The Hard Road to the Softer Side

When Arthur C. Martinez was asked to take control of Sears in 1992, he found a company in disarray, despite its illustrious history and venerable name. Sales were down, morale was low, operating costs were exorbitant, and the company had no clear focus. As a result, the retailer lost $3.9 billion in one year! Martinez faced the challenge of creating a new Sears from one riddled with bureaucracy, infighting, and complacency, while still respecting the company’s fabled past.

The Hard Road to the Softer Side is the story of how Martinez, the outsider, shook up a company of “Sears men”; identified an important new target customer; and tackled voracious new competitors to make Sears the favorite of customers and Wall Street analysts alike. The lessons learned from this inspirational account are lessons that managers and business leaders from any industry can use as a blueprint for genuine corporate transformation.