Customer Reviews

Take Command: 10 Leadership Principles I Learned in the Military and Put to Work for Donald Trump

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am usually skeptical of these sorts of books, as some authors are seeking to maximize their moment in the spotlight. However, Kelly does a phenomenal job of balancing his Trump experiences with solid and interesting experiences throughout his life and how they all tie into business success. Too often, the author litters the text with "I" and "me" and the work stinks of arrogance - not the case with this book. Kelly humbly admits that most of his successes are due to support of others, which is a remarkable characteristic of a great leader. The is a book about Kelly and his life, but there are enough references to "the troops" and "we" and "they" to understand that Kelly truly is an unselfish and appreciative leader, very willing to recognize other people's contributions as playing a significant role to his personal success. Very refreshing! I also love the fact that he draws on the life experiences and wisdom of other respected leaders, another indicator that Kelly has succeeded, but wants to continue to learn from those before him. The book is well-organized and easy to read; I actually read it in one sitting. Again, this is a refreshing example of very interesting personal anecdotes folded into a well constructed presentation of leadership principles. I am going to use it as a text in not only the classes I teach (part time), but for my employees in my full time job as well. Great job! For a change, I am looking forward to a sequel, and wish Kelly the best success.

If you are a fan of "The Apprentice" as I am, you will remember Kelly Perdew becoming the second of The Donald's apprentices. He was always doing anything it would take to help his team. Sure, he didn't have the charisma of Bill Rancic, but he was the favorite of many of us and we were happy when he won. Just as Bill Rancic put out a book ("You're Hired) to satisfy audience interest and capitalize on the publicity the show gave him, Perdew gives us a book based on his life experience and the lessons he learned along the way.

This book is different than Rancic's in its tone and organization. This book focuses on ten principles that Perdew believes are the foundation of what success he has had in life. It is interesting that these ten principles also help one see that success can mean a lot of different things and only one of them is financial.

These principles are: Duty, Impeccability, Passion, Perseverance, Planning, Teamwork, Loyalty, Flexibility, Selfless Service, and Integrity. Each of these gets its own chapter. Perdew provides stories from his experiences in business and the military (those of us who watched the show know he is a graduate of West Point and an Airborne Ranger). He also includes stories from such accomplished individuals as Roger Staubach, Ross Perot, Marsha Evans (Red Cross), James Kimsey (AOL), Bill Coleman, and Pete Dawkins. Perdew also shares some anecdotes from his experience on the show as they relate to these various principles.

As I was reading the book, it struck me that this would be ideal for reading groups, but particularly for groups of young people to read and discuss. It was interesting to note that the author had similar notions. On pages 166-67 he notes that he was surprised at how many young people had watched the show and came up to him during his appearances. He said, "One of the things I'm very proud of, and that I've been a bit shocked by, was the impact the show had on kids. I had no idea that so many kids watched "The Apprentice". Turns out a lot of parents and kids watch the show together and apparently talk about its lessons. Kids who see me in New York grab their mother's arm and say, "Hey, Mom, look, it's Kelly!" I hope the kids who watched the show learned the ten principles of this book!" And they can learn them even better if youth leaders will get them to read this book and discuss their thoughts about the principles it illuminates.

So, unless you are simply too too sophisticated and perfected in your ironic detachment, this book reads easily, but will provide food for thought and reminder about qualities of character that are important and provide a foundation not only for success, but happiness.

This is an outstanding book that really characterises the very principles that, when honed, molds a successfull, all around individual in a dynamic world.

If you sit, read, take in and apply the words that Kelly writes, it will easily start building upon the basic groundwork for becoming a more refined individual. Even if you consider yourself to be at your prime, you can never stop learning - and learning from other people is probably the best way to learn.

From reading the words that Kelly has written, I now garnish a huge amount of respect for where he is today by where he came from. His dedication for laying out these principles that sharpened himself into a highly dynamic and motivated individual expresses to me that he is truely a man of inspiration that challenges himself on a consistant basis.

Duty, Impeccability, Passion, Perserverance, Planning, Teamwork, Loyalty, Flexibility, Selfless Service, Integrity. All of which, we as humans should constantly strive daily to refine each of these aspects of our life. I can not express to you how important it is to keep working on your personal and professional development for your personal life and your career. Stay Motivated and Stay Persistant in your dreams.

As for the style of the book.

I got this book Friday night and I started reading it immediately. I really wanted to find out what built Kelly to where he is right now, and what he really values from his experiences by his principles.

I simply tore through the book. I really couldn't put it down, honestly. I read a quarter of it friday night and came back to it saturday night to finish it up. It is very easy to the eyes and very easy to become captured by the writing. A well developed book and I would definitely recommended it to be put in your professional development library at home!

I volunteered 4 years of my life to the Marine Corps (01-05) and in this book is everything I stressed as a Marine and pushed my Marines under me to understand. These are truely the fundamental building blocks to your professional future and you should always be aware of improving yourself.

Overall, for the price, you can not beat the experience shared within.

Although this book is written with a personal narrative viewpoint it is really a primer that summarizes MBA school in a short readable volume.

Kelly Perdew has to be considered a super achiever. Just a short look at his resume: West Point, Airborne, Ranger, MBA, JD. He then took the skills and dedication that he had learned to attempt to start a new business in the videoconferencing arena.

Here he learned that a startup company, struggling to raise money and made the technology work can do great things. He also learned that sometimes outside influences come in and completely change the environment. In the case of videoconferencing Intel and Microsoft announced a joint venture to do videoconferencing. The prospects for his company then basically collapsed.

He focuses this book around ten leadership principles that sound like they came out of a military leadership manual. In fact he claims that he learned them in the military. On the whole they are good principles, they work for the military and in business. Just remember that sometimes the world around you changes. And when that happens as in the videoconferencing business, all your planning, all your principles may not be enough.

This book by Apprentice winner Kelly Perdew is a worthwhile read. Written in the style of many military-business leadership books, it swtiches back and forth between Perdew's Apprentice exploits and anecdotes from great military veterans turned business leaders. The stories about Perdew's career, Apprentice tasks, and about others are both inspirational and entertaining. I am giving 4 stars because he talks about principles, but does not go deep into the reader's application of them.

Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile read for both the Army or corporate officer.

Some business books are whiny and academic and detached from the "real" business world. Some motivational books are too preachy, unrealistic, and downright hokey. However, in Take Command, Kelly gives us the best of both genres. This book is long on practical business tips and formulas told with interesting stories (MotorPride - the virtual company). Take Command gives us a great set of life lessons that everyone should read, reflect upon, and incorporate one or more in their own life ("some things will seem impossible. But only one thing is certain: if you give up, you certainly wont make it"). I just really enjoyed this book. An enjoyable read, about a solid guy, with a great story to tell. It is very clear why Kelly was selected by Donald Trump to be his Apprentice...Ok, I can't give it all away...read the book ;)

This is an excellent book for all women and men to read! I was worried the book may focus too much on the military and that as a non-military woman, I may be unable to relate to it. That is not the case at all. Perdew, and the business icons he interviewed, clearly outline the 10 principles each of them has used to achieve success, not only in their business lives, but in their personal lives as well. This is an inspiring read that will provoke thought within yourself, as well as give you a very personal perspective on the military (one of his brothers was in Iraq for a year), business situations, and Donald Trump. A great book for America's youth (high school/college)as they become the leaders of tomorrow. Every person should read this book and incorporate these principles into his or her daily life.

As an Airborne Ranger, I was very interested to learn how Kelly had used his West Point and Military training to ultimately land a top job with Donald Trump. After reading this book, I have no further questions about how he won and he has done an amazing job of breaking life down into 10 easy to follow principles.

This is a great tribute to what hard work and never giving up on your dreams can do for anyone! Kelly thanks for the inspiration.

Military leadership principles translate well to business environments, and Take Command: 10 Leadership Principles I Learned In The Miliary And Put To Work For Donald Trump tells where Trump apprentice Perdew got his ideas. Perdew wrote the book to show corporate America what leadership skills come with veterans - and to show transitioning military personnel they can make it in a civilian business world. But there are plenty of lessons here from military leaders who turned businesses into stellar achievements, and contributors to Take Command come from all walks of business.

This book was great -- very motivational and well written. The 10 leadership principles were presented in an inspiring and uplifting way by using various examples and life experiences. Getting an inside look at West Point was intriguing. Obviously, the discipline Kelly learned there helped him immensely in adapting to "The Apprentice" challenges. There's a lot of solid advice that should be extremely beneficial in the workplace and to advance one's career.