Facing failure for the first time.

Sharer is one of the most successful CEOs in the United States today, but in 1989 he faced the most difficult situation of his life. Having succeeded at everything he had done, Sharer was facing failure for the first time. A rising star at General Electric, he was eager to get to the top, and thought he could succeed at any leadership challenge. He jumped ship from GE to join the telecommunications company MCI because he thought he had a shot at the top job within two years.

Sharer wasted no time in developing his strategy to transform MCI and position himself. Within six weeks, he concluded that the company’s geographic marketing organization was improperly structured. “I was at the zenith of my arrogance at that time,” Sharer said. “I marched into the chairman’s office and proposed a restructuring of MCI’s sales organization.” His proposal was threatening to senior executives who had spent their careers building MCI. Lacking telecommunications experience, Sharer found he had little credibility within the organization.

Sharer’s crucible at MCI proved invaluable to him. It humbled him, forcing him to control his ego and recognize there is more to life than just grabbing the next promotion. Caught up in the glamour of being a rising star, Sharer was brought down to reality by MCI.