Looks Good on Paper?

Leslie S. Pratch is a practicing psychologist who focuses on assessing and coaching executives who occupy or are candidates for top positions in business organizations. In this book, she shares insights from more than twenty years of executive evaluations and offers an empirical method of identifying executives who will be effective within organizations—and to flag those who will ultimately fail—by evaluating hidden aspects of personality and character.

Pratch compares candidates with impressive careers and tries to determine which are likely to act with consistently high integrity and exhibit sound, timely judgment when faced with unanticipated business problems. Central to effective leadership is a psychological quality called "active coping," which Pratch defines and explores by referencing case studies, historical figures, and her own scholarly work. This book speaks not only to those in hiring positions and their advisors but also more widely to leaders and anyone who wishes to learn more about their own character and the abilities of those around them. Pratch offers knowledge, asks questions, and challenges common perceptions, providing a practical tool for those in business and for the general reader.

Leslie S. Pratch has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Northwestern University and an MBA in strategy and finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and has published a number of scholarly articles.

Bethany McLean, coauthor, The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron:
Looks Good on Paper? addresses that most vexing of hiring questions: can you get underneath someone's resume and figure out who will be an effective leader? Leslie Pratch's answer is yes, and this exploration of her methods is fascinating reading for businesspeople and laypeople alike.

Marvin Zonis, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago:
Over many years advising on the selection of CEOs and other executives, Pratch has identified the underlying psychological characteristics of effective business leaders under different circumstances and developed a sophisticated methodology for determining whether a given individual would be likely or unlikely to be effective in particular circumstances. Yet her book is not just for boards of directors and wannabe CEOs. Readers are likely to come away with a better understanding of themselves.

E. David Coolidge III, vice chairman and former CEO, William Blair & Company:
Pratch's insightful analysis and focus on sizing up the candidate's total personality will help anyone making a hiring decision identify people with integrity and the requisite coping skills to deal with the challenges of leadership.

John W. Rogers, Jr., chairman, CEO, and chief investment officer, Ariel Investments:
In Looks Good on Paper?, Pratch applies years of field study to present an easily understandable model to predict long-term senior-management success. This book will not only help you effectively understand the quality of management teams but also help you improve your ability to choose leaders for your own company and possibly improve your leadership skills in the process.