Recently I commented to a friend that I admired his reading business books. Although they have valuable ideas, the writing is less than enthralling. You probably don't have nearly as much time to read as you'd like. But having come across a series of short books containing practical leadership lessons embedded in captivating narratives I knew I had to tell you about them. I mentioned one of them, Patton in my list of the 10 best books I read last year.
I've read five of the 14 biographies in Palgrave Macmillan’s Great Generals series. Written by some of the best military historians, such as Alex Axelrod, Donald A. Davis, H. Paul Jeffers, and Jim Lacey, all were outstanding. Each takes about 7 hours to read or listen to. They cover the subject’s early life, military career, and civilian life after the army if he had one, emphasizing the qualities each general groomed in himself, how he worked with mentors, the significant mistakes he made, and how he overcame them.
Leadership and Personal Development
While its goal is leadership development, the series is equally valuable as a personal development tool.
Rather than proclaiming their subject’s greatness, each general’s eminence becomes self-evident as his story unfolds.
Having read these, I personally recommend:
Stonewall Jackson (Great Generals)
Patton: A Biography (Great Generals)
I plan to read the other nine, which are:
Andrew Jackson (Great Generals)
Robert E. Lee (The Great Generals)
Eisenhower: A Biography (Great Generals)
My email to Palgrave Macmillan wasn't answered, but it appears the series is ongoing so hopefully it will come to include General Henry “Hap” Arnold, General Winfield Scott, and General Matthew B. Ridgway.
I'm curious to know if you have read any of these already and if so what you think about them.
What is your biggest challenge to reading more?
You can leave a comment on this question or ask another question below ↓
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