The leadership moment: nine true stories of triumph and disaster and their lessons for us all
(Book)

Because a definition of good leadership is so elusive, many writers identify someone they consider to have demonstrated leadership qualities and then describe the traits that person possesses or a feat he or she has accomplished. That is what Kaltman and Useem do. Kaltman profiles Ulysses S. Grant, the general who led the North to victory in the Civil War and the country as its eighteenth president. While Grant's record as a businessman before the war may have been spotty and historians may argue about his stature as a president, his success on the battlefield cannot be disputed. It is this success that Kaltman uses to justify his selection of Grant as a role model. For source material, he relies primarily on The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, which Kaltman refers to as a "great literary work." He draws 250 "lessons" from Grant's own words to illustrate the "character traits and basic qualities, core beliefs and fundamental values" of a leader. Useem is director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He tells the remarkable stories of nine "ordinary" persons who made a difference in arenas as diverse as pension fund management and America's space program. What the nine share is that moment when each faced "an exceptionally difficult and fateful decision when . . . goals [were] at stake" and an uncertain outcome depended upon mobilizing others. Useem interrupts his narratives to underline the leadership implications of specific actions taken by each of his subjects. They include men and women who fought to end river blindness in West Africa, battled a Montana forest fire, ascended Annapurna in the Himalayas, and directed the Apollo 13 return. --David Rouse

Every head of state in business or politics who believes it's lonely at the top can take refuge in this broad look at the travails of leadership by the director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Useem picks nine leaders from different realms of business, public service and government, and focuses on one critical decision that each had to make. For NASA flight director Eugene Kranz, it was guiding a crippled Apollo 13 back to Earth. For El Salvador's President Alfredo Cristiani, it was bringing an end to his country's civil war. The stories are packed with detail, and some include charts and tabular matter as well. Useem does an excellent job of underscoring the lessons that would-be leaders should take away from his profiles. For example, as part of the Apollo 13 story, "When both speed and precision count, sharing information and keeping everybody's eye on both goals simultaneously are essential for achieving both," he says. Commenting on John Gutfreund's loss of Salomon Inc. ("one of Wall Street's richest companies"), Useem writes, "Inaction can be as damaging to leadership as inept action." These lessons are brought home again, often in the same words, in the Conclusion and the Leader's Guide, a listing of nostrums for aspiring managers. 32 photos. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

%% This is a multi-book review: SEE also the title "Cigars, Whiskey & Winning". %% Because a definition of good leadership is so elusive, many writers identify someone they consider to have demonstrated leadership qualities and then describe the traits that person possesses or a feat he or she has accomplished. That is what Kaltman and Useem do.Kaltman profiles Ulysses S. Grant, the general who led the North to victory in the Civil War and the country as its eighteenth president. While Grant's record as a businessman before the war may have been spotty and historians may argue about his stature as a president, his success on the battlefield cannot be disputed. It is this success that Kaltman uses to justify his selection of Grant as a role model. For source material, he relies primarily on The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, which Kaltman refers to as a "great literary work." He draws 250 "lessons" from Grant's own words to illustrate the "character traits and basic qualities, core beliefs and fundamental values" of a leader.Useem is director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He tells the remarkable stories of nine "ordinary" persons who made a difference in arenas as diverse as pension fund management and America's space program. What the nine share is that moment when each faced "an exceptionally difficult and fateful decision when . . . goals [were] at stake" and an uncertain outcome depended upon mobilizing others. Useem interrupts his narratives to underline the leadership implications of specific actions taken by each of his subjects. They include men and women who fought to end river blindness in West Africa, battled a Montana forest fire, ascended Annapurna in the Himalayas, and directed the Apollo 13 return. ((Reviewed August 1998)) Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews

Every head of state in business or politics who believes it's lonely at the top can take refuge in this broad look at the travails of leadership by the director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Useem picks nine leaders from different realms of business, public service and government, and focuses on one critical decision that each had to make. For NASA flight director Eugene Kranz, it was guiding a crippled Apollo 13 back to Earth. For El Salvador's President Alfredo Cristiani, it was bringing an end to his country's civil war. The stories are packed with detail, and some include charts and tabular matter as well. Useem does an excellent job of underscoring the lessons that would-be leaders should take away from his profiles. For example, as part of the Apollo 13 story, "When both speed and precision count, sharing information and keeping everybody's eye on both goals simultaneously are essential for achieving both," he says. Commenting on John Gutfreund's loss of Salomon Inc. ("one of Wall Street's richest companies"), Useem writes, "Inaction can be as damaging to leadership as inept action." These lessons are brought home again, often in the same words, in the Conclusion and the Leader's Guide, a listing of nostrums for aspiring managers. 32 photos. (Sept.) Copyright 1998 Publishers Weekly Reviews