The Bottom Line
This is a well-crafted examination of timeless lessons about the art and craft of leadership that can be learned from the life of George Washington. The author's approach is to describe major problems that all leaders face, then to examine how Washington responded to these challenges. It is tightly-constructed and very enjoyable to read.
Pros
- Crisp, concise and well-organized. Quick reading.
- Arranged thematically rather than chronologically.
- Delivers on the promise to be instructive for today's readers.
Cons
- No new, unique insights into the challenges of leadership themselves.
Description
- Case studies in how to be an effective leader, drawn from the life of George Washington.
- The lessons presented in this book are not unique in themselves, but instructive nonetheless.
- This book demonstrates how timeless the essential problems of leadership are.
Guide Review - George Washington on Leadership
George Washington on Leadership is not a biography. Rather, it looks into Washington's life story to see how he learned to lead, and shows both his failures and his successes.
The book follows a well-thought outline. There are 22 chapters, organized into these three sections:
- Problems
- People
- Self
The chapters themselves (most of which have several subsections therein) cover a lot of ground, such as:
- Managing Start-ups
- Management Style
- Communication
- Dealing with Unusual People
- Troublemakers
- The Importance of Courtesy
- Bringing Out the Best in People
- Building Your Strengths
- Controlling Weaknesses and Flaws
Among the most interesting sections is one which delineates how, at an early age, Washington appreciated how achieving financial independence was crucial to being respected as a leader. Another covers a standoff between Washington and British envoys during the Revolution over their refusal to address him as "General," a case study in the importance of job titles and the respect that they confer.
Washington himself studied history to help guide his actions and to improve himself. Richard Brookhiser does an excellent job of showing how Washington's life, in turn, can instruct us today.
