Leader

Many leaders - in politics, business, religion, community - are pathological or malignant narcissists. But, maybe surprisingly to some, not all of them. Consider politics. The preponderance of narcissistic traits and personalities in politics is much less than in show business, for instance. Moreover, while show business is concerned essentially (and almost exclusively) with the securing of narcissistic supply - politics is a much more complex and multi-faceted activity. Rather, narcissism in politics is a spectrum. At the one end, we find the 'actors' - politicians who regard politics as their venue and their conduit, an extended theatre with their constituency as an audience. At the other extreme, we find self-effacing and schizoid (crowd-hating) technocrats. Most politicians are in the middle: somewhat self-enamoured, opportunistic and seeking modest doses of narcissistic supply - but mostly concerned with perks, self-preservation and the exercise of power. Most narcissists are ruthless opportunists. But not all opportunistic and ruthless operators are narcissists. This book is a good introduction to narcissists in positions of leadership and to the pernicious effects of their disordered personalities. Yet, all such tomes suffer from a major - and, to my mind, iredeemable, drawback. I am strongly opposed to remote diagnosis. I think it is a bad habit, exercised by charlatans and dilettantes (even if their names are followed by a Psy.D.). Only a qualified mental health diagnostician can determine whether someone suffers from NPD and this, following lengthy tests and personal interviews. Moreover, often, politicians are nothing but a loyal reflection of their milieu, their culture, their society and their times (zeitgeist and leitkultur - the Germans have words for such things). This is the thesis of Daniel Goldhagen in 'Hitler's Willing Executioners'. Lasch, for instance characterized America as narcissistic (in, among others, 'The Culture of Narcissism'). Read cautiously. Sam Vaknin, author of 'Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited'.

This is a brilliant book if you work under a person (or people) who make you feel that you can't do anything right. If you have worked for many years with very isolated or no problems at all and the bosses change, turning your working environment upside-down, using moral blackmail to ram you into a corner, read this and then decide if it is really YOU who's metamorphosized or if it's merely some 'special breed' of ego-trip boss who will eventually, with a bit of luck, make himself so unpopular he's sent off to a remote spot in Patagonia, at which point you can return to business as usual and feel like a normal person again.

Half the book is comprised of lists of airlines, car rentals, hotels, tour operators, tourism offices, etc. Perhaps useful, but that information is available elsewhere. I didn't view these lists as essential to running a group tour business. I'm not sure how accurate all of the information is; for example, he spends quite some time talking about GLAMER, the Group Leaders of America, yet doesn't mention that this group is for senior travel only. He also says that GLAMER membership is free (implying to anyone), yet the GLAMER site requires that you have already organized a group tour before being qualified to join.

His model is a realtively narrow one, assuming that you will draw your clientele from the same geographic region, your club, church, etc. I would have liked to have seen other examples of tour groups, e.g., cultural or arts tours drawing clientele from all over the country or world.

An easy read; I was through the book in a couple of hours.

I've been planning group trips for years with my church. I purchased Carl's book and have planned three trips since- one with church, one with my son's high school team and one in my youngest sons scout troop. The book was easy to read and VERY informative. A must for anyone planning even one group trip, a real lifesaver!

I was most impressed by the section on Nikita Khrushchev. Nixon seem to bring to light the overpowering will of the Soviet Union to be a nuclear superpower. All in all this book was very interesting.

Nixon's ideas in this book caught my mind as a suprise. I never thought a President like Nixon would look up to a person like Churchill.

In Frederick Reichheld's 1996 book, The Loyalty Effect, he argued that a 5 percent increase in customer and employee retention can increase profits between 25 percent and 100 percent. Taking that as the foundation for his new book, Reichheld reinforces and updates his message that loyalty in the form of mutually beneficial relationships between customers, employees, suppliers, and investors (the first two being primary) is the key to sustained success. He finds that most companies fail the "acid test" of loyalty, with less than half of today's employees believing that their company deserves their loyalty. His current book draws extensively on examples to show how executives can put the loyalty effect to work.

You will find some of the usual suspects throughout the book: Harley-Davidson, Southwest Airlines, Dell Computer, Cisco Systems, Intuit, but also some examples probably less familiar: The Vanguard Group, Northwestern Mutual, MBNA, The New York Times Company, and the U.S. Marine Corps. All the cases make for vivid reading, though abstraction-centric readers can greatly reduce their reading time by going straight the end-of-chapter summaries and application tips. However, the case studies and stories show that the loyalty effect can be put into practice in diverse ways and Reichheld keeps his book below 200 pages.

Underlying the diverse aspects and implementations of loyalty, Reichheld has identified six principles: Play to win/win: profiting at the expense of partners is a short cut to a dead end; Be picky: membership is a privilege; Keep it simple: complexity is the enemy of speed and flexibility; Reward the right results: worthy partners deserve worthy goals; Listen hard and talk straight: long-term relationships require honest, two-way communication and learning; and Preach what you practice.

Stated in summary form, these will probably seem obvious. The detailed vision that the author presents of the principles, however, is not always obvious and certainly is rarely observed with any thoroughness. He analyzes each principle into component ideas. For example, "play to win/win involves "high road strategies" which themselves are further analyzed, along with more thoughts about strategic focus, partnerships, and growing from the core. You should find some rewarding insights with little effort in this book.

A recent re-reading confirms my initial reactions to this book. In a brilliant essay which appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Reichheld shares research which suggests that companies with faithful employees, customers, and investors (i.e. capital sources which include banks) share one key attribute: leaders who stick with six "bedrock principles": preach what you practice, play to win-win, be picky, keep it simple, reward the right results, and finally, listen hard...talk straight. In The Loyalty Effect, Reichheld organizes his material within 11 chapters which range from "Loyalty and Value" to "Getting Started: The Path Toward Zero Defections." With meticulous care, he explains how to devise and them implement programs which will help any organization to earn the loyalty of everyone involved in the enterprise. Reichheld draws upon a wealth of real-world experience which he and his associates have accumulated at Bain & Company, a worldwide strategy consulting firm. Reichheld heads up its Loyalty Practice.

In his most recently published book, Practice What You Preach, David Maister explains why there must be no discrepancy whatsoever between the "talk" we talk and the "walk" we walk. Reichheld agrees, noting that the "key" to the success of his own organization "has been its loyalty to two principles: first, that our primary mission is to create value for our clients, and second, that our most precious asset is the employees dedicated to making productive contributions to client value creation. Whenever we've been perfectly centered on these two principles, our business has prospered." It is no coincidence that the world's most highly admired companies are also the most profitable within their respective industries. I wholly agree with Reichheld that loyalty is critically important as a measure of value creation and as a source of profit but that it is by no means "a cure-all or a magic bullet." Loyalty is based on trust and respect. It must be earned, usually over an extended period of time and yet can be lost or compromised at any time with a single betrayal.

In Loyalty Rules!, Reichheld develops these and other ideas (the foundation of what he calls an "economic framework") in much greater depth as he explains how today's leaders build lasting relationships beyond as well as within their organizations. "Loyalty cannot begin with tools; it must begin with leaders who recognize the enormous value of building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships....Accordingly, this book spends at least as much time on the underlying objectives for building loyalty as it does on the how-to's." He organizes his material within eight chapters which range from "Timeless Principles" (previously introduced in The Loyalty Effect) to "Preach What You Practice" in which he asserts that actions speak louder than words and together, they are "unbeatable." One of this book's greatest benefits is provided in a series of "Action Checklists" which reiterate key ideas while suggesting specific initiatives to implement them effectively. The book concludes with an appendix, "The Loyalty Acid Test," which consists of separate surveys of consumers and employees. Obviously, each reader must modify either survey to ensure that it is appropriate to her or his own organization's specific needs and objectives. However, all modifications should be consistent with the 'timeless principles" which Reichheld examines in the first chapter. I highly recommend this book, presuming to suggest that, if possible, The Loyalty Effect be read first.

This exuberant account of Mother Jones' renowned career as labor agitator and social reformer is a rather stylish repackaging of the author's 1995 Master's Thesis in Government from the California State University at Sacramento. It is clearly a labor of love with the basic argument is that this one woman did more than anyone else, especially men in leadership, to address the plight of the worker. Wake is especially critical of labor leaders, particularly UMWA President John Mitchell, who she argues forgot his roots and sold out his working constituents to join with the exploiting capitalist elite. She starkly contrasts this with Mother Jones who remained essentially poor and homeless, and thus remained a part of the working class, throughout her long peripatetic career. She also stresses Mother's vehement opposition to capitalism and dedicated committment to both syndicalism and socialism, and argues against confusing Mother's dissatisfaction with the Socialist Party in America with any disillusion with socialism in general. She also attempts to tie Mother's political views with various contemporary radical movements such as Feminism, opposition to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and Ralph Nader's crusade against the establishment. Wake is to be commended for presenting hitherto unpublished (and perhaps unknown) correspondence from the Special Collections and Archives of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Archives between Mother Jones and UMWA District #2 President John Brophy regarding her 1921 Labor Day visit to Indiana, PA. On the other hand, her speculation about a possible love affair between Mother Jones and Terence V. Powderly, head of the Knights of Labor from 1879-1893 and later federal official, is fanciful at best and based upon purely circumstantial evidence. Overall, this book is a fast reading and touching leftist tribute to a woman who, regardless of ideology, was remarkable by any definition of the term.

"Mother Jones, Revolutionary Leader of Labor & Social Reform" clearly dispels the myths and untruths that have been written about this fascinating and brave woman. In her book, Ms. Wake reveals how Mother Jones' documented speeches, writings, correspondence, and actions are blatantly misrepresented in or entirely omitted from the annals of history.

Ms. Wake is (to the best of my knowledge) the first researcher and author to rightfully connect Mother Jones' politics with revolutionary syndicalism and identify Jones as a feminist.

This book is a "must read" for those seeking the truth about how the labor struggles of the late 1800s and early 1900s relate to the political, economic, and social struggles of today. Wake's book provides the most in-depth analysis of Mother Jones I have come across. I highly recommend this book for readers whose interests include history, labor history, women's history, and social justice.

David Johnson has captured, both here and with his other volume, The French Cavalry 1792-1815, the spirit of the French cavalryman of the Napoleonic era.

This is a lively tale, anecdotal, and full of the sweep and grandeur of the period, but not always thoroughly accurate.

It is a great read and can be done, unfortunately, in one sitting. I would have like it to be somewhat longer and better researched. There is a plethora of good references, but once some have been put on paper, the authenticity just sometimes isn't what it should be.

The author reminds me of R.F Delderfield in his enthusiasm for the period and the subject matter, and in his method of writing, which is excellent.

The personalities covered are sometimes those which don't get the coverage they actually deserve. My favorite part of the book was the story of Marulaz after the wars and his run in with a Royalist of dubious ceracity. The old cavalryman's solution to the problem was Homeric.

The author has caught the temper of the times and the attitude of the cavalrymen and those hard-riding horsemen who 'stabled their horses in every capitol of continental Europe.'

This book is highly recommended, warts and all, and will have a treasured place on your bookshelf as it does on mine.

An excellent overview of napoleons cavalry and its leaders as the title states. Well written, some interesting insights, personal anecdotes and fluid writing style makes this a cut well above average. I held back one star from this five star work as the subject could certainly have been 4 to 500 pages given the wealth of the subject.

As the author explains in the first section of this book, it is based on a course that he taught at the Army War College about command relationships in the Civil War. Overall, it is an interesting view into the lives, relationships, and correspondance between certain key leaders of the Civil War (Lee and Jackson, Lincoln and McClellan, Grant and Sherman to name a few). Mr. Glatthaar's research and analysis of these relationships is excellent and detailed. For instance, he explains why the relationship between Lincoln and McClellan was so strained (to include an appendix looking at McClellan's personality quirks in modern terms). Or why Jackson and Lee worked so well together, despite a very limited personal friendship.

Simply put, I learned things from this book that I have not found in other places. One warning: I agree with another reviewer that this book is not for people who are not very familiar with the Civil War. The original course was taught to Senior Army leaders (Colonels) and civilians, so it was geared towards students who understand strategy and tactics. Having said that, I highly recommend this book to any Civil War student, of "Buff" who is interested in learning more about the key leaders who shaped the events of the war, and helped determine its outcome. If you do read it, take a look at the notes and bibliography section. In it, the author gives his recommendations for other books to use for additional info.

This book is very good, but probably not a good read if you are a novice reader about the Civil War. You have to have knowledge of the war and know the background of these generals in order to enjoy this book. If you do....it is very good and interesting.

This was my first pokemon adventure book. The artwork is outstanding, and the action is good. But the store could have been better.

The battle between Loreli and Yellow comes to an end.After that,Erika joins up with Yellow and they find Red! Or do they? I give the book 4 stars because of the action.But did it ever come to you that Yellow resembles that girl in Part 3,Number 5.

Harrison Owen suggests that there is a gap in leadership, because we are going through chaotic, transforming times, and traditional leaders can no longer be in control and protect us from it. However, instead of looking for leadership in the few or "the One," we should recognize that all individuals have the capacity for leadership and, through self-organizing activity, appropriate leadership will emerge for different tasks. He is especially impressed by the power of the informal organization to achieve results and for true leadership to emerge from the interaction of people in this informal milieu. He identifies leadership with the power of Spirit to inspire others. Five functions of leadership are the focus of the book: evoking Spirit with vision, growing Spirit with collective storytelling, sustaining Spirit with structure, comforting Spirit at the end, and reviving Spirit to move through a period of grief at endings and move on.

The book is written as an essay or narrative, with observations, examples, and opinions about what could or should be. While Owen's book reflects a trend in business to provide more meaning and purpose through spiritual underpinnings, some may find his discussion of "Spirit" somewhat fuzzy and hard to grasp. The language of the book is occasionally rambling and his claims don't always seem totally convincing.

Harrison Owen describes leadership as a capacity within each of us. He builds on his concepts of "Open Space Technology" by focusing on leadership as helping people see possibilities on a large scale rather than focussing on the minute. Storytelling plays a significant role with Harrison on leadership. One must remain true to the spirit of founders yet translate that to current situations. His thoery blends nicely with concepts put forth by Ronald Heifetz and Marsha Sinetar.

This is one of those books that once you take it up, you can't put it down!

Its balanced treatment of Wellington the man, the military man and the politican, has meant that this is not just a book about Waterloo.

One is left with the impression that Wellington was a great man, with equal weight given to his 'greatness' and his 'humanness'.

Very readable and highly recommended.

The book aims to be realistic - the fog of
war is foggy indeed, and Wellington sometimes makes mistakes. The
casualties at Waterloo are appalling, and the battle almost lost.
Lt.-Col. Trant of "Sharpe's Rangers" fame actually appears, an excellent soldier but "the most drunken dog there ever was" in Wellington's words.

Unusual is the emphasis on Wellington's Indian campaign and on the
Peninsular War - the period of Sharpe's Rangers is the most important in
the book. The Battle of Waterloo is treated as somewhat of an
afterthought, as I suppose it was (if Nap had won it would have been a
very different matter, of course). There are a number of good plates,
including a daguerrotype of the Iron Duke himself in his mid-70s, looking
buth shrewd and oddly sympathetic.