Leader

Leadership styles, communication styles, coaching for performance, and situational leadership are very important philsophies in our Telcom Industry. We use The Leader's Window as part of our leadership development courses and find it very practical, application's based, and an effective training tool that aligns with our training programs. Even though it is dated 1994, the concepts are timeless.

I have applied the Blanchard-Hersey Situational Leadership model for years with much success. The book I relied on, "Management of Organizational Behavior," was good but, being an MBA level text, was more theoretical than "how-to." The only other book I have seen on Situational Leadership is "Leadership and the One-Minute Manager," which was the exact opposite: Too simple.

This book combines the textbook's rigor with "One-Minute-style," easy to understand case studies to bring the model to life. Further, it is a how-to manual, which teaches you how to lead effectively using the model. You will learn: The development and intervention cycles, how to avoid being a "Leave 'em alone, the zap 'em" style manager, and how to properly empower a team, keeping control while simultaneously freeing people.

This book is a classic. Along with the aforementioned text written by Paul Hersey and Ken Blachard (Of "One Minute Manager" fame), this book and Aubrey Daniels' behavioral modification how-to book, "Bringing the Best Out Of People" should be on every leader's bookshelf

This book is great reading for anyone who is trying to make sense of their role as a leader. It first sets out 4 clear leadership styles, and then marries the styles simply to 4 different types of business situations. What I loved about this book was the simplicity, which helped me do two things: first thoughtfully apply the concepts to analyze my past experiences, and second, to use it effectively in my interactions with my teams.

Damazio has been able to take the word of God and much wisdom of experience and bring it together in this book. He presents the model of the Christian leader as one who has love, a servant's heart, who is committed to Christ and the Body of Christ. As one who has been in secondary leadership roles for most of my life, I have been able to see places where Christian leaders have failed, and how the wisdom in this book could have helped them avoid it. The attributes of leaders, good and bad are poigant, I have seen them played out many times. There is one area I question, his quick restoration of a fallen leader to LEADERSHIP as I have seen this cause a subsequent fall. This is not consistent with the other areas of the book and I wonder if he may have never had to deal with this first hand.

I bought this book for a Bible Study class a friend is teaching. It opened my eyes to things I overlooked in the Bible. It is a great teaching tool for congregations. The explainations and examples give greater understanding to the meaning of the scriptures and it enables/empowers you.

The book systematically takes you through every possible situation faced by a christian leader. A must for a 2nd year Theology student and every christian leader. Use it as training resource for leaders in small group sessions. The book is very meaty and should be carefully studied piece by piece. Be prepared to be challenged and prepared to change! You will use this book over and over again. Only for serious students!

This is a very informative book that can be read in a about one to two hours. It isn't as in-depth as I thought it would be but it certainly provides some updated and interesting information on Six Sigma. My advice for people who may buy this book is to purchase this book along with 'Leading Six Sigma', 'Lean Six Sigma', and if you are new to Six Sigma, 'Sailing Through Six Sigma with CD' for an overall appreciation of Six Sigma. This is not a book that discusses the DMAIC model or the actual statisitics involved in Six Sigma in any great length so if that is what you're looking for you need to look elsewhere. However, if you're looking for some of the most up to date information on Six Sigma this book is well worth the price.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought McCarty did an outstanding job of presenting a business case for six sigma with a clear, straightforward discussion of how and why businesses should implement it. Barney's detailed explanation of the statistical nitty-gritty of six sigma provided an excellent follow-up to McCarty's piece. Barney's level of detail was just right for the book - enough to show the reader the "meat" of six sigma statistical foundations without the weighty specifics.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought McCarty did an outstanding job of presenting a business case for six sigma with a clear, straightforward discussion of how and why businesses should implement it. Barney's detailed explanation of the statistical nitty-gritty of six sigma provided an excellent follow-up to McCarty's piece. Barney's level of detail was just right for the book - enough to show the reader the "meat" of six sigma statistical foundations without the weighty specifics.

I

William Elliott's "A Place at the Table" is a mostly successful attempt to present the many faces of Christian spirituality in America today. To do this, the author set out on a cross country journey to interview many religious and spiritual leaders on their beliefs about Jesus and the Bible, everyone from Marianne Williamson to Jerry Falwell. The author's approach is inquisative without being didactic, and his more open minded approach makes this a vastly better book than Lee Strobel's similar "A Case for Faith". His struggle to get the project financed is inspiring, and his folksy musings on the road are a breath of fresh air amongst the more serious theological interviews.

The book is not without its problems, though. For one, the interviews have a ring of similarity to them, since all the interviewees are answering from a boilerplate. For another, the folksy musings between the interviews create a tone that at times is hard to pin down. I suspect the author is sincere, but some of these scenes -- like the one where images on a Last Supper painting are speaking to him -- seem unintentionally comic. It's as if he has temporarily detoured into Hunter S. Thompson's Las Vegas.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for spiritual seekers. It has some insights, and an ultimately peaceful message, that will inspire and stimulate.

Perhaps first and foremost, this is a collection of interviews about Jesus with a variety of famous people--writers, preachers, scholars. Interviewees include Christians from the liberal (eg. John Shelby Spong, Marcus Borg) to the conservative (eg. Jerry Falwell, J. I. Packer), as well as those outside the Christian tradition (eg. Rabbi Harold Kushner, Deepak Chopra). Almost every interview is worth reading and has interesting, insightful things to say. No matter what your own views on Jesus are, you'll find things you agree with and things you don't, and probably some food for thought.

All the interviewees are answering the same questions, which gets a bit monotonous after a while, but fortunately, we get more than the interviews themselves. We get to know something of the interviewer, of the interviewees, and of the process of tracking them down. The book is part spiritual autobiography, part travel memoir, and partly the story of the author's attempts, successful and unsuccessful, to get his interviews and write his book. It's a bit of a jumble, but it works, and turns out to be quite readable. Elliott is an appealing guy, sincere, open-minded yet opinionated, unpretentious; and it's a pleasure to spend time in his company as he tries to learn more about Jesus and about how different people view Jesus.

Even if you don't agree with everything that is written in this book you can appreciate the quest of the author who is trying to answer his questions about religion and Jesus. There are so many different points of view expressed - it creates an unobtrusive and honest reflection about Christianity. Bill's personal commentary is also amusing and is a great enhancement to this wonderful book.

The endnotes are incorrectly numbered. Proof reading and editing needed. Cover quality is excellent. Printing quality of pages is terrible to reasonable. For USD125.00 one would have expected a top-printing job. The illustrations and the editing are also terrible to reasonable. A professional illustrator wasn't contracted. Also, the editor was on vacation ... this is what happens when people plan to maximize an investment ... This comment applies to all 5 volumes).

Mark Douglas's work on beliefs ("The Disciplined Trader" book and "The Path to Consistency" workshop) is much more ambitious and is a remarkable achievement. If I hadn't read and studied Mark's work I would have not understood some of the issues fully.

The Tasks of Top Trading is a very nice breakdown of the evaluation-decision making process. Very nice indeed! The "Loss Trap" presentation is awesome but again if I hadn't studied Mark Douglas's work I would have understood some of these issues fully. I do believe you need to know the mechanics of belief systems in a comprehensive manner.

The Risk Measurement Techniques (The Standard Deviation, the probability of success within 95% confidence bands, the calibration technique, the Trading Salary and Overhead): there is a catch 22 question here. The first year in trading (provided the trader employs a decent mechanical trading plan) is an year of discovery. There are quite a few questions and measures that 1) he will discover with time and 2) time itself will establish new criteria and measurements. You cannot apply the Trading Salary during the first year of trading. It will not work. Instead he should concentrate on himself more than ever and even employ a coach and talk to him every week. Also the coach should have a program, a plan to monitor his client. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT and will the difference between success and failure during the first year!

The section on Risk Control and Money Management Techniques includes the stop loss bit, which is ok, but nothing extraordinary. The bit on profit taking is scary. Tharp advocates waiting for the "big pull":

1)Bear markets are a lot easier to cash in because they move very fast and certainly faster than bull markets;
2)Studies have been made (John Hill) which show that if you keep an eye on the direction of say the daily or the weekly and always only trade in that direction say via the hourly chart you will make more than the price range of the upper time frame; (you can add a few exceptions to improve results, such as "special" counter-trend rallies or declines)
3)If everyone is looking at the daily and weekly why not look at the monthly or at an intra-week chart and a sub-multiple thereof?; (Cynthia Kase provides all necessary ingredients in her book "Trading with the Odds")
4)I myself did a study on the US T-bonds and came to the conclusion that if I was to use the daily chart as trend director and the hourly chart as trade activator to trade in the direction of the first I would have made more than 3 times the range of the daily!

Then this: in page 135 he talks about a trader "involved in almost constant activity in the market". He ends the paragraph saying: "Don't try to make profits scalping, just consistent profits. But plan to position trade those large special moves in the market, because that is where you will make big money". The footnote adds: "This recommendation does not necessarily apply to all traders, but it certainly applies to most traders. If you are an exception, then you probably have something very special going for you."

It was my own trading and research that proved the contrary. The kind of market and the market I trade is one of the top 3 markets in the world (US T-Bonds) in terms of liquidity daily, weekly and monthly! I use an intra-week chart for trend direction a sub-multiple of it for trade activation. If I were to trade the director chart alone I would make say 100. By doing this all week long and accepting to engage every time I get a signal (almost daily) I manage to multiply that 100 value by as much as 4 every month. So the point of having to trade the "long pull" doesn't work. I can make more and make more than the average reaction or trend following systems.

I like the suggestions to minimize risk although there is quite a little bit that needs to be added to. But that's a different story ...

The Tape - Tharp has a terrible voice. The mastering wasn't done with good equipment. The microphone is not a top of the range voice microphone ("AKG tube" or similar). The dub is really poor. The hypnotic session shows that Tharp is a poor hypnotist. He lacks the skill. Read Tebbetts and Elman, then listen to Gil Boyne, Ormond McGill or Robert Krausz. It shows! So you need to spend more money to have your own tapes made... (Should cost about USD500.00 to have a superb set of tapes custom made which you can use for 6 months, then pay again cos' you change ...)

CONCLUSION: What's the value in this volume? There is a bit of value. He explains the mechanics of several processes, the traps, and the dynamics but in a superficial manner. Again, you should read and study Mark Douglas beforehand. It will give you a perspective, the perspective that Tharp lacks. Human perspective that is. The whole volume is cold, distant, tries to be objective but in reality the subject matter is so subjective that Mark Douglas managed to do a much better job! This is the first volume in a series of 5. I have studied volume 2 - Stress, and have found it to be far better than Vol 1. Let's hope the remainder 3 volumes are also better. Oh the paper quality is terrible too!

As a self-taught professional trader I am intimately familiar with this text. In fact, I would call it the first book of a New Testament for stock and commodity traders. It was the very first book on trading I read that brought an element of reason and common sense to the subject. That's because it was the first book that truly brought me face-to-face with the real challenge in achieving success as a trader -- self-mastery and personal understanding. This book contains several classic concepts including a detailed discussion of both "The Loss Trap" and "The Ten Tasks of Trading" Throughout it Dr. Tharp drives home the point that the real problem people have with trading is usually looking back at them in the mirror every morning. But instead of claiming that only a chosen few have the psychological and intellectual gifts necessary for trading success, he inspires the reader to commit himself to the self-awareness and personal excellence required to become a top trader. In the subsequent books to this series he lays out step-by-step a program that will turn any committed individual into a potential market wizard. I most enthusiastically recommend all the books in this series!

It took me a long time to get this concept. Van's book really helped. It wasn't something I really thought about until I read this book. My PNL volatility is much lower becasue of it. I highly recommend it

Though I was very impressed with the Haggadah A DIFFERENT NIGHT, its companion Leader's Guide leaves you wanting more. There are more additions, exploitations, and stimuli than you could ever get through in a single night, and probably several years of Sederim. Probably the best chapter was the one which had several quotes about freedom (some of which could be found in the Haggadah proper), but it would be difficult to work much of that into the Seder itself. Another valuable portion was the Halakhic minimums of the Seder (though for a Haggadah that prides itself on exposition, publishing the minimum of anything seems a little absurd), though it only listed those minimums. No attempt was made to expound on WHY they are the minimums. Indeed, there was little to no discussion of the legal requirements of anything in the Seder, somewhat of a disappointment to me. In any case, for the person who likes to have it all, this and the Haggadah will certainly give it to you. Just don't say I didn't warn you when you get information overload.

My children have long been too old for this Hagaddah (A Different Night), but the Leader's Guide is a terrific tool no matter what Hagaddah you use. Excellent suggestions on how to be a good Seder leader, lots of background information, great suggestions to liven up your Seder, readings you can insert. Its just a treasure of useful stuff. People might actually have FUN at your Seder, and learn something too! I've been leading large Seders (30+ people) for friends and family for 10 years now. The Leaders's Guide for A Different Night is going to make this year's Seder different from all other Seders (OK, OK, no groans). But seriously, if you are leading your first Seder or have been doing it for years, this is a valuable addition to your library.

The Family Participationhaggadah is full of ideas to enhance your seder. Too full, actually. The leader's guides really holds your hand and helps you decide what to include and what to skip. It helps you analyze what parts of the seder are crucial for you to feel that you've had a proper seder and what are the ones you all could do without. It pays special attention to children's needs. Bravo.

Kingsley Amis is one of my favorite post-war novelists. I had not before read a collection of letters, and I confess there was a time when I would have thought the idea of actually reading through someone's lifetime of letters just plain idiotic. But in fact I found these fascinating -- interesting to read for the biographical details, hints of the creative process, discussion of his works and Philip Larkin's works in progress -- as well as often very very funny and sometimes eyebrow-raisingly nasty.

Zachary Leader has chosen about 800 of several thousand surviving letters. The great bulk are to the poet Philip Larkin, his closest friend. Another huge chunk are to another very close friend, the writer and Sovietologist Robert Conquest. He also corresponded a good deal with my favorite novelist, Anthony Powell, another good friend of his (though Amis betrays a certain lack of confidence in his friendship with AP -- I sense that he was intimidated by Powell's upper class background and lifestyle, by his rather mandarin literary taste, and by his age). There are many letters to his second wife, Elizabeth Jane Howard, as well as a rather unfortunate set of nasty comments about her in other letters after their rather ugly divorce. Lots of letters to agents and publishers -- these rather interesting from the writing business point of view. Quite a few responses to fan letters -- these generally quite gracious and often offering interesting answers to questions about Amis' books. Unfortunately no letters to Bruce Montgomery ("Edmund Crispin"), another of Amis' special friends: they cannot be inspected until 2035! Hilly Bardwell Amis Boyd, Lady Kilmarnock, his first wife, burned all his letters, perhaps understandably, after he left her (or she left him but because of his affair with Howard) in 1963. Amis in his life was reluctant have any of his other letters to women lovers printed, and Leader either didn't track down any such, or chose not to print them. As for his children, Philip did not keep his letters, Sally did not want them published, and Martin could find only a postcard or two (though apparently there were many more).

Highlights? His early letters to Larkin, with their complex
abbreviations and injokes, and the talk about poetry. The cattiness he displays towards writers whose work he disliked, such as most obviously John Wain, his fellow "Angry Young Man". Amis on "Old English Literature": "The prose is admitted even by initiates to be stumbling and graceless; the verse is shackled by continual repetitions of idea ... This is the echo of an Age stated but not shown to be Heroic whose literature carries neither primitive insight nor civilized assurance." (and more) The general funniness of things, even though occasionally mean.

Certainly an amusing and interesting angle from which to consider a great writer.

Amis's letters are a lot of fun, as you might expect. Amis is often as outraged and funny as in his best fiction (especially in the letters to Larkin). Often in literary appraisals he is acute, and he always seems true to something in himself, so that even when one disagrees--i. e., T. S. Eliot is not simply a pretentious bore--one goes along.

Good as this correspondence is, it isn't up to Larkin's letters because Amis doesn't believe or feel as deeply as Larkin does, nor does he have as focussed a perspective as Larkin, so the humor isn't set set off in such sharp contradistinction to a fundamental seriousness. Yet you keep reading because the book clears away cant and intellectual fustian so vigorously. Moreover, it gives just enough glimpse of Amis's biography: a sad, messy counterpoint spreads out in the background: the meanderings of a brilliant man with a zillion reactions and nothing firm to attach them to.

Larkin's parody of his own poem "Days" on page 1040 is not to be missed; it's in one of Leader's helpful footnotes.

This book weighs a couple of pounds, so is hard to hold--to be read at table rather than in bed. Couldn't the publisher have used lighter weight paper and given us smaller type and less margin?

Volumes of letters should be judged by their editing as much as their content, hence the five stars. Z. Leader is thorough, intelligent, impartial, and exact. There is sufficient scholarly apparatus to guide the working academic and the demanding lay reader. As for the letters, well, there are a lot of them. Despite his professed laziness, Amis cranked off an immense amount of smart, thoughtful, scurrilous, and funny correspondence in the 50+ years recorded here. Exemplary funny bits are on pages 276-277 in a 1952 letter to Philip Larkin. If you laugh, buy the book. If you don't, don't. If you're shocked by cruel, rude jokes between close friends, don't. Amis demanded, and often provided, hard thinking, precise expression, and blunt honesty. His staunchly conservative, sometimes reactionary, views contrast interestingly with his drunken philandering, which should provoke thought among those readers who enjoy thinking at all.

This is a disappointing book.

Now, that's on a personal basis and not necessarily on the merits of the book as written. Quite frankly, it's not much of a biography; I found more details about Luther's life in the 1958 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica; my disappointment is based on Marty's emphasis of Luther's religious ideas and development instead of the society in which he lived.

On a religious basis, examining how Luther reached the positions he did, the book may be superb; I'm not a theologian, so I can't judge it on that basis. Marty is an exceptionally fine theologian, and he may well have done a superb analysis on that basis. The editors at Penguin are not fools, and they don't necessarily target excellent works at my interests; so if they missed the mark with me, it may well be my loss.

Having said that, Marty gives little attention to the "small, poor, ugly, stinking, hideous, wretched, unhealthy, smoky, full of slop, populated by barbarians and sellers of beer and not by real citizens" town of Wittenberg in 1512 where 2,100 people lived in 400 houses. True, some 172 houses had licenses to brew beer, so it couldn't have been all bad; and, the town also had a newly created university and a printing press (Johann Gutenberg has "invented" the printing press by 1450). Talk about casting pearls before swine; yet, this "pearl" of Luther was part of a worldwide enlightenment that changed the entire nature of Christianity.

The Pope Luther challenged was one of the most corrupt in the history of the Roman Catholic church; it raises the question of how much Luther would have achieved had he challenged an honest Pope. A second question Marty overlooks -- what would have been the fate of Catholicism had Luther not challenged its fetid corruption?

Luther lived at the same time as Erasmus, in Rotterdam; and when King Henry VIII was challenging the authority of the Pope in England. The Roman Catholic church of that era was clearly an early example of globalisation; this early international insensitivity to local independence led to a rise in nationalism which culminated in the worldwide wars of the last century. Clearly, northern Europe was reacting against the endemic corruption of the Roman Catholic Church and in support of a rapidly growing nationalism. Luther was hardly a courageous dissident marching to a different drummer and thus liberating the exploited masses from a dark tyranny; instead, he was a brilliant evangelical spokesman for a resolute freedom that sought local autonomy and freedom from the dictates of Rome.

It was also a time of bitter anti-Semitism, one of the enduring failures of Europe. Marty says Luther's support of such prejudice was unfortunate, but he avoids the issue of what might have happened had Luther developed a religion based on tolerance instead of bigotry. What if he had preached religious toleration for Islam, even while opposing the Islamic attempt to conquer Europe?

Granted, speculation is not the duty of any competent historian. But, in my view, passing lightly over the issue of Luther's anti-semitism avoids confronting one of the major faults of Luther and this biography. Yet, on a religious basis, Marty is succinct, clear and relevant. As a non-Lutheran, I wanted more history and less theology.

Perhaps there is no better basis for a biography of a major religious leader. If so, Marty has done a good job. But it's less than I expected.

Having grown up Lutheran, I've know the facts of Luther's life practically from the cradle, and in our day we had to virtually memorize his Small Catechism when we were confirmed. Since then I've read other, longer bios and all were fine. But this one is excellent, though brief--or perhaps because it's brief. I learned even more about the man and his thinking, though I already knew a reasonable amount. This would also be a fine introduction for anyone who doesn't know much about Luther. It's concise and very well written, and neither idolizes nor condemns a complex man who did much to shape life as we now know it. I'm recommending it to all my friends, Lutheran and otherwise.

Martin Luther was the great Protestant Reformer. Martin Marty is one of the great Lutheran theologians of our time. In Martin Luther: Penguin Lives, Martin (the younger) paints an excellent picture of Martin (the Luther) that goes far beyond the movie. Not only does Dr. Marty finish the story of the movie, but he also takes the measure of the man in a surprisingly unbiased manner.

The common thread between the movie and the book is the German word Anfechtungen, which is depicted in the movie as "conversations with the devil" and more accurately depicted in the book as plumbing the depths of a tortured soul. It is from these depths that the linchpin of Luther's theology, justification by grace through faith, has its roots - for Luther, it was his way to climb out of those depths alive.

Dr. Marty pulls no punches; despite his Lutheran pedigree, he excoriates Luther for his anti-Semitism (on the basis of both Christian behavior and bad scholarship) and his habit of lobbing grenades in unneeded and unwarranted directions (such as Erasmus and Henry VIII). In addition, he questions Luther's behavior during the Peasant Revolt of 1524-25 (unlike the movie) without moralizing or answering the questions for the reader.

This is a very accurate biography of Luther. It does not have the sappiness of Roland Bainton's "classic" biography (which was taken to the nth degree in the old b&w movie we "old Lutherans" saw in confirmation class) or the movie's portrayal of Luther as a dynamic hero (which was probably necessary for cinematic purposes).

What it does have are Luther's struggles with himself, the Roman church and other reformers. It also has an excellent overview of Luther's vast writings, and places them in context, not only of the development of the Lutheran church but also of his place and time. I feel that it is important and worthwhile to see Luther's struggles with finding eternal truths in his era and that his struggles were not significantly different from ours (except that we have more toys and less truth).

I have only had sporadic contact with Martin Marty's work; I have had more contact with folks like Paul Westermeyer and Marva Dawn in the realm of Lutheran worship and music, who were greatly influenced by him. This is the first "full length" look I have had at his work. Although as a Lutheran musician I would have liked to see more about Luther's hymns (which are a versified and surprisingly complete overview of his theology) and perhaps a bit more about his relationship with Philip Melanchthon (the later discredited "brains" of the Lutheran reformation), I found the book to be a very well written overview of the man, his beliefs, and his work. Amazingly enough, it is also a fairly fast read, which speaks well of Dr. Marty's ability to keep "lofty theological questions" readable and relevant. It is a "must read" for Lutherans and a good read for anyone else.

In this memoir Diane Diekman has given us both a compelling personal success story and a valuable document of American history.

The tale itself is dramatic enough: smart girl off a South Dakota farm joins the U.S. Navy and, against all odds, rises to the rank of Captain. In persistent detail, and with courageous candor, she spells out why such an achievement for any woman is especially difficult in "this man's Navy" -- the residual bias against females; the social exclusions; the daunting loneliness (at one point she is the only woman on a carrier with 3,700 men); having to decide when to be "one of the boys" and when to stand her ground; the personal cost of placing career above private yearnings for husband and family. She is not afraid to tell us that, yes, Naval officers can permit themselves to cry on bad days or nights. She notes her desperate but unsuccessful attempts to become pregnant without a man in her life, through artificial semination. (She now has two adopted daughters.)

Historically, this is an authentic record of the changing role of women in the U.S. military over the last few decades. The book offers useful guidance to others seeking to follow this career -- particularly in illustrating how, within the military system, one can overcome shyness with self-confidence and an aura of leadership leading to success.

Almost as a bonus the reader is treated to the flavor of Navy life: the never-ending competition for promotion; the traditions of social events; the obligatory partying (we get some insights to the "Tailhook scandal" of a decade ago); the required mobility. Standard for the naval careerist is variety in geography, from a Pacific island to Japan and Europe to the White House -- with frequent side trips.

"Join the Navy and see the world." Diane Diekman did just that, and a bit more. Her honest book about it makes for rewarding reading.

NOTE: The writer of this review is acquainted with some of the territory, having also grown up in rural South Dakota and experienced a career in the U.S. Foreign Service.

Great reading. I couldn't put the book down. I began reading it Saturday evening, and finished it Sunday afternoon. I was able to relate to so many of CAPT Diekman's stories. Many mistakes and lesson learned that the CAPT went through can be avoided by individuals who read this book. Sometimes we don't see the writing on the wall. CAPT Diekman managed to overcome many obstacles that few of us ever do. It was an encouragement to me to press on in the face of adversity.

After reading Dianne Diekman's story it would be hard to express greater admiration for the courage, dermination and tenacity that kept her motivated to achieve each milestone on her way to becoming a leader in the maintence department of our nation's air force. From the shy farm girl who attended a one-room schoolhouse to the commanding position she holds today, every challenge that confronted Dianne strengthened her resolve to surmount it. From air base to air base, each new assignment brought greater resonsibility as her duties esculated. And she mastered each one, never letting disappointments when co-workers weren't fair detour her. All the while, Dianne maintained her perspective and was respectful and considerate of those she commanded. Distressed by the serious illness of her beloved brother, her inability to conceive a child so she could become a mother, her long separtations from family, and the frequent wrenching from the bonds she formed at each current airbase assignment, she never-the-less did not waivered in her dedication to duty. I thrilled with Dianne as the plane she was in was catapulted from carriers; as she soared high above our country and foreign countries; and shared her feminine emotions when she was the only woman aboard ships. I'm happy to recommend Navy Greenshirt to anyone interesting in going step-by-step with Dianne, as she shows her transition from a young farm girl to a leader of distinction.

Mona Leeson Vanek
Freelance writer

Writing Consultant, Montana Arts Council
Writing instructor, "Access The World & Write Your Way To $$$

On Becoming a Leader is a well-organized and thought out book on leadership. Since it?s the only leadership book I?ve read, it?s hard for me to compare it to anything else, but I can see why they consider it a ?standard?. The book pointed out many ?truths of life? that I agreed with but never put in words before, like ?most of us are shaped more by negative experiences than by positive ones? from page 108. The author suggests doing something positive to start each morning in order to deflect the impact of our negative experiences. Definitely something I?ll put to use. Bennis uses examples of real people to make give his point impact. This and other writing techniques add to his easy style of writing, making this novel a breeze to read. I wish the book had more ways the reader could practice the skills he or she was reading about. In the end, I would recommend this book to anyone who needed to lead something or just be a more influential and listened to person in general.

While I don't agree with all of Bennis' role models, he makes some very valid points about achievement, leadership, and human relationships. Like John Maxwell and others who have paid their dues, he mentions the importance of learning from failure. One of the many useful quotes Bennis provides is "it is not enough for a leader to do things right, he must do the right thing." Also like other writers in this genre, he says one of the fundamentals of leadership is to have a guiding vision. As a communicator, Bennis encourages potential leaders to codify their thoughts through writing. Writing eliminates ambiguity and helps one to focus. Leadership is viewed as a process in the sense that goal-accomplishment involves several incremental phases. He writes "the goal isn't worth arriving at unless you enjoy the journey." A process of self-reflection is outlined and discussed in the middle section of the book. This is followed by some advice on how to investigate the world at large. Travel, reading, and involvement are three keys to learning the environment in which one is to contribute. Bennis has some ideas worthy of followup. His book is worth reading.

Great book not just for managers, but also for those being managed. It clearly articulates how to improve yourself, through a variety of motivational stories and excellent advice. Make sure to read the last chapter, though! The one ding I had while reading the book was that a lot of the advice wasn't actionable -- until I reached the last chapter, which closed off the book with a clear path forward for the reader.