Becoming a Leader the Annapolis Way: 12 Combat Lessons from the Navy's Leadership Laboratory

by W. Brad Johnson and Gregory P. Harper

Book Overview

Battle-proven, step-by-step guidelines for instilling leadership in anyone, in any business

Today, more than ever, businesses need leaders with a rare blend of strength, capability, and integrity. Unfortunately, they're not always easy to come by. Becoming a Leader the Annapolis Way details how the U.S. Naval Academy builds quality leaders from the ground up, instilling in them the habits and tools required for outstanding leadershipin...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071429565
• ISBN13: 9780071429566
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Eye opener

I read this book because I had a son getting ready to go to the Naval Academy. Its a great book for anyone with a friend or loved one at, or heading to, the Academy. After reading it I had a much better understanding of what goes on at USNA, and more important as it turns out, it opened my eyes to a lot of things I wish I'd considered with respect to my own life when I was much younger. The writing isn't always the best, and some of the personal stories told by the authors are a little corny, but, the substance of this book makes it more than worthwhile for anyone who is curious about leadership in general and the Naval Academy approach to leadership in particular. Among other things "Leadership the Annapolis Way" will remind you that there are many very good, very talented people commited to protecting our freedom. In the end this book was a source of great personal inspiration and started me thinking about how the ideas it discusses apply, or should apply, to my own life. Its not every day you read a book that may have that kind of impact on you.

Aye-Aye, Sir!! -- Lessons for Us All from "Canoe U."

This book can help you in your personal or professional lives by distilling some key lessons of leadership as honed at the US Naval Academy. Leaders are made, not born, and no you can't become a leader by reading a book or a thousand books. But by thoughtfully reading this book and applying its lessons, you WILL improve your leadership skills. The Navy has 4 short years to turn recent high school graduates into combat leaders. Their formula has, by and large, worked for them. Put it to work for you....

Teaching Leadership in a Time Practiced Way

The military academies were among the first to understand that leadership is a subject that can be learned just the way you learn a language, mathematics or computer programming. It is a mixture of theory and practice. You teach the theory, and you assign 'homework' that enables these theories to be put into practice. In the military acadamies you are teaching one of the hardest leadership tasks, how to make people perform in the crucible of combat. Here leadership is more important than in most companies. It is a field that the academies study very closely. The graduates of the program are those who lead the Navy in time of peace and peril. This book concentrates on the Navy way of teaching leadership. It is not necessarily the way that is suited for every environment, but after all, it is only one book. And after all, some people will do better than others -- we are after all, just people. This book describes the way that the Navy has trained its officers for a long time, it works for them, and as a business manager there are certainly techniques that are applicable to business practices.

A Must Read For Today's Leaders

Excellent book. As a career Naval Officer, I have seen first hand how critical each of the leadership principles discussed in this book are. Throughout fleet, these are the skills, and values which distinguish the highly successful leaders from the mediocre. In a straightforward manner, the authors elucidate the 12 fundamental lessons which have been carefully honed over the course of the Naval Academy's long and impressive history of turning out admirable military, government and business leaders. When earnestly applied, these tenets will prove to be of significant value to leaders and organizations, whether military or civilian. In this highly enlightening book, Johnson and Harper blend sound psychological and sociological knowledge with gripping real life examples. In addition to being informative and thought provoking, the book is a fun read. I strongly recommend it.