From crisis to calling : finding your moral center in the toughest decisions

Making the Hardest Decisions As a young aid worker, Sasha Chanoff was sent to evacuate a group of refugees from the violence-torn Congo. But when he arrived he discovered a second group. Evacuating them too could endanger the entire mission. But leaving them behind would mean their certain death. All leaders face defining moments, when values are in conflict and decisions impact lives. Why is moral courage the essential factor at such times? How do we access our own rock-bottom values, and how can we take advantage of them to make the best decisions? Through Sasha's own extraordinary story and those of eight other brave leaders from business, government, nongovernment organizations, and the military, this book reveals five principles for confronting crucial decisions and inspires all of us to use our moral core as a lodestar for leadership. People are often confronted with choices where morality and pragmatism seem to be at odds. In these situations, leaders are supposed to go with pragmatism: making 'tough calls.' But Sasha Chanoff became a better leader, and saved lives, when he chose empathy and altruism. Through his extraordinary story and the stories of other brave leaders, this book inspires everyone to be guided by his or her deepest moral values. All leaders face defining moments, crises that reveal their true character. Here, Sasha and his father, David, expand on Sasha's defining moment, recounted on The Moth podcast as 'An Impossible Choice.' Working in the violence-torn Congo, he was charged with evacuating a specific group of refugees. Then he and his colleague discovered a group of widows and orphans not on the rescue list. Leaving them behind would mean their deaths. Attempting to take them would jeopardize the entire mission. From Crisis to Calling puts you with Sasha as he agonizes over what to do, revealing five principles for confronting critical decisions that emerged from this experience. The book tells the stories of eight other leaders, from business, government, the military, and nonprofits, who stayed true to their own moral values in the face of enormous pressure. They illustrate the power and fulfillment that come from investing work with compassion, empathy, and an awareness of others Difficult situations, or "crucibles," shape leaders' values and priorities. Refugee aid organization founder Sasha Chanoff and his father, experienced author David Chanoff, offer a detailed account of the crucible that tested Sasha's fortitude. As an aid worker, he tried to help people amid violence in the Congo after the genocide in Rwanda. The authors present a gripping narrative about Sasha's difficult time in a Congolese camp for Tutsi refugees - and of his later work starting a refugee aid organization. getAbstract recommends this searching memoir to businesspeople interested in examples of how difficult circumstances forge exemplary leaders