Leadership Lessons from West Point (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation) [Hardcover]

Major Doug Crandall (Editor), Jim Collins (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation | Publication Date: November 10, 2006

With Leadership Lessons from West Point as a guide, leaders in the business, nonprofit, and government sectors can learn leadership techniques and practices from contributors who are teaching or have taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and have served in positions of leadership that span the globe. These military experts cover a broad range of topics that are relevant to any leadership development program in any sector. The articles in this important resource offer insight into what leadership means to these experts—in both war and peacetime—and describe their views on quiet leadership, mission, values, taking care of people, organizational learning, and leading change.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderfully impressive book. It's impressive because of the authors' credentials—all are leaders in their own right—and because of their honesty. Rarely will you find more open, self-disclosing discussions of failure, courage, and honor. It's impressive because it's heartfelt . . . it's about selfless service, honesty, and integrity—things we need to hear more about from our leaders. Leadership Lessons from West Point will renew your hope, restore your faith, educate your mind, and expand your horizons. We highly recommend it."
—Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, coauthors of the best-selling book, The Leadership Challenge

"Attention to detail, going about jobs correctly, and understanding that no job is too large or too small are just a few of the major aspects included in the West Point experience . . . Leadership Lessons from West Point does a great job of capturing those values and many others."
—Mike Krzyzewski, "Coach K," head, Duke Basketball Program

"All those concerned with developing leaders for every walk of life should welcome this compilation of important lessons from inside West Point, producer of the cream of the crop."
—Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School, best-selling author of Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End

"The people at West Point have so much to teach all of us about how to lead, and any student of leadership will want to have this book on their shelf for continuous learning and reference."
—Patrick Lencioni, author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

"The highly personal and compelling essays in this book offer a fascinating portrait of how the U.S. Military Academy approaches leadership education."
—John Alexander, president, Center for Creative Leadership

"Anyone interested in the 'L-word' will find this humble sampling of tacit knowledge refreshing and insightful."
—Scott A. Snook, associate professor of organizational behavior, Harvard Business School

"An outstanding volume of leadership lessons relevant and useful to any institution."
—Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Management at the University of Southern California and author, On Becoming a Leader

From the Inside Flap

The United States Military Academy at West Point holds its cadets to the highest military, academic, physical, and ethical standards. They practice excellence, a tradition that has held unwaveringly for over two hundred years. In Leadership Lessons from West Point, the Leader to Leader Institute and experts from West Point have joined forces to offer valuable advice on real-life leadership issues learned on or around the battlefield and applied to leaders in all settings.

With Leadership Lessons from West Point as a guide, leaders in the business, nonprofit, and government sectors can learn leadership techniques and practices from contributors who are teaching or have taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and have served in positions of leadership that span the globe. These military experts cover a broad range of topics that are relevant to any leadership development program in any sector. The contributions in this important resource offer insight into what leadership means to these experts—in both war and peacetime—and describe their views on quiet leadership, mission, values, taking care of people, organizational learning, and leading change.

Leadership Lessons from West Point contains candid reflections, compelling stories, best practices, and frontline ideas that will open a window into the world of leadership development where the values of duty, honor, and country set the standard for professional excellence.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (November 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787987735
• ISBN-13: 978-0787987732
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stalwart leadership essays, April 27, 2007

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leadership Lessons from West Point (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation) (Hardcover)

"In business, if you make bad decisions, people lose money and perhaps jobs," according to an Army captain who graduated from West Point. "In the military, if you make bad decisions...people can die." In that light, these leadership lessons from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point seem highly credible. After all, most fields of endeavor do not involve life-and-death consequences, but being in the military is not an ordinary profession. This grim truth not only requires but demands "competent" military leaders, as author Jim Collins discusses in his foreword to this compilation edited by Major Doug Crandall. We appreciate these valuable leadership lessons and their source. The Leader to Leader Institute, formerly the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, publishes a comprehensive series of leadership books, 21 of which have been printed in 28 languages. So, when the Institute describes this book as "one of the most important...published in our 16 years," it merits a respectful look.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars None of the Fluff, May 8, 2010

By 

J. Morgan "books_from_jim" (Huntington, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Leadership Lessons from West Point (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation) (Kindle Edition)

I've found that a lot of books on leadership are riddled with the same fluff: buzz words, recycled concepts, and story lines that seem better designed to sell to a programmed audience than to actually convey some meaningful content. I found "Leadership Lessons from West Point" to be a refreshing break from this style of leadership text, providing case studies in leadership that were both easy to relate to (even for a civilian like myself) and thought provoking. The book is presented in vignettes, which will appeal to the manager with a short attention span, but filled with high impact content. Whether you think you're a solid leader already or are just learning, read this book and gain some valuable insights into yourself and how you fit into the world as a leader.

4 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leadership Lessons that are invaluable, January 9, 2007

By 

M. Johnson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Leadership Lessons from West Point (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation) (Hardcover)

Awesome book. Well written and organized. A wide variety of opinions and input. I thought it was great!!