George Washington on Leadership (Hardcover)

by Richard Brookhiser (Author)
Key Phrases: New York, Mount Vernon, Thomas Jefferson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
In the guise of a management consultant, historian Brookhiser informs readers that George Washington used the hub-and-spoke system; was a shrewd talent scout; handled smart people well; was on top of essential details; and mastered his temper. Author of several superpopular titles about the Founders, Brookhiser, with casual diction and his customary wit, distills leadership lessons from Washington’s three occupations—business operator, military officer, and politician. Noting the universal problem of leadership, choosing from competing advice for dealing with problems, Brookhiser elaborates on how Washington did so by ranging across Washington’s life, collecting disparate incidents from youth or maturity to make a common point. Washington made his share of mistakes, admits Brookhiser, but learned from them and appreciated the value of effective PR. He famously melted the hearts of mutineers in 1783 by apologizing for going blind in the service of his country—and putting on spectacles they’d never seen. Could a CEO squelch a boardroom rebellion with the same stunt? While leaders glean Brookhiser for practical advice, history buffs will be intrigued by his biographical insights. --Gilbert Taylor

Review
"Booklist"
"While leaders glean Brookhiser for practical advice, history buffs will be intrigued by his biographical insights."

"National Review"
"In Richard Brookhiser's hands, Washington remains as glorious as ever -- and if some of that glory brushes off on us lowly readers, all the better."

"Wall Street Journal"
"There is inspiration here for all of us, CEO or not..."

"Forbes"
"This is one book on leadership that's well worth the read." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; First Edition edition (May 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465003028
• ISBN-13: 978-0465003020
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #150,628 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read -- and a pleasant way to get to know Washington, July 4, 2008

By	Roy Speed (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book has one foot in the self-help/life lessons genre, the other in the history/biography category. Its strength lies in the latter, i.e., Brookhiser's command of (and interest in) history. And it's a good read in large part because Washington himself is such an interesting figure.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Brookhiser organizes Washington's entire life around management challenges -- as a farmer and businessman, as a military leader, and as the first chief executive of the U.S. Now unless I'm mistaken, this method is not common in substantive history. And make no mistake, this is not "Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun"; this book is the result of serious historical research.

It has three major sections: "Problems," "People," and "Self." Within each of these sections, Washington's experiences are presented according to specific themes or life lessons, e.g., communication, start-ups, dealing with troublemakers, failure, betrayal, learning from your enemies, understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, and so on.

What this means in practice is that "George Washington on Leadership" is a book of anecdotes -- but anecdotes with historical depth.

The variety in the anecdotes makes for a very lively read: first, you're reading about Washington's challenges as a military commander facing a far-more-powerful opponent (the British); then you're reading about his difficulties as the first president, learning about the office as he invents it; and next thing you know you're back on the farm, watching the CEO of the various Mount Vernon businesses make tough judgment calls about people, crops, new products and services, etc.

DOES IT WORK?
Well, yes and no. Brookhiser is really good with anecdote -- setting the scene, describing the political, military, or economic backdrop of the story he's about to tell you; giving thumbnail sketches of the personalities of the major players in the story; and then telling what happened in a lively way.

What doesn't work so well is the management lessons or life lessons he tries to extract. The narrative sometimes lurches from smooth historical narrative to frequently awkward attempts to extract the lesson. Here's an example from the first chapter: "The British knew about the French fleet in the first place, thanks to a spy of their own: Major General Benedict Arnold, whose treason would be revealed two months later. If your organization competes with other organizations, they will be trying to learn to do everything that you are learning."

Now this example is unusually bad; most of Brookhiser's attempts along these lines are far less jarring and make far more sense. But even from this brief passage I think you can see that Brookhiser's comfort zone is definitely on the history side of the fence.

THE GOOD NEWS
The good news is that the book is not unduly marred by such passages; they make up less than 2% of the book. The basic anecdotal method and thematic organization of the book work. It's a good read and a real education about Washington.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars George Washington on Leadership, August 28, 2008

By	Mickey G. Culpepper "MGC" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you enjoy history and personal examples of success and failure in leadership styles this is the book to read. The book is not a boring biography on George Washington but a living story full of events researched from historical letters, records, etc. and recorded in well organized flow by the writer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Idea, July 11, 2008

By	Michael P. Maslanka (dallas, texas United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Big Idea of this book is that Corporate America can learn a lot about leadership from George, the CEO of two startups:The Revolution and the first administration. And we can. What comes through, again and again, is that Washington put the enterprise ahead of his own needs. He subordinated his ego to what was effective.When some officers were plotting against him ,trying to get Congress to oust him, he remained calm, thought through what to do(he named the game to one in a short note), and it got resolved. He could easily have lashed out, but he did not: he restrained the desire because it would not have moved the ball forward. He never made enemies, taking the long view, knowing that today's enemy is tomorrow's friend. Sort of a cousin to Seinfeld's "friendemy." Good section on how he, as did President Kennedy, asked of others what they could do for their country, telling them at times of crisis, "My brave fellows", meaning "My fellows, be brave" trying to pull the best out of them, knowing he could not do it alone. Though a man of few words, he knew how to use them, and the writing on his address at Newburgh where he snuffed out an impending revolt of unpaid officers has the book's best writing. The idea tails off at the end, with a pointless side trip on "Sex...and Drugs" but still a worthwhile read.