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You Can't Predict a Hero: From War to Wall Street, Leading in Times of Crisis By Joseph J. Grano, Mark Levine

Many things set Joe Grano apart from the typical corporate leader: his decorated military career, his humble origins, his lack of a formal college education, his meteoric rise. But perhaps the most unique aspect of Grano’s life and career is his ability to deal with crisis. When things are at their worst, Grano is at his best. From Vietnam to 9/11, from the market crash of ’87 to today’s financial crisis, Wall Street legend Joe Grano has been at the front lines of the most defining American crises of the last forty years. Whether leading draftees through combat as a Green Beret in Vietnam, regrouping a team of brokers during the market crash of 1987, or working tirelessly to reopen Wall Street after the attacks on 9/11, Joe has served at the forefront, leading and even inspiring others when things seem at their darkest. Structured around six specific crises he faced in his life and career, You Can’t Predict a Hero tells the unique story of how Grano was able to triumph over challenges both personal and professional.

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The unique story of Wall Street legend Joe Grano—six defining moments in courage, leadership, and determination that will inspire readers of every age, and at every stage in life

From Vietnam to 9/11, from the market crash of '87 to today's financial crisis, Wall Street legend Joe Grano has weathered the most defining crises of the last forty years. Whether leading draftees through combat as a Green Beret in Vietnam, regrouping a team of brokers during the market crash of 1987, or working tirelessly to reopen Wall Street after the attacks on 9/11, Joe has served at the front lines of our nation's most defining moments, leading and even inspiring others when things seem at their darkest.

Structured around six specific crises he faced in his life and career, You Can't Predict a Hero will describe how Grano was able to triumph over challenges both personal and professional. Whether teaching himself to walk again after sustaining crippling battle wounds, rising from his hardscrabble beginnings to become a top broker at Merrill Lynch, or shepherding the merger of PaineWebber and UBS, his experience has been hard-won and his perspective like no one else's.

Through it all, Grano has learned to find the opportunity in any crisis, how to calm and inspire those he leads, and how to find the real solution to what can appear as an insurmountable problem.

This dynamic book will inspire anyone looking to make sense of our rapidly changing world, and how to grow and even thrive through any challenge. Problems require solutions, and crisis creates true leaders.

Joseph J. Grano, Jr. is Chairman and CEO of Centurion Holdings LLC, a company that advises private and public companies. From 2001-2004, Grano was Chairman of UBS Financial Services Inc. (formerly UBS PaineWebber). Having joined the company in 1988, Grano is credited for turning PaineWebber around and shepherding its merger with Swiss banking giant UBS. Grano began his career as a stock broker at Merrill Lynch, where he rose to various senior management positions over 16 years. A decorated war hero, Grano was chosen by the White House to be chairman of the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council after 9/11, a position he held from 2002-2005. The recipient of countless awards for leadership, civic contributions, as well as honorary degrees, he is involved in a wide range of educational and philanthropic endeavors. He and his wife, Kathy, live in New Jersey.

Mark Levine has written and collaborated on more than 30 books, including the best sellers Second Acts, Die Broke, and Lifescripts, as well as hundreds of magazine articles. He lives Ithaca, New York, and is a member of the Authors Guild.

Joe Grano’s Leadership Lessons

Problems Require Solutions: “Effective leaders focus on solutions, not scapegoats. Throughout my life, whenever a problem or a challenge confronted me, I have been able to set aside anger, frustration, and basic human desire to assign blame, and instead focus first and foremost on finding or creating a solution…Ironically, the person responsible for a mistake is more often than not the one essential to rectify the situation. In a crisis, pragmatism has to take priority over anger, politics, and personality. Postmortems can be conducted only after you have stabilized the situation, and in order to avoid the same mistakes in the future. And anger and frustration can be vented only when they will not disrupt or even deter the process.”

Be the Eternal Optimist: “When dealing with crises or when revitalizing a poorly performing organization, you must position yourself as an eternal optimist. In the darkest moments, your subordinates are looking to you, as their leader, for a solution—for a bright light to flow out of the doom-and-gloom tunnel. They expect you to be aware of the facts, regardless of how ugly they may be. But they also look to you for the leadership to solve the problem.”

Reconcile Yourself to Selfishness: “There exists a very simple tenet that, surprisingly, many organizations and managers fail to embrace. It’s that people tend to do what is in their interest. To be an effective leader, you must reconcile yourself to selfishness, even use it as a tool. If you’re asking individuals to materially act in a certain way or perform a particular function, then their compensation should, at least in part, reflect their performance in fulfilling the desired task. If compensation practices are not in direct support of strategy, management will be at cross purposes with its subordinates. The manner in which you compensate and motivate your subordinates must support and drive the activities you wish them to perform. People ultimately do what they are paid to do.”

You Can't Predict a Hero: “Heroism is not measured by physical stature or oral bravado. You can’t anticipate what your reaction or someone else’s will be when bullets are flying and people are seeking to cause you bodily harm. …Fear isn’t confined to combat or other situations that threaten physical harm. I learned that when people are facing a financial or business bullet, their reaction is as unpredictable as it is for those facing live fire. You can never predict what the reaction will be of people facing a business catastrophe. Some you might have suspected would throw you under the bus when, for example, a major client sues, will stand alongside you and face peril, whatever its cost. Others you believed were your truest allies in the office may abandon you at the first hint of trouble.”

The Truth Is Never Wrong: “Facts are sometimes hard to accept. Most people are uneasy about change, even in a crisis, and they are uncomfortable with the new until convinced that it is better than the old. When you’re facing a crisis and you predicate a change in policy, strategy, or direction based on facts or the truth, your constituents will be more likely to embrace a new approach if you begin with an honest assessment of the situation, followed by an open dialogue that articulates the facts. End with a well-thought-out plan that assigns responsibilities and establishes measurement standards.”

Humanity Is More Important Than Heirarchy: “Too many executives start believing their own bullsh** when they reach the corner office. They fall into the trap of thinking the position they hold is more important than the function they perform. … These aren’t good leaders. Failing to realize that their firm’s assets ride up and down the elevators, these imperious executives are often unable to anticipate looming crises and are generally ineffective in confronting and overcoming them. Treating others with respect is more than a management technique. It is an extension of your persona rather than an extension of your position as a leader, manager, or CEO. It defines you as a caring, approachable, grateful person.”

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