Jim Staviridis’ gift to bookavores everywhere, The Leader’s Bookshelf is a difficult one on which to provide notes because it is so packed with great and essential material. What Stavridis and former Navy PAO R. Ancell have done is put together a Top 50 reading list for military leaders--they accomplished this feat by surveying hundreds of senior military leaders. The final list, though, only took into account the inputs of the more than 200 4-star officers surveyed. The authors then compiled the most frequently cited titles and ranked them by frequency of citation.
I’ve only read about 12 of the 50 which lean a little too heavily toward the Civil War (5 of the 50, not including three on Lincoln). Each of the 50 books includes a prelude on its importance written by one of the surveyed 4 star officers.
The distribution of preludes by service follows:
6 Air Force
16 Navy
9 Marine Corps
18 Army
1 Coast Guard
He also devotes a chapter to an unofficial survey of junior officers and provides a short summaries of the titles that are most often listed. One of the strengths of this book is that it provides a framework to analyze future books. The author’s systematic approach to reading provides a useful framework for anyone desiring to better digest and use what they read.
As a FAO, I enjoyed Staviridis’ analyses that repeatedly noted the need for regional expertise (across the spectrum of history and literature) to better inform national strategic decision-making.
Key Quotes:
“To be a good soldier you must love the army. To be a good commander, you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love.” -Robert E. Lee (16)
There are certain wicked people in the world that you can’t deal with except by force.” -John Keegan (39)
“The Americans have all the watches, but we have all the time.” -Taliban saying (45)
“Military operations alone cannot defeat an insurgency because only economic development and political action can address most sources of disaffection.” -H.R. McMaster (48)
“What constitutes defeats? The conquest of his whole territory is not always necessary, and total occupation of his territory may not be enough.” -Carl von Clausewitz (52)
“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower (67)
“In the military services...the main rewards go to him who can make other men feel toughened as well as elevated.” -S.L.A. Marshall (71)
“Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability to explain why it didn’t happen.” -Winston Churchill (78)
“The buck stops here.” -Plaque on President Truman’s Oval Office desk (81)
“In a man-to-man fight, the winner is he who has one more round in his magazine.” -Erwin Rommel (83)
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” -Stephen R. Covey (86)
“Let no officer keep to himself or his brother officers, but circulate daylong among his men.” -King Leonidas of Sparta (109)
“If there is no work, make it up...action, on the other hand, produces the appetite for more action.” -King Leonidas of Sparta (109)
“A king does not expend his substance to enslave men, but by his conduct and example makes them free.” -King Leonidas of Sparta (111)
“The opposite of fear is not courage--it is love [of a fellow soldier].” -King Leonidas of Sparta (111)
“Molon labe”--”Come and take them.” -King Leonidas in response to Xerxes call to lay down his arms (111).
“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” -Abraham Lincoln (113)
“My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.” -Abraham Lincoln (116)
“Be with a leader when he is right, stay with him when he is still right, but leave him when he is wrong.” -Abraham Lincoln (116)
“Every man’s happiness is his own responsibility.” -Abraham Lincoln (116)
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” -Abraham Lincoln (117)
“The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.” -Abraham Lincoln (117)
“The best to predict your future is to create it.” -Abraham Lincoln (117)
“Preparation equals performance.” -Admiral James Loy, USCG Commandant
“Outside solutions unanchored by an understanding of a given regional system are almost always doomed to fail.” -Admiral Jim Stavridis, commenting on A Peace to End all Peace.
“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them...I destroy them.” -Ender Wiggins in Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game (174).
“[Matterhorn] is a novel about a young man learning compassion in the middle of a war.” -LtCol Ralph Peters (176).
“Matterhorn... is the first great [novel about the Vietnam War] and I doubt it will ever be surpassed.” - Mark Bowdren, author of Blackhawk Down (177).
“Attack rapidly, ruthlessly, viciously, without rest, however tired and hungry you may be. The enemy will be most tired, and more hungry. Keep punching.” -Patton (182)
“No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair.” -Patton (182)
Key Takeaways:
The best leaders are forged through practice--both heredity and environment matters (1)
Central value to reading lies in one’s ability to live vicariously through others’ experiences and evaluate ourselves and how we would react to their challenges (3).
In reading about our heroes we are able to ID their leadership traits and replicate them (4).
A carefully crafted daily routine is a key enabler to productivity. Stavridis recounts his as he runs through what he reads and does over his first two cups of coffee everyday. You’ll find the power of a routine centrally cited by productivity gurus from Tim Ferris to Cal Newport (you can read more about Newport’s amazing Deep Work here) (8)
Nimitz’ transformative belief in second chances is especially relevant today in a zero-defect military promotion system (59).
Rommel: Leaders are good observers first (85).
Repeat back what you hear to make sure you understand (87).
Creative solution-making and cultural understanding are inexorably linked (Key FAO Trait) (93).
Mark Twain: Leaders duty to challenge “tradition”...what are the ancient and incorrect traditions today in the Navy and FAO community? (135).
Leaders bring order from chaos (155).
“[Matterhorn] is a novel about a young man learning compassion in the middle of a war.” -LtCol Ralph Peters (176).
I combined all the leadership principles and lessons from the various noted books below:
Give offense to no one
Take personal responsibility
Develop real human relationships
Know when to delegate
Keep your enemy off balance
Intelligence is vital
Keys to victory
Confidence as force multiplier
Simplicity matters when plans are assembled
Lead as servant and protector
Dream
Good leaders can never rest of their laurels
Leaders reach for the stars
Delegation is crucial
Focus on the objective
Leaders must be determined
Be proactive
Begin with the end in mind
Put first things first
Think win/win
Seek first to understand
Synergize--getting the mix right
Sharpen the saw--constant improvement
Do the Right Thing (integrity)
Master the Situation (action)
Serve the greater good (selflessness)
Speak your mind (principle of candor)
Lay the Groundwork (be prepared)
Share knowledge (share to make others better)
Choose and reward the right people (principle of fairness)
Focus on the big picture (delegate at the next level, i.e., operational or tactical)
Support the troops (principle of caring)
Carve out time to read
Find the time to think after you read
Speak and write with simplicity and precision
Be humble and use humor often
Focus and prioritize
Stay physically fit
Be your own spokesperson
Spend the most time on personnel matters
Have a relaxing weekend routine
Don’t lunge at the ball
Details matter but think big thoughts
Understand the process (before you criticize it)
Look at the law or regulation for yourself
Organize yourself
Make mentorship a priority
Avoid refusing to delegate
Avoid losing patience with people
Avoid obsessing over little things that don’t matter in the long run
Avoid working to exhaustion
Give the right people second chances
Act with honor, hope and generosity
Listen first, then speak
You have a duty to challenge “tradition”
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Top reviews from other countries
M. Meltzer
Really interesting - and great insights
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2024Scott Usborne
Stavridis is an excellent writer.
Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2018
Jerry Jay
They've done much of the work for you.
Reviewed in Australia on January 20, 2019