Customer Reviews

Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker: Leadership Lessons from George C. Marshall

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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.

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."

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. It was however, a short little interesting look about Marshall.

I also realize my opinion contradicts what others here have written, but what I read was a somewhat disjointed biography (meaning it was not chronological) themed around General Marshall's leadership style. Generally speaking it is difficult to actually teach leadership or impart lessons learned, from a third person perspective, even when it is based on very thorough research. This book has research and some hearsay. What carries weight, is leadership taught in the 1st person. A good example of this--although in a very different setting--is John Wooden's book, Wooden on Leadership.

While this book is insightful, it is not nearly as inspirational as I would have hoped, or as it could have been. Assuming that in large measure the readership of this book are people having a personal relationship with the military or an affinity for its history, I believe the author missed an important opportunity to tie Marshall's leadership into the development of current leadership doctrine as defined in Army Field Manuals (FM 22-100, being primary). If anything, Marshall epitomized the current Army "Be, Know, Do" philosophy of leadership.

I would have preferred the author spend a little time explaining the difference between the "authority" Marshall gave his subordinates and the authority he and his subordinates earned from the men in their command. Over the years I have seen many people mistake the two. In the first instance Marshall, or any leader, authorizes a subordinate to make certain decisions without having to check back for permission. The implication being that the leader will support the subordinate's decision. In the second instance it is a case of leaders earning the authority to lead from those they lead. By virtue of rank or position, leaders are given power and responsibility for those things in/under their command. The use of power can certainly get things done, but power alone will almost never create the type of organization that is recognized for its excellence. Sooner or later, folks are going to resent being "powered" around. Conversely, authority to lead that is earned by positive influence and is based in part on trust, is something real leaders receive FROM their subordinates. On the part of the led, it is a willingness to follow. And that was the sort of leadership that Marshall practiced and Army doctrine teaches.

A few other recommended first person leadership books (instructional): by John C. Maxwell, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, and Developing the Leaders Around You. By Jon M. Huntsman, Winners Never Cheat, by Dale Dauten, The Gifted Boss, and James C. Hunter, The Servant.

As a retired US Army Infantry officer, I valued this book highly for two unique achievements by the author.

First, Jack Uldrich taught me here what a great part of the values and aspirations that shaped my military career and continue to make me proud of it, arose from the work of this single great American. The nine principles fostered and exemplified by Marshall, and so well identified and expounded by Uldrich, continued to shape the Infantry School and the US Army long after Marshall's departure. The entire book could have been written to a different plan using current military examples from the second half of the twentieth century, and George Marshall's unique contribution might have been highlighted just as clearly.

But Uldrich chose to apply Marshall's principles to the whole of our public life; this is his second unique achievement. If we seem to be living in a time of leadership failure everywhere we turn, this book is a ray of hope. Uldrich provides the diagnosis and points out where solutions can be found. In business, politics, government, academia, and non-profits, we do still find leaders who apply these principles. We may expect to find them succeeding, and we should honor them.

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

I strongly urge managers, business executives, coaches--anyone in a leadership position--to read this book. Jack Uldrich has done the country a great service by bringing to light the extraordinary achievements of this tragically overlooked American--George C. Marshall. It's a great reminder of those leadership pricinples that all of us should stive for-especially in these times.

I learned so much about Soldier and Statesman G.C.Marshall. A must read for your introduction to this fantastic individual. Jack Uldrich writes in John Maxwell fashion for leadership and excellently communicates G.C.Marshall's leadership traits. Purchase 2, one for yourself, and one for those you mentor.

One of the greatest men of the Twentieth Century - and I know nothing about him? I ran across references to General George C. Marshall on numerous occasions and I wondered why I knew so little about him - so, I found this book that coupled the biography of this great man with his leadership principles and ordered it - wow, was I glad I did! I was completely surprised by the character of this incredible man who has unfortunately fallen thru the cracks of history. Uldrich does an incredible job of giving you a great feel not only for the accomplishments of this mountain of a man, but also for his personality and character - which, in the case of Marshall, are what made the man. Uldrich also does a great job ending each chapter by summarizing the leadership principle demonstrated by Marshall and then giving modern examples from the world of business and industry so that this book is an easy cross-over for business and industry leaders and not merely relegated to history buffs.

Marshall seems to embody all the great character qualities that I associate with that generation we've dubbed the "greatest generation" and Uldrich has brought those qualities to the forefront in this book - selflessness, a sense of duty, integrity, candor, preparation, a love for learning and teaching others, fairness, vision and caring for others. This is an amazing read for almost everyone - from the student who needs to know more about great men and women who sacrificed for the greater good, to the leader in almost any capacity who wants to know how to inspire others and get them to perform at a higher level - all will learn something from this book. While the names of his contemporaries are more familiar to many of us - Eisenhower, Truman, Roosevelt, Bradley, and Patton - after reading this book you'll appreciate the fact that much more is owed to Marshall than to maybe the rest of that list combined!

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 rebuild Europe. He believed that one could never over prepare for war and the peace that ensues after. Too bad GW Bush and Chenay never read his work! The book illustrates Marshall's Nine Core Values with examples from his career as well as with present day efforts by current CEOs. Trumen's "doomed to repeat " quote about the perils of ignoring history resound out of this book as you see how the US and Canada are responding to the current wars. Marshal was a man with a mission, to get any war over as quickly as possible, to spare as many lives as possible, and to do everything he could to show the troops that the military and the country was 100% behind them at all times. History used Marshall well and then he seems to have been forgotten. Easy. organized read that I recommend for those looking for leadership lessons. Get it from Amazon.com or Amacom.

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.

"I am an avid reader of books written about General Marshall. Mr. Uldrich did a remarkable job in bringing out the key incidents of this remarkable leader. What makes the book exciting are the examples. The author relates how Marshall's skills can relate to today's managers. Most of us like to believe we live in dynamic times and perhaps we do. Few of have been critical leaders in the most dynamic period in America's history. This book is well worth managers' time as General George C. Marshall continues to be a role model for leaders of today."


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