Book reviewers received a one-paragraph e-mail Tuesday from the publisher of “Soaring Through Turbulence.” It told them that the March launch of the book had been delayed indefinitely and to “please disregard the galleys.”
That’s because co-author Michael Sears, 56, was fired as Boeing’s chief financial officer a day earlier for allegedly discussing a job opportunity at Boeing with Darleen Druyun, who was representing the Air Force in contract negotiations with the aircraft maker.
The book, subtitled “A New Model for Managers Who Want to Succeed in a Changing Business World,” focuses in the early pages on what allegedly got him fired: business ethics.
Galleys, which are typeset proofs of books used to get publicity ahead of publication, arrived days before the firing.
Sears and his lawyer James Streicker did not respond to requests for comment, nor did publisher John Wiley & Sons publicist Mike Onorato, who sent the e-mail.
In a statement Wednesday, Sears said he was “deeply disappointed” that Boeing fired him.
From the CFO of the Boeing Company, nine rules for business leaders on managing your company through change
In Soaring Through Turbulence, Mike Sears and Tom Schweich show how managers today can weather any turbulent time and plan for the future. In the wake of a year of setbacks to all companies–September 11th terrorist attack among them–and the resulting troubled economy, being prepared and flexible is even more critical. There is much to learn from Mike Sears’ success at Boeing. Despite a huge shakeup in the airline industry, the company remains the #1 commercial jet manufacturer and the #2 defense company, making crucial improvements in its customer response time and winning industry-wide praise for newly introduced technology despite a difficult business environment.
Based on a theory of leadership and management built over Sears’ career, Soaring Through Turbulence presents nine steps that can guide managers in moving forward, establishing credibility, making solid decisions, communicating, and aligning actions with new priorities. This groundbreaking approach is designed to help leaders win the trust of their employees, streamline the flow of information, and foster teamwork in unpredictable times.
Michael Sears (Chicago, IL) is Executive Vice President, a member of the Office of the Chairman, and Chief Financial Officer of the Boeing Company, the world’s largest aerospace company. He formerly served as president of McDonnell Douglas Aerospace and president of Douglas Aircraft Company. Thomas Schweich (St. Louis, MO) is a partner at the law firm Bryan Cave LLP and the author of three previous books. His work has been featured on CNN and the Bloomberg Financial Network.
Michael M. Sears, Thomas A. Schweich
ISBN: 0-471-45729-9
Hardcover
240 pages
February 2004
US $24.95
Can't they just retitle the damn thing? Something along the lines of Stealing through Turbulence: A New Model for Managers Who Want to Deceive in a Changing Business World.
At least then they could honestly call it nonfiction.
⇒ In this article from USA Today we learn that Sears "made" a salary of $746,154 and a $363,900 bonus in 2002 — not bad for the former McDonnell Douglas president whose new company's 9-11-01 troubles were now being solved by repositioning itself as a defense contractor in light of the administration's prevailing screw-the-evidence-and-go-get-em attitude.
Sears' co-author was also responsible for a Viagra-like book called Staying Power: 30 Secrets Invincible Executives Use for Getting to the Top — and Staying There. I guess Sears never read it.
