The Book of Leadership Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Business Leaders

Praise for The Book of Leadership Wisdom

"For anyone who seeks to understand the nature of effectiveleadership, in all its many dimensions, this volume will proveinvaluable." -Bob Wright President and Chief Executive Officer,NBC

Pearls from The Book of Leadership Wisdom

"You must capture and keep the heart of the original and supremelyable man before his brain can do its best." -Andrew Carnegie

"There's an old proverb that says: 'If you are planning for oneyear, plant rice. If you are planning for 10 years, plant trees. Ifyou are planning for 100 years, plant people.' To that I would add. . . plant them, but don't forget to move them around every sevento ten years. New eyes give rise to new ideas and opportunities."-Michael Eisner

"You must realize that it is more than money that the men want, itis a sense of ownership." -William Cooper Procter

"You can manage inventory, you can manage things, but you must leadpeople if you want to tap their full potential." -Ross Perot

T. Coleman du Pont, Andrew Carnegie, J. Paul Getty, A. MontgomeryWard, Thomas J. Watson, Jr., Akio Morita, Jack Welch, DavidPackard, Ray Kroc, Bill Gates . . . they are among the mostrespected and influential business leaders of all time. Possessinga rare combination of business genius and true grit, these captainsof industry have created unprecedented wealth for their companiesand themselves, pioneered revolutionary new industries, and, insome cases, directly shaped the destinies of entire nations. Now,The Book of Leadership Wisdom affords you an unprecedentedopportunity to hear, in their own words, what these immortals havehad to say on the topic of leadership.

The Book of Leadership Wisdom brings together the essays andspeeches of more than 50 business legends, past and present. Neverbefore have the writings of such a large and diverse group oflegendary business leaders been collected between the covers of abook. From leading change to dealing with adversity, creatingvision to inspiring employees, the writings contained in this bookspan the whole range of essential leadership issues. For instance,you'll hear from Harold Geneen on the difference between leadingand commanding, Daniel Guggenheim and William Cooper Procter on theadvantages of a democratic workplace, Katherine Graham on theimportance of credibility, Jack Welch and Ross Perot on leading inadversity, Ray Kroc on self-appraisal, and Ben Cohen and JerryGreenfield on value-based leadership, to name just a few.

For easy reference, the 52 essays contained in The Book ofLeadership Wisdom are organized into eight categories coveringleadership qualities, dealing with adversity, visions of progress,labor relations, company culture, habits and idiosyncrasies,motivating employees, and leading change. Each essay is preceded bya brief introduction that places it in historical perspective andoffers interesting and insightful information about its author'slife and career. And throughout each essay, passages have beenhighlighted that call attention to each contributor's most pithy,profound, or quirky ideas.

Offering timeless wisdom from the most successful business leadersever, The Book of Leadership Wisdom is must reading for managers atevery level, from the junior executive cubicle to the presidentialsuite.