Customer Reviews

Into the Unknown: Leadership Lessons from Lewis & Clark's Daring Westward Expedition

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As a self admitted fan of Lewis and Clark, I was somewhat reluctant to purchase this book. However, after reading it, I am glad I did. Uldrich takes an utterly unique approach to their incredible journey. Rather than simply retelling the story of the Corps of Discovery as so many authors have done, the author instead dissects their journey from the prospective of leadership. I found myself in complete agreement with his ten leadership principles and the ancedotes he uses are wonderful. His method of weaving in real-world examples drives home the point that Lewis and Clark are still relevant after 200 years. If I have a criticism, it is this ... I think the author should have had a chapter devoted to the diplomatic skills of Lewis and Clark. All told, I strongly recommend this book.

This is not a re-hash of the events of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. In his book, INTO THE UNKNOWN, author Jack Uldrich has examined the management principles used over 200 years ago by the great exploration, and has brilliantly applied those same lessons to todays business world. To help business leaders navigate their way through the rugged terrain of modern business, Uldrich presents Lewis and Clark as examples of leaders who were able to take their team through the roughest environments and the toughest challenges.

The challenges these two captains faced and those confronting the leaders of today are more similar than most might expect. The advancements of technology and knowledge itself are propelling us faster and faster into the unknown. What better leaders are there to turn to that those who have successfully faced unknown challenges?

Uldrich focuses on 10 core principles which Lewis & Clark used to make the Corps of Discovery a success and shows us how those same 10 timeless lessons can inspire business leaders to take their teams to new adventures of great discovery in any era.

I recently read Jack Uldrich's previous book, The Next Big Thing is Realy Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business, and I enjoyed it so much that I asked Amazon.com to alert me when his next book came out. I was a little surprised when I received an email from Amazon.com telling me that his next book was about Lewis & Clark (I was expecting and hoping for another high-tech book.) Nevertheless, I decided to give it a read (it's a quick read) and was thoroughly delighted with it. In fact, in many ways, it was even better than his first book. Uldrich is the rare business consultant--he understands that regardless of how good or exciting new emerging technologies are, they are worthless in the hands of businesses or organizations that don't have good, strong, capable leaders. I strongly encourage any business leader or executive who is struggling to lead their organization through these technologicaly-challenging times to spend an evening with this book. I guarantee you that it will be time well spent.

Lewis and Clark were an amazing team. Their story of how they reached the Pacific is not only fascinating, it is rich in lessons, and not just for the businessperson, but for people of all different professions and persuasions. (Uldrich's discussion on the importance of diversity is particularly interesting.) The author does an admirable job of drawing you into the story of the Lewis and Clark and placing their journey in the broader context of leadership. He abstracts ten well thought-out principles and makes them come alive by using real-world examples from today to emphasize the key points.

If the book suffers from anything, it is that it tends to place too much emphasis on the story itself. Overall, however, I highly recommend it.

I have made it a point to read all the best selling business books to keep abreast of any new concepts in selling and management. Most books are long on theory and short on application. Or worse, very entertaining, but lacking enough detail do to anything more than enjoy the read! 'Into the Unknown' is masterfully written to offer the reader real leadership principles that are related to issues that companies are experiencing today. Uldrich is right when he concludes his book by saying that the reason Lewis and Clark are worthy of study is not because they discovered the future but rather because they created the future ... that is what great leaders do.

Using the 2 ½ year adventure into the American Northwest as a backdrop, Jack Uldrich offers leaders ten timeless lessons.

Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark discovered an endless land whose very existence foretold the country's future America.

May, 2004 begins a bicentennial celebration of their incredible journey. Against staggering odds, these unique men inspired such absolute loyalty that they are regarded by many as the most successful leadership team in American history.

Their story resonates with us because they had to:

1. Think strategically
2. Make tough and timely decisions
3. Surround themselves with good people
4. Manage resources
5. Motivate the team
6. Deal with different cultures
7. Assimilate information from many sources
8. Balance long-term goals against short-term realities
9. Learn from their mistakes
10. Try new approaches.

Lewis and Clark lead their team into the unknown. They preserved through crises, course changes and insurmountable adversity. They persevered. Their lessons will inspire all of us to lead our teams on discovery adventures.

Very good book with lots of useful material. Contains a section that talks about the Co-CEOs of Primerica; John Addison and Rick Williams and how they have worked together with great success.

The book - "Into the Unknown" - is part business guide and part history book. Author Jack Uldrich does an excellent job of chronicling the trials and tribulations of pioneer explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as they traversed into the American Northwest for nearly three years. Uldrich than uses that historical perspective to develop 10 leadership lessons that are applicable to business. Use of such a counterintuitive, non-obvious leadership team is one of the reasons why Soundview recommends this book. Additionally, the author uses the perilous journey of Lewis and Clark to parallel the seeming wilderness and ferocity that sometimes describes modern markets. This is definitely a worthwhile endeavor for any business leader who's hungry for their next discovery or adventure.