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Leadership Lessons from West Point
March 11, 2008
(Edited by Major Doug Crandall, Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 432 pages, $27.95)
By Skip Corsini
Overall Rating: 4 Stars
"Just as leaders must be technically and operationally competent, so must they be competent in ensuring the well-being of their soldiers and their families."
Editor Crandall has assembled a troop of contributors who either have taught or currently are teaching at West Point to provide a guide for leaders in the private sector, the not-for-profit sector, and government who want to learn tactics and strategy from military leaders who have served around the globe. The list of topics covered is long, and there is something relevant here for anyone involved in the study and practice of leadership in any type of organization.
In it you will find essays, stories, reflections, best practices, and plain old common sense. As a student of leaders and organizations, I have a lot of respect for the people and practices that come out of the service academies. A 1993 book called "The West Point Way of Leadership" by Larry Donnithorne still stands out as one of the best books on leadership I have read since I started reading about organizations in 1970. There is a current publication, "Building Leaders the West Point Way: Ten Principles from the Nation's Most Powerful Leadership Lab," by Joseph Franklin, which I have not read as yet, but I bet it's a good one, too.
For me, the most fascinating chapters of all the fascinating chapters is Chapter 12, "Leading Without Words," a deliciously complete dissertation on the importance of understanding and effectively using nonverbal communication. According to the author, Jeff Bergmann, "Estimates on interpersonal communication state that at least two-thirds of human communication involves nonverbal interaction. Some estimates go as high as 90 percent." This means we leaders and followers have some work to do if we are to ensure we are both sending and receiving the right messages. Time to come to attention and get this book on your desk.
Buy Leadership Lessons from West Point (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation).
Skip Corsini is a consultant at Dale Carnegie Corporate Services, San Francisco.
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