From little known heroes to legends like Sam Walton and Bill Gates, this absorbing book weaves history, economics, and personality to reveal the secrets behind the success of the last century's greatest American business leaders. The authors show that a key to success was "contextual intelligence": the ability to "read" and understand the context of the times and seize the unique opportunities within them. Powerful Resource: canon of the 20th century's greatest business leaders in one volume Absorbing read: the stories include both well known and unfamiliar leaders New Leadership Theory: many leadership profiles focus on personality traits; the authors' theory of "contextual intelligence" represents a fresh perspective Well-researched: based on a Harvard Business School Leadership Initiative Study of 1,000 great CEOs and Founders of American companies from 1900-1999 Many of the leaders profiled hail from non-US countries Fascinating stories of the greatest American business leaders of the 20th century brought together in a single volume. From little known heroes to legends like Sam Walton and Bill Gates, this absorbing book weaves history, economics and personality to reveal the secrets behind the success of the last century's greatest American business leaders. The authors show that a key to success was "contextual intelligence": the ability to "read" and understand the context of the times and seize the unique opportunities within them.