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Jacquelyn Keville
Professor C. Lowry
697O Midterm Paper
April 8, 2015
Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr.; Defining Moments
I. Overview of Goals
The book Defining Moments, written by Joseph Badaracco, illustrates how a single
decision can alter the life and career path of an employee. The book begins by allowing the
reader to reflect on the defining moments of their life and career and consider the moral
ramifications of the decisions that they have made.
One of the main themes explored in the book is the thought process involved with
decision-making; specifically, the thoughts and dilemma one faces when searching for the right
answer. Throughout the book, readers will be introduced to the perspectives of various ethical
theorists, such as Aristotle and Machiavelli. This will allow readers to consider the decisionmaking process from different perspectives.
Additionally, throughout the book, Badaracco highlights how managers can develop
ethical solutions to a right vs. right decision. A right vs. right decision is defined as having
more than one ethically acceptable solution. Badaracco suggests that this decision-making model
allows the reader to examine how managers approach the decision-making process. Badaracco
views these right vs. right decisions as defining moments. Building off this model, Badaracco
presents problems and allows the reader to reflect and resolve them throughout the course of the
book.

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Ultimately, Defining Moments establishes how decisions reveal, test, and shape the values
of a manager and the values of an organization. To analyze how decisions reveal, test, and shape
ones values, Badaracco conducts three different case studies and examines how each person
develops throughout the decision-making process. This book shows how important it is to truly
look at a decision from multiple perspectives in order to make an informed decision based off of
ones moral beliefs, as well as those of the company.
II. Synopsis of Defining Moments
Defining Moments analyzes three different right vs. right decisions, showing how
managers view work and life choices as one cumulative defining moment. In the three scenarios
presented by Badaracco, he evaluates both sides of the right vs. right argument in order to
highlight the decision that will allow each manager to maintain their personal morals and uphold
the values of their organization. The book assesses questions from the managers view, such as:
How do I think about defining moments? How do I resolve them in ways I can live with? (7)
The story of Steve Lewis is the first case study presented by Badaracco. Lewis is an
African American first-year investment banker, who faces a crisis of moral identity. Lewiss firm
has asked him to attend a presentation for a prospective client in St. Louis. Lewis had not
previously worked on the presentation and knew little about the subject. After speaking with a
partner at the firm, he learns that the state treasurer wants to see at least one black professional,
or the firm has no chance of being named a manager for this deal (10). This was a significant
decision for Lewis because it was a matter of his identity and his career. It touched on the
matter of who he was, what he stood for, and what regrets he would be willing to live with. (13)
Badaracco analyzes the right vs. right decision from the perspectives of philosophers Nietzsche
and Aristotle, and shows the two sides of Lewiss right argument. Overall, Lewis decides to go

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on the trip and demonstrate his banking skills by being a part of the presentation. He wants to
earn his spot on the team not by the color of his skin, but by his ability and work ethic.
The next case that Badaracco presents is about Peter Adario, who is the manager of a
marketing department. Adario is faced with a conflict that pits his manager responsibilities
against his personal values. His conflict begins when a senior manager, Lisa Walters, believes
that Adario should fire Kathryn McNeil. Walters believed that McNeil was not fulfilling her
duties as an employee, and that her responsibilities at home were causing her problems at work
(16). Peter Adarios right vs. right conflict allows him to think through organizational
questions, such as: Who are we? What do we stand for? What norms and values guide how we
work together and treat each other? How do we define ourselves as a human institution? (18)
Unfortunately, in Adarios case Walters goes above Adario to the senior vice president who fires
McNeil before Adario can work out the conflict. Badaracco uses the moral teachings of William
James to assess Adarios position in the company. By the end of the case study, Badaracco
explains that Adario understands "that managers could meet their ethical responsibilities in the
company only if they had excellent managerial and political skills, and he felt he had begun to
understand this in an instinctive way, as a result of his frustrating and painful experience. (102)
The final scenario Badaracco analyzes is that of Edouard Sakiz, the chairman of a
medium-sized French pharmaceutical company, who is conflicted by the responsibilities his
company shares with society. His company just developed the pill RU 486, which causes
miscarriage during the first five weeks of pregnancy. This drug has yet to hit the shelves, but
since the release of its existence many antiabortion groups have threatened to boycott the
company. Badaracco examines Sakizs questions, such as: Who am I? Was he first and
foremost, a medical doctor, a scientific researcher, an advocate of womens rights, or a corporate

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executive with responsibilities to shareholders and employees? (21) Views of Machiavelli and
Aristotle are used to assess this question, which leads Sakiz to initially suspend the product.
Once the French government threatens to transfer the patent to a company that would release it,
Sakiz reconsiders his decision and opts to market the drug developed by his company. For well
or ill, the RU 486 episode revealed and tested the person Sakiz had become through the career he
had chosen and the life he had lived. (119)
III. Personal Relevance
Throughout the book I saw many instances that I related to my personal life. As a young,
recent college graduate I am just about to begin my career in public audit, where making ethical
decisions is a big part of my profession. Defining Moments opened my eyes to the different types
of right vs. right decisions that people in the work force are faced with every day. Badaracco
offers great insight into the way one should weigh the two sides of a conflict, and the different
types of conflict that can arise. I believe that a large part of my future profession will test my
personal values against the values held by my employer and my clients. In making decisions I
know that I will have to view multiple angles of a conflict and step back and reflect on the issue.
The last chapter of the book shows the views of Marcus Aurelius, which opened my eyes
to how I should go about making a defining moment decision. Marcuss advice would be to
work hard to create moments of serenity. (124) In a situation of chaos and insanity, sometimes it
is easier to independently reflect on the situation and establish a plan of action. He believed that
moments of serenity and reflection should be used, in part, as preparation for the tasks of
everyday life and work, and for the occasional, often crucial challenges we have called defining
moments. (125) Reflection can prepare one to deal with daily challenges and defining
moments, which help one to see what is truly important to them.

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Aurelius teachings also made me think about the person I have become and how I should
live my life. He believes that people should try to live their imagined best life (130). I believe
what Marcus means by this is that we should try and live out the life we want. I believe that these
teachings help to establish a method of moral guidance with which we should use to help think
through our defining moments and life goals.
IV. Why is this Book Beneficial to Readers?
I believe that this book will benefit an array of different people. Its focus is generated
towards managers, but it could also be a good resource for those in the early stages of their
career, in addition to college students. This book presents vital information to its readers on how
to maintain individual values while making business decisions. It combines life choices with
work choices to show the reader how to go about making a right vs. right decision. Defining
Moments opens the eyes of the reader to a different way of thinking. Throughout the course of
the book, the theories of philosophers such as Aristotle, Machiavelli, Nietzsche, James, and
Marcus Aurelius are used to help reveal, test, and shape ones values.
Managers can use this book to help them reflect on decisions they have made and find an
ethical approach to future decisions. Badaracco helps them to answer basic questions, such as:
Do I have to leave some of my values at home when I go to work? How much of myself- and of
what I really care about- do I have to sacrifice to get ahead? When I get to the office, who am I?
(1). It is inevitable that every business manager faces right vs. right decisions in their career. The
book focuses on helping managers find ways to align their professional responsibilities and
commitments with their personal values.
Defining Moments can also be useful to entry-level employees and college students.
Many young professionals are unaware that these types of decisions exist. Steve Lewiss case

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study provides a good example of this dilemma. The decision of whether or not to go on the
business trip was the first defining moment of his career; however, he was privy to the
information that the only reason he was asked to attend was because of the color of his skin and
not his professional accomplishments. If Lewis had read "Defining Moments" prior to embarking
on his career at the investment bank, he would have institutional knowledge on how to navigate
such a decision. Therefore, I believe that this book is beneficial in preparing young professionals
to enter the workplace. It provides invaluable insight into how to go about making a right vs.
right decision and what questions to ask oneself when making the decision. Having knowledge
of ethical decision-making techniques can aid an individual in making decisions that align with
his personal morals and the goal's of his employer.
V. Question One
Badaracco uses the Defining Moments book to discuss how decisions are not necessarily
always right vs. wrong, but there are many right vs. right decisions as well. He defines a 'right
vs. right' a dilemma as one where life choices and organizational choices are combined; in other
words, a defining moment. These are decisions with three basic characteristics: they reveal, they
test, and they shape. (6-7) A right vs. right decision reveals the values of the manager making
the decision and those of their organization, it tests the commitments of the manager, and it
shapes the outlook for he future.
An example of a right vs. right decision that I have been faced with is similar to the
situation illustrated by Steve Lewis in Defining Moments. I previously worked as an
administrative assistant for a construction company, where I was one of three females in a
twenty-person office. One day my boss asked me if I could attend a meeting with a subcontractor that my company wanted to use to help complete a job. This was the first time I was

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asked to attend such a meeting. Before the meeting, I did some background information on the
sub-contracting company and found out that they were female owned. Additionally, I knew that
my company had to meet a quota of female workers each year (subcontractors could be counted
if the company was owned by females). This made my boss's motive in inviting me to the
meeting. I became concerned that my boss was bringing me to the meeting to as a subtle sign to
the female owner of the sub-contracting company that my company operated an inclusive and
non-discriminatory business.
The opportunity to attend the meeting excited me, but was it really based off of my skill
and hard work or was I only asked to attend because I was a female? After analyzing the
different ways to handle the situation, I decided to speak with my boss. He admitted that part of
the reason that they chose me to attend the meeting was because I was a female and he believed
that I had the communication skills to connect with the owner of the sub-contracting company on
a women in construction level. I responded by agreeing to go to the meeting under the
condition that I would be able to attend more sub-contracting meetings in the future. My boss
agreed to this condition and complimented me by saying that I had great interpersonal skills for
this task. By agreeing to participate in the initial meeting with the female sub-contractor, I was
able to leverage my position in the company and assume more responsibility than originally
assigned.
From the standpoint of Badaracco, I believe that this decision was a defining moment for
me. It provided me with an opportunity to reflect on my values and requirements of being a
woman in the construction industry. My commitment to my position and career was tested and
my future position with the company was shaped. The decision defined my role as a woman in a
male dominated industry.

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VI. Question 2
In defining moments you become who you are as you migrate through the different
phases of revealing, testing, and shaping. During this process, one must be aware of their
personal morals in order to complete this cycle and become an individual. Defining ones own
values is an important part of this process.
After reviewing the different theories of the moralists depicted in the book, I believe that
Nietzsche best describes becoming who you are. He believes that people must define their own
path and pry themselves out of their familiar ways of thinking (70). In doing so people can
create their own way of life rather than living lives designed by others (71). Hence, people
need discipline, care, boldness, tenacity and single-mindedness, courage, and imagination to
have any real chance of shaping their characters and becoming who they are. (70) Nietzsche
believes that individuals must define their own paths, rather than allowing others to shape one's
destiny. By allowing others to define the future, individuals will be forced into leading generic
life. To avoid living in a mundane and boring environment, individuals must carve their own path
that leads to becoming who you are.
VII. Question 3
Marcus Aurelius teaches of an imagined best life, which to me is a very important
subject. I believe that what he means by this is that people should live out the life that they want.
In doing this individuals should select virtues, skills and traits that they want to try and embody.
These practices, traits and skills should eventually become habit and form the basis on which we
structure the rest of our lives. The composite picture Marcus created for himself includes ways
of being a friend, showing affection to children, dealing with flatterers, showing courtesy,

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practicing self-control, worshiping the gods, and serving the community. (130) In choosing
what traits are important, a person aim to create his imagined best life.
The concept of an imagined best life has a great deal of relevance for personal and
professional development today. In choosing the traits that one admires and wishes to embody,
the individual should select traits that will add value to his life and career. He would advise
them to select, drawing on their experience of life, the combination of character traits that forms
their image of a responsible, satisfying life as a person and as a manager. (130) By having moral
guidelines to follow it will impact the way a manager makes decisions in right vs. right
scenarios. At the end of the day, these standards will allow them to have a more complete sense
of the person they want to be and the skill set they want to possess.

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