Robert Gates is a government executive of renown. He has been effective as Director of the CIA, as national security advisor, as President of Texas A&M and as Secretary of Defense.
Harsh words are seldom spoken about Bob Gates’ competence or intellect. In A Passion for Leadership, Gates he gives us a dazzling display of a uniquely American philosophical foundation as a tool for leadership. He can write. This is a very good and valuable book.
A Passion for Leadership is a tell-all, a how-to tale that weaves chapter and verse of how to effectively lead and manage vast, complex organizations. It provides the link between convictions and actions in several layers and over time, and Gates did a fabulous job at helping the reader navigate the levels of abstraction, the second and third order effects of seemingly simple solutions to American problems. It goes beyond Duty, his last book, to tell how one takes a foundation of reason and reality based convictions to a series of specific actions in specific circumstances within the amorphous bounds of those convictions.
Gates is one of very few legendarily effective government executives. Perhaps the broad performance canvas he earned and inherited allowed him to develop more nuanced leadership skills than others who were constrained by narrower bounds. For example, another of those quietly famous leaders is Admiral James Loy, who rose from the Coast Guard Academy to be Commandant, then the President’s “go-to” guy to manage change in the vastly complex intersection of politics, government and management. Loy built TSA from scratch after the 9/11 disaster changed the way we fly and then built from scratch again as Deputy in the new Department of Homeland Security. Loy managed change well and described in his writings how to do it, step by step. Managing change consumed Loy’s time, but in each job his decisions suffered a layer or two of bureaucracy between him and the President, including those tiresome vetting and approving minions who served the President as staff.
Inevitably, even perhaps by design, that extra time for staff approval slowed the execution of Loy’s visions; Gates suffered far less of that. Loy was required to keep his head down to manage complex change in government; Gates was required to look up in his intelligence and national security roles to report and anticipate. In Gates’ career, the confluence of his roles provided deep opportunity to observe behavior and multiple orders of unplanned effects. His observations are delivered with grace and wit.
Gates’ background ran from Director of the CIA, to national security advisor, to President of Texas A&M, to Secretary of Defense, and he tells a moving tale of those experiences. Both Loy and Gates write well on leadership, but Gates has been challenged more broadly, so perhaps writes with broader exposure and perspective on the various problems of leadership, albeit with less specificity than Loy’s P to the seventh power (‘proper prior planning prevents piss-poor performance’.) Gates may also have had time to observe Loy’s success and generalize the lessons. It was Gates’ job to watch, learn and confirm. It seems he did those things well, among others.
Gates’ leadership canvas broadened when he slipped from one bureaucracy into another, leaving government to become President of Texas A&M University. Gates was charged with leading an effective effort to regain A&M’s academic stature. University politics are legendarily vicious, but the faculty activists there were over matched in the multi-year scrum that followed. Gates provides an executive primer on the utility of building on a foundation of moral principles and values. It’s great theater.
Gates’ time after A&M, when he returned to the US government as Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush, is the capstone of both his career and this book. Consider the challenges of being the only cabinet member to serve in the transition from Bush to Obama, from conservative Republican to liberal Democrat, then observe as Gates negotiates those shoals. Again, it is marvelous theater. Gates is a wonderful storyteller who weaves his powerful characters into compelling discussions of the problems of the world. He skillfully posits solutions and resultant actions within those discussions.
The word among admired government executives is, “Bob Gates is one of the good guys.” His book certainly reflects that.
A Passion for Leadership is a timeless work of leadership and management genius. Read it.
Robert E. Cook, author of Pulse
Pulse: The third of the Cooch adventures in national security (The Cooch series of national security thrillers Book 3)
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A Powerful Look at Leadership in this book, makes for a Compelling Read! AAA+++
I enjoyed Robert Gates, first memoir, "Duty" which was an assessment of how large institutions are consistently failing us, as a whole and how beneficial leaders can change them. So it was a natural to follow up with his latest volume, entitled "a Passion for Leadership. Robert Gates served eight U.S. presidents in both parties as defense secretary and CIA director. He is now the president of the Boy Scouts of America.This is written more as a guide to leading large institutions through reform and change. Gates brings his ideas to life by recounting his own stories of his critical leadership roles. Gates shares his wisdom, humility, and devotion to his own civic duty, as an example to inspire others to lead.Robert Gates previously has stated that President Obama believes he is smarter than his advisers and that he surrounds himself with people who will not question his views. As a result, the White House has struggled to develop and implement effective strategy during the Obama administration.“You know, the president is quoted as having said at one point to his staff, ‘I can do every one of your jobs better than you can,’”This title a must-read for anyone who wants to invoke change within an organization and have leading principles to follow. It is an inspiration for a younger generation of people, interested in entering public service positions. I enjoyed it! Hope it Helps:)
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