Customer Reviews

The Centurion Principles: Battlefield Lessons for Frontline Leaders

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Wow, I have read many Leadership books, From John Maxwell to Andy Stanley, but I have never read one so simply put and so interesting. Mr. O'Leary not only teaches good guidelines for leadership, but also shows how they have been used in the past for great success. The intercutting of the teaching portions and the story portions helped make it smooth going from cover to cover.

In a genre filled with leadership pabulum, this book stands out as truly unique and inspiring. All leaders - whether in business, in the military, or in the community - could benefit from reading this excellent book. It is extremely well-written with prose that paints vivid imagery, it is highly thought-provoking, and it is very enriching.

Drawing on the lessons forged by extraordinary (and sometimes, infamous) leaders, the author spins engrossing accounts of real-life leadership and then helps the reader draw out the lessons that will enable them to reach new heights of leadership acumen.

What's more, this is one of the few leadership books that recognizes and acknowledges that spirtual element of our human nature that truly enables us to lead others. Within each chapter, the author presents relevant and clear examples drawn from the Bible that directly relate to the principles discussed. His approach is far from preachy and, in fact, is quite refreshing.

I have read a great number of leadership books and have more than 20 years of leadership experience. Even so, I learned a lot from this wonderful book. I strongly recommend it and I commend Mr. O'Leary for his valuable insights, superb writing style, and his obvious passion for exceptional leadership.

Excellent! Cover to cover. Author takes practical, historical examples of leadership and applies them to the present. Don't miss this book. You will refer to it again and again.

Jeff O'Leary has a winner with this book. What sets this one apart from other leadership books is the approach. Each chapter is devoted to a leader from history, complete with a to-the-point retelling of their story. Then O'Leary seamlessly incorporates the principles learned from the history lesson into modern day wisdom. It is a very effective motif. I have not found another book quite like this on the market. And that's what makes it so special. The Centurion Principles is extremely readable (the chapters have nice break points and are not overly long) and inspirational. Overall, it is a very fine book that any aspiring leader or history buff will find enjoyable and helpful.

The Centurian embodies selfless service and exemplary leadership and Colonel O'Leary spotlights such characteristics in short biographies throughout history, from ancient times through the American Civil War. The author skillfully links these stories and uses each to illustrate some key concepts of leadership.

We start with Hannibal in the ancient world to explore the concept of creative thought. If you have heard the phrase to "think outside the box" Hannibal takes that to extreme levels, since he was routinely overmatched yet drove the mighty Roman empire into a corner. At the conclusion of this lesson the author draws parallels to modern-day creative leaders, such as Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines.

Nothing teaches success like failure. Hannibal defeated Scipio Africanus who took his creative thinking to heart and stood his ground against all challenges, eventually securing a hard-fought victory against Hannibal.

Alexander the Great's story has always been inspiring and we learn more about the shifting strategies of inclusion in his remarkable success. This young warrior redrew the world map and left functioning communities as he went along. If you face the task of unifying different communities (departments, business units, etc) this story will resonate well.

After an interesting piece on Joan of Arc American history starts with George Washington, followed by Andrew Jackson, McClellan, Lee, and Grant, and finally Abraham Lincoln. General George McClellan is an interesting piece to include as every other biography deals with success (or at least successful leadership.) McClellan is illustrative of failure which always carries more and deeper lessons than success.

The author uses each leader to expound upon various attributes. One of Andrew Jackson's overriding qualities was persistence, a key ingredient in any successful endeavor. We learn a little about the author in this passage I am quoting:

"When I founded Mission of Joy, a nonprofit organization for homeless and orphaned children in India, I started with nothing in a country that was overwhelmed with poverty. In the first three years, a friend and I would send money over every month to cover the expenses of running an orphanage for fifteen children and four staff members. As things progressed, our resources were quickly overwhelmed by crushing need. What could we do?

"I invested my own money to buy the land and build our first facility--it cost me less than thirty thousand dollars, but it was all the money I had. We built a structure that had a ten-foot retainer wall around the entire property for protection against the high winds. When the next cyclone came, the structure held.

"I started by taking in fifteen children and ran out of resources when we grew shortly to fifty. I was a middle-class military officer with a family of five--what more could I do? Persist and keep on persisting. We began to enlist others who had a heart to change the world for these children. So far, our organization, Mission of Joy, has built four more orphanages, a school, twenty churches, and a widows' home. It has paved roads, dug dozens of wells, provided free medical care, and seen hundreds of children come through our doors and survive childhood.

"Who are we? No one special. We just believe that if we save one life, that person might just save a million more someday. Most of the time, the work requires us to slog through, putting one foot in front of the other under the worst conditions. It doesn't take great talent to do what we do, but it does take persistence."

It won't take persistence to devour this well written book.

Roadmap for readability

The written terrain is vast and, in some cases where names and places are difficult to master, can be a little slow going. I like to recommend a short introductory path to a book like this so that you will gain an early appreciation and willingness to tackle the more difficult elements.

Here is a simple way to uncover quickly if this book is for you or not.

I recommend reviewing the table of contents first. Then, read the introduction. It is five easy pages and will set the tone for the pages to follow.

Then, turn to chapter three and read about young Alexander the Great. The ancient world in 500 BC holds some unusually named cities and kings but for the most part this chapter is an easy read. If you are in the bookstore, take a seat and read these twenty-one pages. After that you will know if this is a book to take home for yourself or as a gift.

This is a history book as much as it is a leadership book. I found the approach refreshing. Rather than bludgeon you with leadership clichés interlaced with short stories, quips, and biographical examples of great leadership, Col. O'Leary introduces a concept then takes you into a history lesson of that chapter's hero (Lincoln, Alexander the Great, Joan of Arc, etc.) and finishes by applying the Leader's actions to leadership principle. I found the book extremely enjoyable to read.

Fantastic collection of Champions and true leaders from history. A must read for anyone desiring to become a stronger person. Excellent thoughts for today's centurions.

This was an outstanding book, not only for those in leadership positions, but for all to read. The author took a unique and creative approach, using principles from outstanding leaders in history. This includes a lot of information about these leaders that I hadn't read in other books, and it really gives a call for ethical leadership and the responsibility that leaders have.
Excellent reading - well written and unique approach. A MUST READ!