Customer Reviews

Where Have all The Leaders gone?

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4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(49)

 

 

Iacocca comes out with both guns blazing from page one, and never stops til the last page. Iacocca provides readers with a clear, concise summary of our major problems - escalating healthcare costs and deficits, a border that is a sieve, an energy crisis, losing manufacturing to Asia, leadership that doesn't face these key issues (instead the Senate debates flag-burning for three days, while giving no time to Iacocca's concerns), and a President given a free pass to ignore the Constitution and tap our phones after leading us to war on a pack of lies.

Iacocca then goes on to provide clear and credible recommendations for each of these problems, and along the way offers his own framework (eg. curiosity, creative, courage, competent, common sense) for describing/evaluating leadership and then uses that framework to succinctly assess Bush II and the major candidates vying to take his place.

Another major "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" suggestion is that Congress take a year off and pass no new legislation - instead evaluate programs that already exist. Iacocca points out that the "War on Drugs" has consumed about $1 trillion, while little, if anything has been accomplished. And what has been accomplished, he asks, of maintaining an on-going decades-long feud with Castro?

The "bad news" is that Iacocca once considered running for President, but was talked out of it by then House Speaker (and friend) Tip O'Neill. O'Neill told Iacocca that the job would drive him nuts - too hard to get anything done (basically the same comment President Truman offered then General Eisenhower). Nonetheless, the "good news" is that Iacocca's lessons in leadership skills couldn't help but be invaluable to moving America forward.

Every American should read this book. Lee Iacocca is a hero to those who worked for Chrysler during the 1970-1990 period -- and to those who held its stock during those years. He persuaded Congress to lend $10 billion to the company, and then paid back every dime.

Now he criticizes the Bush administration, the Democrats, the young, and the rest of us -- and he is absolutely right in every respect. Bush is a disaster; the Democrats have no courage; the young are over-entertained; and the rest of us fail to demand that our political leaders lead us in sensible directions.

This book earns my vote for top transpartisan book of the decade, along with "All Rise" (see link below). This great man is saying things that I and others have been saying since 2000, but because of his stature, we now finally have the national enema that we all need. Lee Iacocca, in my personal view, should link up with Reuniting America, and volunteer to form a Sunshine Cabinet of transpartisan retired leaders (corporate, military, law enforcement, education, and others). We need to show America that it is possible to create a balanced sustainable budget, and to have common sense priorities.

The book opens with a discussion of the nine C's of leadership: Curiosity, Creativity, Communicator, Character, Courage, Conviction, Charisma, Competency, and Common Sense. In evaluating the current crop of candidates for President, all fail with the exception of Joe Biden for President and John Edwards for Vice President.

He stresses people and prioities, and for the first time in any book I have read, he calls for all presidential candidates to appoint their Cabinet BEFORE the election so the people can evaluate the team and not just the Man. This is something I have advocated since 2000, see the original documents at Citizens-Party.org.

His comments on Bush-Cheney cronism are devastatingly on the mark. He points out that the insider game excludes top talent.

He finds Congress to be failing at the five top issues for all Americans: Iraq, Jobs, Health Care, Education, and Energy.

He is critical of the Executive for telling lies to get a war with Iraq, for condoning torture, and for being reactive instead of proactive.

To make his point, he notes that for what we have spent in Iraq, we could have instead hired 8 million teachers, 8 million police, fire, and medical support specialists; funded 25M college scholarships, and given every citizen a year of free gas and health care.

In criticizing the Iraq strategy, he points out that unlike Gulf I, there are no Arab nations in the coalition this time, and that is the truth-teller. He specifically laments the loss of "America the Good" in the eyes of the world.

Among the top issues he personally focuses on in the book are Energy, Fair Trade vice Free Trade, restoration of moral capitalism and an end to the CEO looting of companies at the expense of workers; the protection of the middle class, the reduction of medical (and I would add, educational) bureaucracies, and the US brain gap--South Korea, Japan, and Singapore are getting a reverse brain drain from the US, as well as training their own better than we are.

He slams James Carville for representing the worst of the structured political process, where a candidate is told what their policies will be based on political consultants and focus groups.

The book closes with a discussion of four traits he learned from others: Optimism; Common Sense; Discipline; and--from his mother--Love.

At the end, he calls America to action, asking each of us to give something up, put something back in, and elect a LEADER.

I do NOT agree with those who are critical of either the author or the book. This is an easy to read totally straight-up book that is now, along with "All Rise" and "The Tao of Democracy" among my top-rated Transpartisan books. See my varied lists on Transpartisan, democracy, immoral capitalism, impeachment of Cheney, etc.

If he will help form a Sunshine Cabinet, and Reuniting America can raise $500M a year ($20 from 25 million Americans, or $100 from 5 million Americans) we can close down the Republican and Democratic partisan machines that have corrupted our democracy, and we can restore informed engaged democracy. We need this man's common sense now more than ever.

All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity (BK Currents)
The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
Society's Breakthrough!: Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People

He is right on, I agree with almost everything he says about our leaders. They are either arrogant, ignorant, cowardly, or a combination of all three. Worst of all, we are not being led by noble altruists who really care about our country or the world. We are lied to Bush et al, and the Democrats have not challenged them forcefully enough. Lee Iacocca is real life example of what a leader should be, not the partisan hacks we elected for and must rid ourselves in less than 2 years. Read this book and get justifiably angry. We should be screaming mad.

For those who don't know, Lee Iacocca is the former CEO of Chrysler, and played a large role in rescuing that company from the brink of financial disaster. This book, his first in a decade, is an enjoyable collection of his thoughts on politics, the auto industry, and a wide variety of other subjects.

Iacocca is 82 now, and is very blunt and colorful in his opinions. He has a very poor opinion of President Bush, who he describes as a "clueless bozo" who lacks the leadership qualities to be a good President. Fans of the Bush administration will probably not like this book, but keep in mind that Iacocca is a political independent who has supported both Democrats and Republicans in the past. In fact, Iacocca endorsed Bush in 2000 and recently supported the Republican candidate for governor in Michigan in the last election. So he is hardly a knee-jerk partisan. Either way, I found his political observations both entertaining and illuminating.

I also found Iacocca's opinions of the auto industry to be interesting. He strongly believes that Detroit should now be building smaller cars. He applauds GM for dumping the Oldsmobile brand and wonders why they haven't done the same thing with the Saturn brand yet. Iacocca also has a very poor opinion of the Daimer-Benz/Chrysler merger, and has sharp words for his CEO successor, Bob Eaton. It's all very fascinating stuff.

All in all, this is a fun, no-nonsense book by a man unafraid to speak his mind. It's a nice antidote to the slick talking heads on cable tv.

I dont know how you all are right now with this country but I love it but where on earth are the leaders? Iacocca and I agree on that one. And this book is easy to read but he outlines and gives some right on suggestions about just what is wrong. He even gives us his nine principles of leadership to judge our next leader. He asks the question of the times right now - where is our outrage at these bozo's leading us and that is both parties. When is the last time you saw a vote out of Congress that wasnt down party lines. That's not leadership! Great book at the right time lets get the outrage going!

Lee Iacocca was the only man in the United States that could have saved Chrysler. He did it in record time paying off the government backed loans early. In the end he took a company once regarded as an engineering leader and returned it to where it should be. In the process he built a company with perhaps the best looking and best operating fleet of automobiles in the world....and without the much vaunted German engineering.

In Where Have All the Leaders Gone, Iacocca hits the bullseye each time he pulls a trigger. A President that has been so marginalized by the media and events beyond his control that he is essentially ineffective. A congress that is missing in action as usual. A southern border that is basically nonexistent in any practical sense. We have an unprecedented loss in jobs and profits to Asia and no one is even squawking about it. Everywhere you look the country seems to be falling apart. Lee where are you when we need you.

Iacocca is still an effective communicator. I disagree with an editorial reviewer that attempts to make you believe that Iacocca's best days are gone and that he controls no audience. Bunkum and bosh. Read this book. Then demand that your congressman read the book. After you read this book practice one act of leadership a day. It'll make a difference.

Where Have All the Leaders Gone is too important a book to be overlooked.

This is an outstanding book and far better than Giuliani's book on leadership. It should be compulsory reading for anyone in America. It is typical Iacoca, plain, direct and blunt spoken, a little rough around the edges from a writing perspective, but full of the best thoughts on what leadership really is all about and clear ideas on what we should do to extricate America from its present dilemmas. I wish Mr. Iacoca were 20 years younger and could run for president himself. We need him. I also wish he and I were personal friends as he is the kind of person I would like to have in my life.

I am more than half way through with this book and I love it. Not so much as opinions (as some have posted) but advice based on facts and experience. He calls out the cowards plain as day (those in the White House and those that sit on their laurels).

If you would read the dust jacket you would discover it's not a business book.

Well worth reading but too bad most of America is ruled by fear and will not address anything Mr. Iacocca wrote.

It's funny how Conservatives get the "Holocaust deniers/creationist" attitude when the truth comes out.

It's nice to see that someone his age is not as fearful as the rest of the voting senior citizens of this country.

Let's agree that once upon a time Lee Iacocca was a significant business leader in United States Industry. Let's also stipulate that he is a Patriot, a passionate defender of America and genuinely concerned about the Country's future. In other words, he is a good guy.

However, after reading "Where Have All The Leaders Gone," it is clear that he believes that they have all disappeared behind the fog of cigar smoke in his mirror.

Yikes!

This book is a little more that a nostalgic walk down memory lane. We learn that Iacocca had numerous famous friends, mostly Italians it seems, has met/worked with many Presidents, took a personal liking to Fidel Castro, was considered as a potential candidate for the US Senate, and still adores his father as a magnificent role model. He was also in the automobile business. All of this is pretty good fare, especially from an 82 year old man who writes as conversationally as he talks.

Except ...

The majority of the book obsesses far too much about George W. Bush. It's all negative, as if all the world's evils, invented or occurring since 2000, had their root cause somehow connected to the failings of the former President. I was half expecting Iacocca to also blame Bush for slyly suggesting Janet Jackson's costume malfunction, or personally authoring the NFL overtime rules, or dealing steroids to Major League baseball stars - our even purposely redirecting Katrina to specifically hit New Orleans.

Please!

All of this Bush bashing is grossly unbecoming, if not boring and discourteous, by someone who purports to be a significant leader - and who promotes the characteristics of great leaders (his 9 "C;s"). (Let's not even mention Iaccoca's ongoing connection to the overly bloated/highly inefficient, economy-sucking auto industry).

It got me to thinking that Iacocca has a lot in common with Ann Coulter and Jimmy Carter. Coulter's negativity toward Liberals and Democrats is so pervasive that even those who agree with her have to catch their breathe before gagging, and ask for a time-out. It's the same with Iacocca regarding Bush.

And Jimmy Carter has spent the past twenty years trying to re-write his pathetic history and convince everyone that he used to be relevant. Sic semper Iacocca!

By the way, Mr. Iacocca's question is correct - where have all the leaders gone? The election may be over but the search continues on.