It Worked for Me is a collection of about 30 vignettes and stories intended to offer leadership advice from one of America’s most famous military leaders of the last 35 years. I think it does that and does it well. Powell reflects on a life of service, both military and civilian, and recounts instances when he made decisions and describes the generalized thoughts and ideas that led to the choices he made. This book, let’s call it a memoir, feels quite genuine and honest but […]
Army Chief of Staff Reading List #12
I usually do not wax poetic about public figures, especially those in politics. I try to remain objective which more often than not means that I am harsher in my judgments of things or people I like. I love Robert Gates and go out of my way to work with and for him. Knowing this, I read A Passion for Leadership trying hard to be objective about it. Even given my aforementioned predisposition towards such scenarios, I loved this book. I find Gates to be […]
Army Chief of Staff Reading List #2
Matterhorn reminds me a little of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead in I had to look up to see if the books were fiction or non-fiction. I found Marlantes’ depiction of war that believable and visceral. While not an expert in any way, I have deployed twice so I understand some of what that means. Unlike the characters from Bravo Company in this novel, I never spent time “in the bush” and if I am being completely honest, they would look down on me […]
Leadership. Read for work, still counts!
Read this one for work, for a class I was co-teaching, but it still counts! It was a little dense for some of our students I think, but the concepts were solid and stories from actual college students were helpful, and overall I think it is a good text to help college students expand their definition of leadership, and find ways to employ leadership lessons and skills in their daily lives.