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The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush: 10 Common Sense Lessons from the Commander-in-Chief Hardcover – December 27, 2002
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"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 didn’t 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., and 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
- Print length256 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWiley
- Publication dateDecember 27, 2002
- Dimensions6.26 x 1.13 x 9.57 inches
- ISBN-100471420069
- ISBN-13978-0471420064
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Editorial Reviews
Review
From the Inside Flap
The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush reveals the unwavering leadership principles of the first President with an MBA and illustrates how he uses them to operate within the arenas of politics, business, and life. Leadership and management consultants Carolyn Thompson and James Ware identify ten timeless qualities that have made Bush a great leader, breaking down each one so that you too can use these techniques in your own leadership questwhether you are running a Fortune 500 company, the local school board, or your condo association.
Each thought-provoking chapter highlights a unique leadership lesson gleaned from Bushs political, professional, and personal endeavors. From owner of the Texas Rangers to President of the United States, these principles have propelled George W. Bush to the top and can do the same for you:
- Identifying core values
- Building alliances
- Having a vision
- Communication
- Building trust
- Discipline
- Bringing in the right people
- Intuition
- Allowing those hired to do their jobs
- Getting results
The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush explores everything from overcoming setbacks (as Bush did during his nomination bid) and managing in crisis (September 11th) to setting the vision and hiring the best and brightest to execute it.
Engaging and entertaining, The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush is a lively blend of professional accomplishments and personal beliefs. Clearly outlining the techniques that have made George W. Bush such an effective leader, this practical guide will help you develop the leadership skills necessary for success in todays fast-paced world.
From the Back Cover
"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 didn?t 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.
About the Author
JAMES W. WARE is a partner of the Focus Consulting Group, Inc. The firm works with leaders to develop mission and value statements that are the foundation of sustainable growth. He is a recognized authority on the connection between creativity and business and has delivered keynote speeches on this topic to audiences around the world. Ware is a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®?qualified instructor, and a certified mediator for the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago. Previously, he has been an instructor at the Keller Graduate School of Management and a trainer for Interaction Associates, global consultants for Facilitative Leadership training. Ware has a degree in philosophy, an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago, and earned the CFA (chartered financial analyst) designation.
Product details
- Publisher : Wiley; 1st edition (December 27, 2002)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0471420069
- ISBN-13 : 978-0471420064
- Item Weight : 1.25 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.26 x 1.13 x 9.57 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #6,916,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,761 in Political Leadership
- #36,856 in Entrepreneurship (Books)
- #46,241 in Leadership & Motivation
- Customer Reviews:
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It shows how GWB has risen to the challenges presented by terrorist attacks on our country, and how he has stood firm, despite pressure on every side, to back down, in the face of aggression.
He was raised in a tradition of true statesmanship, and has unfailingly put the interestes or our country above all else, choosing to sacrifice temporary popularity for doing the right thing.
History will view him as one of our greatest presidents.
What I found is a book that is emblamatic of Bush's whole presidency. The rare glimpses we do get of Bush in public are scripted and fake (this is a fact, as recently proven. He has to be the worst public speaking president ever). Thus, any impression we get of him is clearly scripted with a few buzz words (9/11, freedom, tax relief, etc.) thrown in for effect. It should be no wonder, then, that Bush is seen as a man of little substance or depth, a syncophantic lackey for Cheney and his colleagues.
This book follows in that tradition. It presents a made-up, scripted version account of Bush's leadership style and conviently glosses over his costly leadership mistakes (cronyism, relying on anecdote over evidence, lacking credibility).
So, while this book is worthwhile in that outlines good leadership techniques in general, by attaching these characteristics to GW it reads like a surreal painting - taking common sense, ordinary objects and placing them in a contradictory setting. While they make sense in the real world, in their new context they make absolutely no sense at all.
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.
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.