Customer Reviews

Reagan on Leadership : Executive Lessons from the Great Communicator

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President Reagan has always been a hero of mine. At the age of 8, I became intoxicated with politics in large part because of the 1980 Presidental campaign. As a Canadian, I watched this incredible leader from a little farther away then an Amercian, but came away impressed. I therefore began to read or watch anything I could find on President Reagan. The problem was all the information I gathered failed to answer the key question for me: how did Reagan lead? Much material is available on what he did, but I never received the practical tools I was looking for. Reagan on Leadership clearly and concisely describes his techniques. Strock reached deep into Reagan's tool box and paved the road for how I can apply these tools to my life. It is the only book or article I have read that answers the question I have asking about Reagan for years: not what did he do, but rather how did he it.

Mr. Strock has captured the essence of President Reagan - his core values from the heartland of America; his eternally positive attitude; his sense of timing; his ability to effectively communicate with vision and passion in a sincere manner; and most importantly, his strong leadership qualities that resonate so tellingly during the current period of ineffectual and morally bankrupt leadership.

The lessons to be learned in this book apply so well to everyday business situations, and also to long-term strategic planning. The book should be required reading for business schools and political science classes.

Strock has brought all of this good information and lessons to the table in a way that is easy to read, yet chock full of fascinating vignettes that contain indirect insights to be pondered and studied over and over again. His writing style is rich and sophisticated, yet brings President Reagan to life as few others have done. I particularly love the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

I cannot think of a better combination of good writing, historical research, and practical advice for the everyday person, business executive or political leader. This book belongs on every desk and bookshelf!

This book captured the very essence of the Reagan presidency. By replaying the significant events that occurred and then providing detailed information on what went on to carefully orchestrate those events, James Strock has defined a presidency that laid the foundation for economic growth and peace for generations to come. The reader is guided through the many lessons that President Reagan taught us about leadership, values and life in general. Although he is called "The Great Communicator", it is evident that he was "The Great Assimilator". His ability to learn throughout life and apply the lessons learned is powerful. Business leaders can learn and grow from reading this book.

As someone who likes to think that he came of age, politically speaking, during the Reagan presidency, I particularly appreciated the perspective taken in this book. Mr. Strock does much more than simply recount the days of the Reagan administration. Rather, he puts President Reagan's accomplishments--his successes and failures-- in context, thoroughly explaining the remarkable talents of a remarkable man.

If you are looking for a book that lauds President Reagan, Mr. Strock certainly accomplishes that end. More importantly, though, Mr. Strock demonstrates quite effectively how leaders (public or private) can learn from Mr. Reagan's example. I have rarely read a more practically useful book. As a political appointee and the head of a state agency, I can easily see the lessons in Mr. Reagan's examples. Particularly useful are Mr. Strock's descriptions of how President Reagan dealt with adversaries, conducted negotiations, worked with supporters, and managed his vast operation. More than these, though, I believe everyone can learn from the manner in which Mr. Reagan dealt with his own failures--confronting each directly, accepting responsibility, learning from the situation, and moving on.

Finally, this book should be a must-read for anyone in leadership positions, regardless of the arena and irrespective of party affiliation. It is a textbook for leaders, managers, and anyone else who cares to know how to deal effectively, constructively, and proactively with other people. Use this book for what it is--a rarely found, practically useful tool. Thank you, Mr. Strock!

Who better to learn from than "The Great Communicator"? Studying President Ronald Reagan will not only make you better at politics, it'll make you a better person! Being decisive, negotiating from strength and crafting a compelling vision are just a few of the lessons you'll learn from James M. Strock's fabulous book about President Reagan's leadership.

A diversely experienced leader and manager with an easy-to-read writing style focused on a great, recent example of truly effective executive leadership and decided to share what he learned. The result was a truly outstanding book of leadership thoughts, concepts, principles, and analysis complemented by exemplary vignettes and anecdotes from the life of arguably the most respected and admired president in United States history. Do not miss this book if you are a student or practitioner of leadership.

The book is a four part study of Reagan's leadership effectiveness: the critical elements of his vision-based leadership approach, his mutually supporting leadership and management styles, the skills that made him the "Great Communicator," and the personal character that transformed his beliefs and vision into powerful realities. At the end of each chapter is a list of summarizing leadership lessons and principles. Strock's thorough research and insightful analysis made each list pregnant with meaning and importance.

Strock made a very strong case that Reagan's brilliance as a leader was his gift of a compelling, five-part vision (family, work, neighborhood, freedom, and peace) and the integrity of his consistent and disciplined actions relative to his vision. Strock also discussed some Reagan leadership flaws and failures-not many, but enough to appear honest and balanced.

Strock's Reagan was an authentic man of vision, purpose, and character. Read this book and you will understand how Reagan was willing and able to communicate great thoughts with authority as the leader of the free world, and why his vision for America was believed in by so many people here at home and around the world:

"Ours is the land of the free because it is the home of the brave. America's future will always be great because our nation will always be strong. And our nation will be strong because our people will be free. And our people will be free because we will be united, one people under God, with liberty and justice for all."

No doubt Ronald Reagan is, and will always be remembered as the Great Communicator. This is captured in Mr. Strock's very readable tribute to Reagan and guide for all of us who would like to learn from one of America's greatest contemporary leaders. As actor, labor leader, Governor and President, Ronald Reagan always had the style and unique nack for garnering and holding our attention. That wonderful ability to lead and gain our confidence is a trait that, through Mr. Strock's book, is shared for all of us, whether we be in government, business or education. A delightful little book that lends itself to ready reference over and over again.

James M. Strock has written a first-rate, concise management guide to executive leadership that is also a deeply informative political study of one of the most important figures of the 20th century. Standing in the vast interior atrium of the new Ronald Reagan Federal government office building is a small slab taken from what was the Berlin Wall. Having grown up practicing "duck and cover" drills in elementary school, having watched every night the lead international news story concern some place called the Soviet Union and the risk of an apocalyptic war, this small piece of graffiti- covered concrete is a profound symbol of one of the most sweeping historical changes accomplished during my lifetime: the end of the Cold War. In this book, Mr. Strock has succeeded in opening my eyes to how Reagan deliberately and with knowledge aforethought brought this vast historical fact into being; something to which I confess I have been at times unmindful. The author makes inescapable the conclusion that it was Reagan who was in charge, and it was Reagan who set out to ake and did make fundamental changes to the course of American history. Mr. Strock also succeeds in taking a fresh look at some very old principles of management. He distills the essence of what Ronald Reagan did and also what Reagan said about what he did. As a short course in the principles of leading large organizations, Mr. Strock's book is insightful, highly readable, and well organized. As a short political history of some of the most important years of the late 20th century, Mr. Strock has done people of all political views a real service by his clarity and depth of analysis. Strock's "Reagan on Leadership" goes high up in my library, right up on my shelf of favorites, alongside my copy of "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris.

This book is a page-turner, a how-to-book, an inspirational book, and a biography all in one. The author has done a real service in distilling Reagan's life into handy lessons for everyone to use and examples of virtue for everyone to try to emulate. By giving us a good glimpse of Ronald Reagan from many angles, Strock shows us a model human being, something that is so rare in today's literature and current events.

James Strock has done a masterful job of articulating the essence of Ronald Reagan's leadership style. Whether or not you are a fan of Reagan's, if you are interested in leadership this book is for you.