West Point has bred more CEOs than any business school, and the leadership skills taught there are truly matters of life and death. Bolder than Sun Tzu, savvier than Gracian -- THE book on learning to lead.
Author Scott Snair got admitted to West Point Military Academy, the U.S. Army's elite university, the hard way: rising through the enlisted ranks until he was almost too old to qualify for admission. He rose to become the president of his graduating class. Because he is a Desert Storm veteran, Snair's sincerity is beyond question. His book, if not distinctive, is as solid as the paint job on an M1-A1 Abrams tank and rolls sturdily through a market filled with books that extend the military leadership model into the realm of business. Although Snair's efforts to apply military lessons to business situations seem strained, his anecdotes are interesting and his principles are rock-solid and time-tested. He believes in establishing your leadership chops by seeking additional responsibility, and in fulfilling your commitments with honor and integrity. getAbstract.com salutes that and agrees that his book will help you be a better leader. Professionals with an interest in the military will find it particularly engaging.
"No matter where you look in the professional realm -- from the field of medicine to the top echelons of education, from Capitol Hill to the pinnacle of the business world -- you're sure to find a West Point graduate leading the way ... former Commandant of Cadets Joe Franklin shares compelling principles of leadership taught at the Academy ... Drawing on powerful personal anecdotes from his career, Franklin's principles promise to unlock your full leadership potential"--
The best leaders in the world have come out of West Point -- the likes of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, General George S. Patton, and corporate leaders, such as Marsh Carter, former Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, and Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson & Johnson. In many ways, the United States Military Academy (USMA) -- West Point -- is synonymous with leadership. Notably, the names that most people associate with this venerable institution have included only men. The first few classes of women at West Point faced numerous obstacles to graduate, yet through the cauldron of that experience they developed a formidable hardiness that firmly places them among the best of the best.Discover How Character is Created and Leadership is LearnedWest Point Woman is a leadership memoir for readers at all levels of organizational leadership, and applicable across industries, genders and professional expertise.-- What are the LEADERSHIP SKILLS that the first women at West Point learned, which helped them succeed in an often-hostile environment?-- What are the LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES that make a West Point woman resilient and extraordinary, and how might you incorporate those tenets into your own leadership repertoire?As an exceptional storyteller and leadership practitioner, Sara will arm you and your organization with the essential leadership skills needed to fight the "battles" of your current experience. Topics explored in the book include:-Doing the right thing, no matter the cost-Why building camaraderie matters-Why humble leadership works-Finding solutions through innovation-The power of humor and laughter-Failing fast and moving ahead more quickly-The role of love in leading-Surviving death and loss in the midst of leading-Thriving in spite of "the system"-Leaving a leadership legacy through sponsorship and mentorship
West Point is the ideal laboratory for studying the dynamics of character, honor, and leadership: first, it operates a comprehensive honor education and enforcement program that has been subjected to rigorous Congressional scrutiny; second, it builds all of its academic, athletic, and military programs on this bedrock of honor. As a result, West Point invests heavily in mentoring, training, and evaluation to ensure the leadership and character development of its 4,000 cadets. From Civil War General Robert E. Lee to astronaut Edwin E. Buzz Aldrin to basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, West Point has groomed leaders whose contributions far exceed the successful management of their immediate charges. By illuminating the principles by which West Point teaches leadership, Stand Your Ground not only provides a unique tour behind the scenes at this revered institution, but, more generally, imparts lessons of honor and character-building that can be adopted by any aspiring leader. Management professor and West Point graduate Evan Offstein approached leaders at the U.S. Military Academy and the Department of the Army with two primary questions: (1) How does West Point develop its leaders?; (2) Can other individuals and organizations apply these methods effectively? Two years later, after conducting extensive on-site research at West Point and with business leaders in a variety of industries, he offers unprecedented access to the process of leadership development at West Point, and practical insights that can, indeed, be applied in any type of organization that strives to operate on the principle of integrity.
Overlooking the Hudson River on the campus of the United States Military Academy at West Point are 12 granite benches, each inscribed with a word representing a key leadership virtue: compassion, courage, dedication, determination, dignity, discipline, integrity, loyalty, perseverance, responsibility, service, and trust. These benches remind cadets of the qualities that lead to victory and success, not just on the battlefield, but in all of life. With his signature enthusiasm and insight, Pat Williams shares the incredible stories of West Point graduates who exemplified these traits, from the Civil War to the War on Terror. He shows readers of all backgrounds how to develop these 12 essential virtues in their lives, whether they are in the corporate world, the academic world, the military, the church, or in some other sphere.
Teaching and Learning the West Point Way is a unique compendium of the best teaching and learning practices from one of the most celebrated and storied undergraduate teaching and learning environments and institutions in America – the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, USA. Drawing on the broad academic curriculum that the students follow at West Point – in addition to military leadership, character development, and competitive athletics – this book describes proven and effective undergraduate pedagogy across a number of academic disciplines. Case studies, strategies and techniques, empirical teaching and learning research results, syllabi, and assignments developed and deployed by West Point faculty are included, which faculty in other higher education institutions can adapt and apply to their own programs and courses. An accompanying companion website provides additional syllabi, course guides, lesson plans, PowerPoint activities, and lecture slides, as well as videos of the editors and authors discussing how key concepts in their chapters might be applied in different teaching and learning contexts. This is an opportunity to gain an in-depth insight into the programs and practices inside one of the world’s premier leadership development and educational institutions. It should appeal to new and experienced faculty and administrators interested in course creation and syllabus design across a wide range of disciplines in educational institutions and military academies across the globe.
New York Times Bestseller: A “fascinating, funny and tremendously well written” chronicle of daily life at the US Military Academy (Time). In 1998, West Point made an unprecedented offer to Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky: Stay at the Academy as long as you like, go wherever you wish, talk to whomever you want, to discover why some of America’s most promising young people sacrifice so much to become cadets. Lipsky followed one cadet class into mess halls, barracks, classrooms, bars, and training exercises, from arrival through graduation. By telling their stories, he also examines the Academy as a reflection of our society: Are its principles of equality, patriotism, and honor quaint anachronisms or is it still, as Theodore Roosevelt called it, the most “absolutely American” institution? During an eventful four years in West Point’s history, Lipsky witnesses the arrival of TVs and phones in dorm rooms, the end of hazing, and innumerable other shifts in policy and practice. He uncovers previously unreported scandals and poignantly evokes the aftermath of September 11, when cadets must prepare to become officers in wartime. Lipsky also meets some extraordinary people: a former Eagle Scout who struggles with every facet of the program, from classwork to marching; a foul-mouthed party animal who hates the military and came to West Point to play football; a farm-raised kid who seems to be the perfect soldier, despite his affection for the early work of Georgia O’Keeffe; and an exquisitely turned-out female cadet who aspires to “a career in hair and nails” after the Army. The result is, in the words of David Brooks in the New York Times Book Review, “a superb description of modern military culture, and one of the most gripping accounts of university life I have read. . . . How teenagers get turned into leaders is not a simple story, but it is wonderfully told in this book.”