What Do You Really Stand For? The One Question That Will Transform Your Work and Life
Paul Ingram
Harvard Business Review Press (April 2026)

“Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” John Wooden

In 2012, Clayton Christensen published a book entitled How Will You Measure Your Life in which he shared and discussed his Harvard Business School students’ responses to that eponymous question.

Presumably Paul Ingram was aware of that and agrees with Christensen’s purposes when giving this challenge his Harvard business students when they graduated. He urged them to examine, measure, and improve their lives after Harvard. He suggested three questions:

1. “How can I be sure that I will be successful and happy in my career?”
2. “How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse, my children and my extended family and close friends become an enduring source of happiness?”
3. “How can I be sure that I live a life of integrity – and stay out of jail?”

Ingram’s purpose in What Do You Really Stand For? is to help you “uncover your values, make them visible, and put them to use in everyday life. By doing the work — not just reading about it — you’ll turn your priorities into tools that support your choices, your relationships, and your leadership.”

HOW?

“We’ll start by helping you identify your top values — the ones that mean the most to you…Next, we’ll explore how your values can guide you through tough decisions, strengthen your motivation, and even improve your resilience nd well-being…G}From there, we’ll turn outward and apply values to relationships, teams, and organizations…The goal throughout is simple; to make your values real, practical, and powerful– something can use every day to live better, lead better,  and be better.

“That is the true value of values. They are the deepest parts of who you are, and when we use them with intention, they can become our greatest source of clarity, strength, and purpose.”

These are among the strategic objectives that Ingram can help you to achieve. Each designation is preceded by a “HOW to”:

PART ONE

o Identify your values
o Make better choices
o Affirm your values

PART TWO

o Improve your relationships
o Resolve conflicts
o Enhance your leadership and motivate others

PART THREE

o Build better teams
o Craft organizational values

For many people, the information, insights, and counsel that Paul Ingram provides will be of incalculable value that can — and will, with your steadfast commitment — help you to transform your work and your life. With style and grace as well as erudition and empathy, he will be an ideal companion throughout your journey of personal growth and professional development.

Bon voyage!

* * *

Here are two suggestions while you are reading What Do You Really Stand For?: First, highlight key passages. Also,  perhaps in a lined notebook kept near-at-hand,  record your comments, questions, and action steps (preferably with deadlines). Pay special attention to the material that concludes ach chapter.

These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will expedite frequent reviews of key material later.