This book shows the extraordinary leadership qualities of a great but unsung hero. No list of the greatest people of the 20th century is complete without General George C. Marshall. Winston Churchill called him the "organizer of victory" and "the last great American." President Harry Truman referred to him as the "great one of the age." Tom Brokaw called him the "godfather" of "the greatest generation."Even so, many people know Marshall's name without being able to recall his many astonishing accomplishments. Among them: He personally trained future generals Eisenhower, Bradley, Ridgeway, Patton, and others; As Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army before and during World War II, he oversaw its expansion from a small, homeland defense force - smaller than Bulgaria's - into the mightiest army ever assembled; As Secretary of State, he introduced the "Marshall Plan," which literally rescued Europe after the war; and, he was the first professional soldier ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize and was twice named Time's Man of the Year. Marshall's extraordinary career reflects unparalleled leadership traits and consummate skills, among them vision, candor, a commitment to action, the ability to listen and learn, and not least, selflessness.
Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Cecil Johnson, syndicated columnist: ""Uldrich has done a splendid job packaging leadership advice with history and producing a very readable volume that should appeal to history buffs, business types and general readers.""
Quality Management Journal: ""...an extraordinary book."""
“…an extraordinary book.”
-Quality Management Journal
Book Description
Foreword by Fred Smith, President and CEO, Federal Express
No list of the greatest people of the 20th century is complete without General George C. Marshall. Winston Churchill called him the ""organizer of victory"" and ""the last great American."" President Harry Truman referred to him as the ""great one of the age."" Tom Brokaw called him the ""godfather"" of ""the greatest generation."" Even so, many people know Marshall's name without being able to recall his many astonishing accomplishments. Among them:
* He personally trained future generals Eisenhower, Bradley, Ridgeway, Patton, and others.
* As Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army before and during World War II, he oversaw its expansion from a small, homeland defense force -- smaller than Bulgaria's -- into the mightiest army ever assembled.
* As Secretary of State, he introduced the ""Marshall Plan,"" which literally rescued Europe after the war.
* He was the first professional soldier ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize and was twice named Time's Man of the Year.
Marshall's extraordinary career reflects unparalleled leadership traits and consummate skills, among them vision, candor, a commitment to action, the ability to listen and learn, and not least, selflessness. In an extraordinary chronicle and analysis of legendary leadership, Jack Uldrich brings the life and achievements of General Marshall front and center -- where they have always belonged.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After reading Jack Uldrich's last leadership book about Lewis and Clark: Into the Unknown, I was very interested in his follow-up book about George Marshall.
I didn't know much about Marshall before reading this book but after reading it, I fully agree with Uldrich's assessment that George Marshall is one of the greatest (and previously unsung) leaders of the 20th century. More importantly -- and what the author does so well -- is demonstrate how Marshall's life is still relevant today. His lessons are spot on.
We need more leaders like George Marshall; leaders who are full of integrity, leaders who will candidly tell the public difficult truths, and leaders who will in turn train other leaders.
George Marshall did all of these things and more; he helped win the Second World War, instituted the Marshall Plan, and won the Nobel Peace Prize. For all of these things, Marshall deserves to not only be remembered but emulated -- and that's why this book is a must read for anyone hoping to become a better leader.
I didn't know much about Marshall before reading this book but after reading it, I fully agree with Uldrich's assessment that George Marshall is one of the greatest (and previously unsung) leaders of the 20th century. More importantly -- and what the author does so well -- is demonstrate how Marshall's life is still relevant today. His lessons are spot on.
We need more leaders like George Marshall; leaders who are full of integrity, leaders who will candidly tell the public difficult truths, and leaders who will in turn train other leaders.
George Marshall did all of these things and more; he helped win the Second World War, instituted the Marshall Plan, and won the Nobel Peace Prize. For all of these things, Marshall deserves to not only be remembered but emulated -- and that's why this book is a must read for anyone hoping to become a better leader.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When men like Fred Smith, CEO of FEdEX; former U.S. Senator Warren Rudman; Bob Nardelli (CEO of The Home Depot) and Warren Bennis, all endorse a book it says something about that book.
In this case, the book is Soldier, Statesman, and Peacemaker: The Leadership Lesson of George C. Marshall and it succinctly capture the greatness of George Marshall. It also ably demonstrates how much, as Colin Powell said, " we still have to learn from the man."
I recommend this book for everyone--but I think it would make an especially good gift to young people just entering the world of business, finance, politics or the non-profit world. First, they
don't know much about George Marshall--and they should--and secondly, and more importantly, it demonstrates how people can still maintain their integrity and achieve great things."
In this case, the book is Soldier, Statesman, and Peacemaker: The Leadership Lesson of George C. Marshall and it succinctly capture the greatness of George Marshall. It also ably demonstrates how much, as Colin Powell said, " we still have to learn from the man."
I recommend this book for everyone--but I think it would make an especially good gift to young people just entering the world of business, finance, politics or the non-profit world. First, they
don't know much about George Marshall--and they should--and secondly, and more importantly, it demonstrates how people can still maintain their integrity and achieve great things."
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
There isn't any history in this book, and don't buy it if you are hoping to learn much about George C. Marshall. The book's script goes something like this:
Honesty.
Honesty is good.
George C. Marshall was honest. Here is an anecdote and a quotation to illustrate it.
We found a CEO who was honest. Here is an anecdote to illustrate it. This CEO made a lot of money.
Willingness to speak out.
Willingness to speak out is good.
George C. Marshall was willing to speak out. Here is an anecdote and a quotation to illustrate it.
We found a CEO who was willing to speak out. Here is an anecdote to illustrate it. This CEO made a lot of money.
( Repeat for seven more positive character traits)
George C. Marshall really was a great man, and I want to learn more about him. As another reviewer wrote, <<Marshall seems to embody all the great character qualities that I associate with ... the "greatest generation" ...selflessness, a sense of duty, integrity, candor, preparation, a love for learning and teaching others, fairness, vision and caring for others>>
Unfortunately this book does not establish these facts convincingly, which is what a biographer should do. It simply asserts them. Not only is the book short on facts, but the constant jump from discussing Marshall to comparing him to the CEO-of-the-week is somewhere between belittling and insulting to Marshall. And the final measure of the quality and virtue of these CEOs always comes down to money, which was not the point of Marshall's life in the first place. The greatness of Marshall does not make the book great.
As for the CEOs, I'm glad the writer could find one honest one and one who was willing to speak out (and so forth). However, from a logical point of view, the link between these character traits and success was not established. You can say: I found an honest CEO, and he made money. The next question is, compared to what? If you examine fifty CEOs, of whom (let's be generous) you find ten honest ones, and you compare the success of those ten to the other forty, then you work out the math and find the statistical correlation between the honesty and the money (this book's value system is all about the money), then you've made your case (for what it's worth).
I'm also disappointed in the book's failure to match its title: Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker. There was little to no discussion of any of these aspects of Marshall's career. If you're looking for a book on peacemaking, look elsewhere.
-- - -
update: if you're looking for a good book about Marshall, try Marshall : Hero for Our Times by Leonard Mosley
Honesty.
Honesty is good.
George C. Marshall was honest. Here is an anecdote and a quotation to illustrate it.
We found a CEO who was honest. Here is an anecdote to illustrate it. This CEO made a lot of money.
Willingness to speak out.
Willingness to speak out is good.
George C. Marshall was willing to speak out. Here is an anecdote and a quotation to illustrate it.
We found a CEO who was willing to speak out. Here is an anecdote to illustrate it. This CEO made a lot of money.
( Repeat for seven more positive character traits)
George C. Marshall really was a great man, and I want to learn more about him. As another reviewer wrote, <<Marshall seems to embody all the great character qualities that I associate with ... the "greatest generation" ...selflessness, a sense of duty, integrity, candor, preparation, a love for learning and teaching others, fairness, vision and caring for others>>
Unfortunately this book does not establish these facts convincingly, which is what a biographer should do. It simply asserts them. Not only is the book short on facts, but the constant jump from discussing Marshall to comparing him to the CEO-of-the-week is somewhere between belittling and insulting to Marshall. And the final measure of the quality and virtue of these CEOs always comes down to money, which was not the point of Marshall's life in the first place. The greatness of Marshall does not make the book great.
As for the CEOs, I'm glad the writer could find one honest one and one who was willing to speak out (and so forth). However, from a logical point of view, the link between these character traits and success was not established. You can say: I found an honest CEO, and he made money. The next question is, compared to what? If you examine fifty CEOs, of whom (let's be generous) you find ten honest ones, and you compare the success of those ten to the other forty, then you work out the math and find the statistical correlation between the honesty and the money (this book's value system is all about the money), then you've made your case (for what it's worth).
I'm also disappointed in the book's failure to match its title: Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker. There was little to no discussion of any of these aspects of Marshall's career. If you're looking for a book on peacemaking, look elsewhere.
-- - -
update: if you're looking for a good book about Marshall, try Marshall : Hero for Our Times by Leonard Mosley
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
great
This is an excellent biography of a nearly forgotten hero. During WW II, probably the most powerful man in the world.
Published 2 months ago by D G Whitley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Soldier, Stateman, Peacemaker
They sure don't make them like they used to.
Part of the best generation.
Talk about old fashion values. Read more
Part of the best generation.
Talk about old fashion values. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Albro
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great Primer!
I learned so much about Soldier and Statesman G.C.Marshall. A must read for your introduction to this fantastic individual. Read more
Published on August 9, 2010 by R. Cook
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not a Biography, Not Even Original
George C. Marshall has been the topic of an extensive list of biographies, he won the Nobel Prize, he served as Army Chief of Staff, Secretary of State, and Secretary of Defense. Read more
Published on November 4, 2009 by ARD
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GREAT read about a GREAT man -- order this book today!
One of the greatest men of the Twentieth Century - and I know nothing about him? I ran across references to General George C. Read more
Published on January 21, 2008 by Dan Panetti
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every Western politician should read this book!
Today the legacy of George C. Marshall is seen everywhere in Europe thanks to his tireless preparation for WWII, running the US war and then heading the after war efforts to... Read more
Published on April 16, 2007 by Reg Nordman
3.0 out of 5 stars
More Biographical than it was Instructional
Like most of the other reviewers, I hold General Marshall in high regard, and as a result, I wanted this to be a defining book. It was not. Read more
Published on August 24, 2005 by Michael D. Trimble
5.0 out of 5 stars
Leadership Lessons: I've Never Seen It Done Better
As a retired US Army Infantry officer, I valued this book highly for two unique achievements by the author. Read more
Published on June 17, 2005 by Dave Hutcheson
5.0 out of 5 stars
from one who served with General Marshall
This review was written by F. Gorham Brigham, Jr. Mr. Brigham served in General Marshall's Office from September 1940 until November 1945, the critical Word War II period. Read more
Published on June 12, 2005 by Laurence J. Stybel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everybody should read!
I strongly urge managers, business executives, coaches--anyone in a leadership position--to read this book. Read more
Published on April 20, 2005 by Brian P. Mcenaney
