Five-Star Leadership: The Art and Strategy of Creating Leaders at Every Level (Hardcover)

by Patrick L. Townsend (Author), Joan E. Gebhardt (Author) "A new reality has emerged in the last twenty years, one that redefines effective leasd..." (more)
Key Phrases: eleven leadership principles, thy subordinates, small unit leader, Marine Corps, United States, Quality Revolution (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A handbook for leaders that transcends all barriers. Everyone from a CEO of a corporation to middle managers to administrative assistants can glean valuable insights on leadership issues from this comprehensive work." -- C.C. Krulack, Commandant of the Marine Corps

"I highly recommend this readable and well-researched book." -- Robert A. Lutz, Former President and COO, Chrysler Corporation

"I highly recommend this readable and well-researched book."--Robert A. Lutz, Former President and COO, Chrysler Corporation

"A handbook for leaders that transcends all barriers. Everyone from a CEO of a corporation to middle managers to administrative assistants can glean valuable insights on leadership issues from this comprehensive work."--C.C. Krulack, Commandant of the Marine Corps

"Provides a great service to the private sector by highlighting those aspects of military leadership that are central to our success. . . . A major contribution to the study of leadership and management."--John Shalikashivili, Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

"Provides a great service to the private sector by highlighting those aspects of military leadership that are central to our success. . . . A major contribution to the study of leadership and management." -- John Shalikashivili, Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

Patrick Townsend and Joan Gebhardt, in their work Five-Star Leadership, have done what many leadership theorists have attempted, and yet failed to accomplish. They have capsulated over 200 years of military and civilian leadership that provide s readers with an invaluable tool for developing leadership qualities in themselves and in others. The authors' stated premise is that "the clearest, most concise, most humanitarian expressions of leadership theory were put forth by the United St ates military." To most people outside of the military, leadership probably is most often equated with rank. The higher one's rank, the more his orders are obeyed. Principles like trust, loyalty, integrity, and honesty are merely words that ha ve no real meaning. Townsend and Gebhardt shatter these paradigms and succinctly show the reader the practices and techniques that have made the military, to include our Corps, strong for over 200 years. . . . This book is a must read . . . It articul ately weaves the best of military and civilian thinking together to illustrate how and why leadership is important at every level of an organization. Together, Townsend and Gebhardt have masterly crafted a holistic model of lifelong leadership. -- Marine Corps Gazette, January 1998

Product Description
"Both men and women will find this book inspiration and practical. Its message is that the best way to be a better leader is to encourage leadership in others—and it tells you how to go about it." —Dr. Gay Culverhouse, Executive Director Cooke Foundation for Special Education former president, Tampa Bay Buccaneers "This book is unlike any other on leadership that I have read. Citing helpful examples, including those from the rich literature of the military, this book sounds a clear call for us to get on with the important work of building broadly based leadership that will enrich both business and individual lives." —Dr. Curt W. Reimann, Director Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (1987–1995) "Townsend and Gebhardt have woven the best of leadership thinking—both civilian and military—into their narrative. A must read for those who want to uplift their organization through better leadership." —Walter E. Boomer, President Power Generation Group, Babcock & Wilcox General U.S. Marine Corps (retired) former assistant commandant, U.S. Marine Corps "This fascinating book points out that the world is not divided into leaders and followers, but between people who understand leadership and those who don’t. It provides all the building blocks you need to understand leadership, to become an effective leader, and to create other leaders as well." —Willis Reed, Senior Vice President/Player Development New Jersey Nets "All veterans know that leadership, at its best, is never autocratic, abusive, or arbitrary. Rather, it relies on commitment, communication, and character. To anyone interested in what the pros have to say about leadership, I highly recommend this readable and well-researched book." —Robert A. Lutz, President and CEO Chrysler Corporation "Superb techniques and ideas on how to train for leaders throughout the organization … real success can only be achieved by getting to all the levels." —William "Gus" Pagonis, Executive Vice President of Logistics Sears Roebuck and Co. Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (retired) "Many of the leadership theories contained in Five-Star Leadership are very similar to FedEx’s management principles, and are integral to maintaining our People-Service-Profit philosophy." —Fred W. Smith, Chairman of the Board and CEO FedEx

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471012882
• ISBN-13: 978-0471012887
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,871,574 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Book on Leadership, April 2, 2000

By	William Rushing (NAS Lemoore, CA) - See all my reviews

Patrick Townsend and Joan Gebhardt draw on all the available sources (big industry and the military) to create a book full of leadership skills that is in an easy-to-read format and very practical to use. If you are a leader or a follower, this book is a must read. I am a student of leadership (Navy Officer with 17 years experience) and I have never read a finer book. Get it, read it, and then read it again!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars for 5 Stars, May 22, 2002

By	"waymakerjim" (Mars Hill, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Five-Star Leadership: The Art and Strategy of Creating Leaders at Every Level (Paperback)

Tis is an excellent book for explaining leadership principles, based on the ultimate test of leadership-combat.
The book compiles lists of leadership traits and practices from some of the leading military manuals and strategists to create a terrific reference source. It makes suggestions on how to create a self-evaluation list for measuring one's leadership skills, knowledge and abilities and how to improve them.
As a former Marine NCO, I still use the techniques and understanding from the Corps. THis book is an outstanding refresher course or it stands alone for everyone.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can you train leaders? With this book you can!, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

Too many people think that leaders can only be born, not trained and/or nurtured. It's a good thing that the US Marine Corps does not believe this. If they had not trained leaders, I would have grown up in New Tokyo, instead of Los Angeles.

Forget the stereotypes and take advantage of 2,000+ plus years experience of studying leadership and training leaders.