11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Axelrod Again in Top Form, July 9, 2003
This review is from: Nothing to Fear: Lessons in Leadership from FDR (Hardcover)
Those already familiar with Axelrod's previous works already know that he possesses a unique talent for recognizing and then examining with meticulous care especially effective qualities of personality and character in great leaders such as Elizabeth I and George S. Patton.
I recently read two separate but related books, this one and Celia Sandys and Jonathan Littman's We Shall Not Fail: the Inspiring Leadership of Winston Churchill. The connections between Roosevelt and Churchill are numerous and significant. Some doubt remains as to how close their personal friendship was but there is no doubt of their mutual respect as together they and their respective nations faced what once seemed certain defeat by the Axis powers in World War II.
The title of his book is obviously derived from Roosevelt's memorable assertion that "the American people have nothing to fear but fear itself." In fact, of course, there was much to fear as German armies swept across Europe, conquering and then occupying one country after another. It is almost incomprehensible that while still emerging from the Great Depression, the U.S. became fully involved in two different major wars, one in Europe and another in what is generally referred to as "the Pacific." Roosevelt had only recently begun his third term as president when Pearl Harbor was attacked and was dead before World War II ended.
Axelrod suggests a number of lessons about which can be learned from Roosevelt performance as president, observing that "For FDR leadership was practical inspiration or inspired practicality. Take your pick; the two are impossible to separate, and you cannot tell where one leaves off and the other begins." These lessons are arranged according to fourteen different themes which provide the book with its structure. Axelrod explains that the order of the themes "does not reflect the chronology of Roosevelt's life and career, but it is intended to build a coherent picture of FDR as a revealing model of leadership values, ideas, skills, traits, tactics, and strategies. Within each theme, however, the leadership lessons are deployed in chronological order." As is also true of Axelrod's analyses of Elizabeth I and Patton, the material in this book is cleverly organized as well as brilliantly presented. I especially appreciate his selection of appropriate statements by Roosevelt which help to illustrate key points. Here are a four brief excerpts which are representative of Axelrod's thinking and writing.
"A key to Roosevelt's leadership was his genius for seamlessly joining idealism to practical action. For him the perfect piece of legislation, the perfect social program was one in which it was impossible to tell where theory stopped and practice started. They were one." (pages 3-4)
"A leader signals in many ways that he is in touch with those he leads: He acknowledges the needs and concerns of the organization. He acknowledges and praises the achievements of the institution. he demonstrates that he shares the values of the organization. And he ensures that he speaks the language of those he leads." (page 74)
"Leadership of any complex enterprise is rarely a matter of convincing people to `follow me,' but rather a mission to persuade each individual member of the enterprise that he or she has common cause with every other member. This is an especially difficult mission when times are tough and individual [in italics] survival looms larger than the survival of the collective enterprise." (page 173)
"In any enterprise threat must be recognized. Once acknowledged, it must also be understood that inaction in the face of threat is surrender, not safety. An effective leader always makes the stakes clear. Choosing to fight is dangerous, to be sure, but in many situations opting for the apparently safer course of hunkering down in resolute inaction is simply defeat -- the very consequence one fears in a fight." (page 222)
Those who share my high regard for Axelrod's thoughtful and eloquent book are urged to check out two of his other books as well as Celia Sandys and Jonathan Littman's We Shall Not Fail: The Inspiring Leadership of Winston Churchill, all three previously mentioned. Also Howard E. Gardner's Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership in which he brilliantly examines the unique achievements of Margaret Mead, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Robert Maynard Hutchins, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., George C. Marshall, Pope John XXIII, Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Margaret Thatcher, Jean Monnet, and Mahatma Gandhi.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Roosevelt 101, July 30, 2003
This review is from: Nothing to Fear: Lessons in Leadership from FDR (Hardcover)
I usually detest these types of books, which are written by business executives trying to pose as top-flight historians. But I was surprised and pleased by Axelrod's approach to FDR, and this would be an excellent book for people new to Roosevelt. The author assembles various quotes from Roosevelt and then applies them to real life situations we all face and fret about. Of course FDR was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and was a spoiled, coddled young man. The polio that struck him at the age of 39 was the great leveler and it transformed Franklin from a "feather duster" into a truly great man. Axelrod leads the reader down the path of Roosevelt's life, dispensing the major details and eliminating all the superfluous fluff. This results in a tight, well-written book.
It's fashionable in today's political climate to trash Roosevelt and trot out oodles of mis-information about the greatest President of the 20th century. Thankfully, this little book sets the record straight on a great and essential American.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
