedral / David A. Kaplan Bill Gates decides to take a week off / David A Kaplan Softsoap's blocking decision / Brian O'Keefe Toyota pursues zero defects / Alex Taylor III Extreme customer service at Nordstrom / Geoff Colvin Tata takes the sting out of a painful situation / Geoff Colvin Boeing bets big on the 707 / Adam Lashinsky IBM's Operation bear hug / Adam Lashinsky Wal-Mart creates the 6 a.m. meeting / Hank Gilman Eli Whitney : Is your business in trouble? Pivot! / Geoff Colvin The HP way / David A. Kaplan Henry Ford doubles workers' wages / Alex Taylor III. Businesses make millions of small decisions every day. Sometimes they add up to success; other times failure. But once in a great while a leader makes a truly game-changing decision that shifts not only the strategy of a single company but how everyone does business. These big decisions are often counter-intuitive, and involve drama, doubt, and high tension. Harnish provides the background stories of some great business decisions, and gives you a glimpse into the thought processes leading up to these moments. -- from Publisher description Provides stories behind the greatest business decisions ever made, featuring examples from such companies as Samsung, Intel, GE, Softsoap, Nordstrom, and Boeing