G. Richard Shell is a Wharton professor and an expert on negotiation and personal development. Both the son of a celebrated Marine Corps general and a pacifist during the Vietnam War, he spent the early part of his life resolving that tension and searching for the security of a new anchor.

Expanded from a speech he delivered to Harvard Business School’s graduating class of 2010, the book offers a series of guidelines for finding meaning and happiness in life, drawing lessons from business strategy case studies.