Leader

The testimonies of church leaders add impact to their methods, charts, and programs. Especially useful to me were suggestions for melding fund-raising activities and stewardship education throughout the year.

Aces In Command: Fighter Pilots As Combat Leaders is a superbly researched and written military history of combat aviation leadership. Aviation historian Walter Boyne details the careers of four legendary aces (Eddie Rickenbacker, Hub Zemke, Boots Blesse, Robin Olds) who went on to using their leadership skills in positions of command in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Although the advances in military aviation were rapid and transformative, the qualities that each of these men exhibited in their respective eras is nothing short of fascinating. Painstakingly researched, Aces In Command combines the best qualities of superb scholarship with a flair for narration that is an entertaining as it is informative. Aces In Command is "must" reading for all military aviation history enthusiasts.

The author, a top American executive, discusses how to improve Western management style by combining it with some of the most successful Japanese techniques. Each chapter provides summary checklists contrasting Western and Japanese approaches and highlights recommendations for action. This East-meets-West approach suggests that cross-fertilization of ideas is way to achieve success. Where medieval alchemists failed, Rehfeld finds a winning formula. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, Stern & Associates, HRconsultant.com InfoCenter, and Stern's Management Review online.

ALL STAR games from ALL STAR YOUTH LEADERS is jam-packed with some of the best games I have ever seen. What a wonderful feature - The all-star advice from the youth leaders gives helpful suggestions for every game. The book is not very big, but EVERY game is a winner. I highly recommend this book.

In his preface to what he hoped would be an encyclopedia for
general readers, Neil Hamilton admits that selecting which business
leaders to include was no easy task. Ultimately, he selected 413
visionary male and female "movers and shakers".

The well-known moguls of American industry are all here,
shoulder to shoulder with the lesser-known. Andrew Carnegie, Bill
Gates and John D. Rockefeller keep good company with Mary Spratt
Alexander, who built a mercantile empire in early Colonial America
while, at the same time, bearing ten children and supporting her
husband's political career, and Madame Sarah Walker, an
African-American who became a millionaire in the 1800's by building
a business based on hair care products for black women.

All the contemporary heavy hitters are represented, from Dick Clark
and Helena Rubinstein to Boone Pickens, Ross Perot and Ben & Jerry.

While the emphasis, naturally enough, is on American business
during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the encyclopedia
covers the period from the seventeenth century to the present day.
The areas of evdeavor include finance and banking, heavy industry,
food processing, broadcasting and communications, computers and
entertainment.

The entries, written in a lively and informative manner, are all
set within the social context of their times, and each is
accompanied by a bibliography.

A good source for researchers, browsers and those seeking inspiration,
this excellent and very readable work also offers an alphabetical
listing of business leaders, a preface, a list of leaders by field
of endeavor and an index.

The increasingly prominent role of women in politcs is clearly demonstrated by the 13 women who currently occupy seats in the U.S. Senate (2001). Earnshaw presents a balanced and comprehensive represention of many of such women through their speeches. When I first read the book it was a great resource for me in better understanding the then recent '92 elections, "the year of the women." This was seminal moment in our recognition that women and their causes must understood, or at least empathized with. Ignore them at your peril, like it or not, was the unequivocal message. The unusually high number of conservative women elected in 1994, though not part of the book, further confirmed the trend of women as political leaders of both parties and not just issue activists. Women political leaders, then and now, emcompass the entire range of ideology and the book demonstrates this as well. I highly recommend the book for anyone looking for a greater understanding of the background of notable women in politics.

This book is designed to be a resource for people who want to give serious thought to changing their schools in some fundamental fashion. To achieve this aim, it includes material of interest not only to administrators, teachers, and boards of education, but also to parents, community members, and many students. Leaders in both the private and public sectors realize that those who do "front-line" work need to be involved in making decisions about how their organization is run, and they also need to be capable of making good decisions. They need both information and opportunity. This book will help provide people in schools, education's "front line," with better information to use as they make decisions that will affect their schools.

Unfortunately, for one reason or another, Asian business leaders have not exactly written a wealth of material documenting their timeless management philosophies, success stories, and practical advice on key business concepts. Subsequently, there is a dearth of materials on managing in Asia and Asian business success stories. This book helps to fill the void, giving valuable information from the leading names in Asian business markets. Now, for the first time, some of the region's best and brightest business leaders have been brought together in one exciting collection.

Rajat Gupta of McKinsey, Stan Shih of Acer, Washington SyCip of SGV Group, Joanna Lau of LAU Technologies, David K.P. Li of Bank of East Asia Ltd, Cheong Choong Kong of Singapore Airlines, are some of the 32 leading Asian CEOs who share their thoughts on doing business in Asia. Informative, insightful, and inspirational, the book offers a fascinating glimpse into the finest business minds in the region.

The 32 articles in Asian Business Wisdom are organised into six parts covering Management Philosophies, Instilling Corporate Culture, The Entrepreneurial Spirit, Lessons from China, Sales and Marketing Strategies and Managing in Tough Times. Each article is accompanied by an introduction that highlights its author's life and business achievements and a list of online resources which points the reader to related articles or organisations.

Sadly, except for a passing reference to Robert Kuok Hock Nien on page 169, Malaysians are conspicuous by their absence in this book. Despite this glaring omission, this is nevertheless a book from which managers worldwide will surely benefit. Economic and financial crisis notwithstanding, Asia remains in the sights of many global business leaders and decision-makers as a region of vast economic and business potential.

A freelance writer and editor, Filipina Dinna Louise C. Dayao is a former associate editor of World Executive Digest, one of Asia's leading business magazines.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly Business Development Manager with KPMG, Azlan is currently Managing Partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management, an education and management consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management from the Westminster Business School in London. He may be contacted at Tel: +6088-383 526 E-mail: azlan@azlan.org

Instead of offering self-help nostrums, this book starts a process of helping managers develop useful answers by learning to ask incisive questions.

Louis Baltz captured the essence of what is must have been like to be at Cold Harbor in 1864, in what turned out to be the bloodiest 30 minutes of the entire Civil War. How scared were the men in blue? How confident were the men in gray? The battle of Cold Harbor has long been a fascination of mine and any writing I can get my hands on I read. This is by far the best I have ever read.