The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush: 10 Common Sense Lessons from the Commander-in-Chief (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Jim Ware (Author), James W. Ware (Author) "Quick: What were the values of the Clinton administration?..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Don't laugh when you see the title of a new book that challenges the elite's view that President Bush is no brainiac: The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush. Really. "We did it," says coauthor Carolyn Thompson, a leadership expert, "because he's so widely underestimated and because everybody thinks he's not what he really is." That would be Master Leader, she and James Ware conclude in their scholarly study. More in-depth than others like The Rumsfeld Way, it charts Bush's 10 common-sense leadership lessons, like: Hire smart, build trust, talk straight, and leave aides alone. "General Patton," they write, "followed the same strategy." Yet unlike the field commander, Bush gets no respect, à la Rodney Dangerfield. But that, too, says Thompson, is part of Bush's genius. "He likes to be underestimated." She's even copied her two favorite Bush traits. While unpresidential at times, he tells it like he sees it. And he's religious about sticking to his schedule, which includes two hours of exercise and home by 7 p.m. "I do the same now and it works," she says. "He's made a believer out of me." (U.S. News & World Report, January 20, 2003)

Product Description

Praise for The LEADERSHIP GENIUS of GEORGE W. BUSH

"Finally, a fun-to-read book about George W. Bush that details the secrets to his success!"
–Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One Minute Manager®

"Political journalists love graduate student intelligence, the ability to make clever allusions in seminars, and in 1999—2000 they hassled George W. Bush for not having it. They didnt realize what this book succinctly displays: that the President has something far more important–CEO intelligence, the ability to ask tough questions, garner essential information, and make discerning decisions. Such intelligence can be fostered and honed, and this book shows how."
–Dr. Marvin Olasky, Professor of Journalism, The University of Texas at Austin, and Editor in Chief, World magazine

"Put aside politics and read this book right away for its true wisdom and concrete advice about leadership. The authors have done a brilliant job explaining the leadership style that makes this President so effective. Any leader can learn from the philosophy, strategy, and tactics in this book."
–Bruce Tulgan, founder of RainmakerThinking, Inc., author, Winning the Talent Wars

"Thompson and Ware make a compelling case that this President who ‘loves to be underestimated has a highly effective approach to leadership that is humane, direct, and at times, truly transformational. Many in business today could benefit from reading this book."
–David M. Abshire, President, Center for the Study of the Presidency

"Carolyn Thompson and James Ware have it right . . . leadership is about what one is, not just what one does. About character, not just charisma . . . about credibility, not just credentials. This timely account of The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush will truly encourage and inspire readers."
–Commissioner Robert A. Watson, Retired National Commander, The Salvation Army, U.S.A.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (December 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471420069
• ISBN-13: 978-0471420064
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #515,398 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read For W Fans, August 18, 2008

By	Sucka MC (Pittsburgh, PA, USA) - See all my reviews

If you are a fan of Bush, you owe it to yourself to get this book. It will tell you everything you ever wanted to hear.

73 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Commonsense Approach to Leadership, January 22, 2003

By	Diane Rummel (Foster City, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I am an avid reader of biographies and this book provided a biographical sketch of President Bush's lifestyle and then used that foundation to show how his management skills transformed his life. I grabbed a pencil and highlighter half-way into the first chapter and began writing in the margins. I liked this book because I could open to any page and find a nugget of information with a down to earth example. Some of the examples were just real funny and actually made me laugh out loud.

Then after reading the first few chapters, I realized that this book was not about President Bush's politics (although there was some strategies revealed) or about his faith (although his personal convictions are the heart of his core values) or even about his IQ level (his emotional intelligence is recognized as highly intuitive). This was a book was about how an average person can become the leader they want to be.

I finished the book quickly from a purely biographical point of view and now am going back over each chapter to concentrate on the leadership competencies and how I can learn from the examples. The authors know what they are talking about but they also made it real easy for the reader to put into practice the lessons that need to be learned.

After reading this book, I also came to appreciate and admire President Bush and how his personal discipline is one of the timeless principles of his leadership. I am glad that I read this book at this time in history.

49 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Flawed but Relevant Stab at Biography, January 22, 2003

By	"spuds-nabokov" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This tome purports to explain why GWB is a talented leader of the American people and the world.

In fact, it demonstrates conclusively that the American people suffered a collective fit of hallucination when they voted this singularly incompetent man into office.

The book has some nice information about Crawford, Texas and the Bush's dogs -- but it does not tell us anything about the psychology of the Boy Emperor. Perhaps this is becuase the BE has no particular psychological nuance to display? Perhaps.

Leadership, as Fred Nietzsche once opined, is about breaking the rules when others think that rule breaking would be a mistake.

Bush's "leadership," as noted by the author, consists of learning the rules and efficiently applying them with charm and gingerly worded disinformation. Then again, maybe the book isn't half bad. I learned how to be manipualtive and nice at the same time.