The Leader's Bookshelf

Some years ago I met Admiral Jim Stavridis. The conversation, while short, turned to books. If I recall, it was in Stuttgart, Germany, sometime around 2010 or 2011. Because he was the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and the U.S. European Commander (EUCOM), he had to divide his time between two locations: his NATO headquarters located near Mons, Belgium and his EUCOM headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. At the time, I worked in the intelligence directorate at EUCOM when we heard he was coming by to meet the staff.It was a gray, overcast afternoon when he arrived. He promptly made his way down a long line of officers and enlisted, each of them posed to shake his hand and say a few words. I had only a few seconds to make a connection—to say something interesting or ask him a question. But this I knew: I loved books; he loved books; and while standing there, I thought of something he wrote that might prove that I, like him, believed that books are essential to our profession, if not our lives.Months prior, he had written one of his regular blog posts. In it, he said that his wife noticed that his love of books and his growing library had evolved into a “gentle madness.” That phrase—a “gentle madness”—refers to a wonderful book by author Nicholas Basbanes. Basbanes’ book—A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books — is a long, discursive work: one part discussion of historic book culture in America and Britain, the other full of profiles of quirky and dedicated book lovers and collectors.When the admiral finally reached me, I mentioned the blog post and the book. His eyes lit up and he said something about few people knowing the reference. He then told me he owned 4,000 books. Surprised, I said something about wanting a library that large. He then simply said, “You’ll get there.” The conviction in his voice floored me. I believed him. And he was right. I’m getting there (the featured image of this post is a picture of my library; today I have around 2,000 titles, give or take).Fast forward a few years and, no surprise, the admiral’s library has grown. Stavridis, in the introduction to the entertaining The Leader’s Bookshelf, says that he has in his “house today… more than four thousand books.” His wife, Laura, “has spent far too much of her life packing and unpacking them in postings all around the world.”Stavridis and his co-author, R. Manning Ancell, have written a book that is somewhat similar to Richard Puryear’s fine book—now unfortunately out of print—American Admiralship: The Moral Imperatives of Command. Puryear interviewed 150 four star admirals on a variety of topics. One of those topics was the importance of reading. And like Puryear, Stavridis and Ancell take a similar path. In The Leader’s Bookshelf, they interviewed 200 four-star generals and flag officers, and from those discussions, they determined the 50 books that “stood out most…with top military readers.”Using no particular scientific method, they rank ordered the books in descending order by the number of mentions. Thus, the first book on the list, Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels (1974), was mentioned most often. While the last on the list, How: Why HOW We Anything Means Everything by Dov Seidman, was mentioned least frequently.For each title, there is a short essay by a senior officer as to why they choose the book, followed by a quote from the book, a biography of the author, then a summary of the book by either Stavridis or Ancell, concluding with a few sentences about why the book is important for leaders today.For folks that regularly follow the reading lists that are published by the Chief of Naval Operations or the other services, there are, unfortunately, few surprises. The regularly cited titles appear: Anton Myer’s Once an Eagle, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, Clausewitz’s On War, John Keegan’s The Face of Battle, E.B. Potter’s Nimitz, and the always popular Steven Pressfield with his Gates of Fire. They all made the cut.While there is nothing wrong with the oldies but goodies, it was refreshing to see some unusual—or rather, some outliers—find a place in the top 50. Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s court makes a showing as does Norman Mclean’s A River Runs Through It. In fact, General Stan McChrystal is the senior officer that recommended Twain’s satirical novel about a man from the 19th century, Hank Morgan, traveling back in time to King Arthur’s court.The Leader’s Bookshelf, I confess, would be ho-hum if not for the additional essays that Stavridis and Ancell add to the book. It is these essays on publishing, reading lists, and building a personal library, that raise this book from mediocrity to must have. And here, Robert Ancell pulls his weight, adding a nice cherry on top with an interview with General Mattis.Mattis beats Stavridis in the book department. With some 7,000 titles on his shelves, he probably is the best read military leader—retired or active—out there. In the interview, Mattis mentions books that apply to each level of war. Of note, he recommends Lucas Phillips’ book The Greatest Raid of All. A book about a British raid that shattered the Nazi’s dry docks at Saint-Nazaire, France during World War II, preventing the Germans from using the docks for large battleships for the duration of the war. The raid resulted in no less than five Victoria Crosses. I had never heard of neither the book nor the raid. It is these little-known reading recommendations that make books like this exciting. You simply do not know what you might find.Ironically, the only criticism—or rather, observation—I have about the book is that senior officers still do not carve out enough time to read. And this in a book in which one of the early essays is about “Making Time for Reading.”In one essay, a senior officer admits that while working in the Joint Staff that he only read one book in a year. One book! While another, in her recommendation, wrote only two sentences to praise the work—and even then those two sentences were footnoted. Sigh.Nonetheless, The Leader’s Bookshelf will appeal to all types: The newbie looking for a good book to read and the bibliomaniac who may have read all 49 on the list and owns each first edition, but unaware, or didn’t realize there was just one more interesting title out there.

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 Force16 Navy9 Marine Corps18 Army1 Coast GuardHe 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 oneTake personal responsibilityDevelop real human relationshipsKnow when to delegateKeep your enemy off balanceIntelligence is vitalKeys to victoryConfidence as force multiplierSimplicity matters when plans are assembledLead as servant and protectorDreamGood leaders can never rest of their laurelsLeaders reach for the starsDelegation is crucialFocus on the objectiveLeaders must be determinedBe proactiveBegin with the end in mindPut first things firstThink win/winSeek first to understandSynergize--getting the mix rightSharpen the saw--constant improvementDo 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 readFind the time to think after you readSpeak and write with simplicity and precisionBe humble and use humor oftenFocus and prioritizeStay physically fitBe your own spokespersonSpend the most time on personnel mattersHave a relaxing weekend routineDon’t lunge at the ballDetails matter but think big thoughtsUnderstand the process (before you criticize it)Look at the law or regulation for yourselfOrganize yourselfMake mentorship a priorityAvoid refusing to delegateAvoid losing patience with peopleAvoid obsessing over little things that don’t matter in the long runAvoid working to exhaustionGive the right people second chancesAct with honor, hope and generosityListen first, then speakYou have a duty to challenge “tradition”

I cannot recommend this book enough.Amazon users are no doubt aware of the proliferation of books about leadership. What makes the Leader’s Bookshelf different is it provides a rich how-to guide for using books to your advantage and developing nuanced leadership skills.On its surface, the Leader’s Bookshelf appears just to be a book about great books. But it is far more than just a mere listicle in hard binding. Each book overview includes quotes from one of its four-star recommenders, providing a window into their thought processes, and a brief synopsis of the book’s main lessons for the time-starved.Many reviewers, and even the book’s authors, remark on the inclusion of books which are not part of the traditional leadership canon, including Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and Isaac Asimov’s wonderful Foundation series. Finding these hidden gems is another great value of this book because it doesn’t shy away from finding value in unlikely places. The diversity of fiction and non-fiction titles on the list provides variety to the reader, a much-needed quality for those tired of trawling through the rote talking points of conventional leadership books.Beyond the books themselves, the Leader’s Bookshelf provides advice on curating your own library, writing, publishing, and managing your intellectual development in the rigor of our busy lives. These bits of wisdom remind the reader that writing, reflection, and thought leadership are just as important as successfully managing daily work activities.Five stars for utility, originality, and good writing.

No problems... Stavridis is an excellent writer... his style is easy to read and flows well. However, he doesn't usually say much. I don't find much depth... for someone who has been so successful (rising to the rank of Admiral for example).

Clear, concise, and relevant. Provides an excellent genesis to professionally developing your reading. Will continue to be a reference for how you scrutinise your leadership journey.

Excellent book. Should be on every leader's bookshelf.