George Washington and the Art of Business: The Leadership Principles of America's First Commander-In-Chief

by Mark McNeilly

Book Overview

George Washington ranks as one of the great military leaders in history. The character traits he exemplified, and the leadership skills he employed, enabled him to defeat what was then the world's most powerful nation.
In this marvelous book, Mark McNeilly shows today's managers how they can learn from Washington's career--both his triumphs and setbacks--to succeed as leaders in their chosen field. McNeilly paints vivid portraits of some of the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195189787
• ISBN13: 9780195189780
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

George Washington and the Art of Business

Great book, great concept, its like reading two books in one and it includes principles we should all emulate.

Excellent insights. Great read for professionals at all levels

This is a great read for professionals at all levels. There is a lesson here for everyone. Much has been written about Washington's leadership, but this book tells the story from a unique and practical point of view. Marrying his extensive knowledge of American history and corporate strategy, McNeilly focuses on Washington's strong character and illustrates how today's businesses and business leaders can (and do) significantly benefit from employing the same core principles as Washington did hundreds of years ago. Even a great leader like Washington encountered many obstacles and failures along the way to achieving success and inspiring a nation. Washington can teach us a great deal about how to persevere in the wake of failure, develop a winning strategy, build a strong team, earn the support of your organization, and put aside personal agenda for the sake of the common goal. McNeilly points out how Washington employed sound principles like integrity, trust, loyalty and restraint to achieve much success in many very difficult situations both on the battleground and in the early days of our political system. He then enlightens the reader by balancing this unique historical perspective with detailed, modern-day examples of business leaders who have experienced similar trials in the corporate realm. It is both clear and inspiring to see that, when challenges are met with the same core principles, one can overcome obstacles, gain trust and ultimately achieve victory. People at all levels in the business world and all stages of personal life can benefit from this.

George Washington and the Art of Business Book review

Mark McNeilly has done an excellent job of presenting clear, explicit points in his book George Washington and the Art of Business. By providing a direct correlation between George Washington's life and character traits with the stages of business and leadership tactics, McNeilly has shown that the main characteristics needed to create a successful business are also those which are needed to be a successful and exceptional leader. Included as well are examples of how these leadership characteristics correlate to building a strong sports team/organization. McNeilly has directly linked the battles of war with the battles of business (teams), and also explains the ways different leaders and different businesses have handled these battles. This book is very much two-fold. On one hand McNeilly has provided the most important leadership characteristics necessary to be a successful leader in life, in business, and in sports. But also McNeilly has shown that it is not necessarily just having and upholding these characteristics but acting in the integrity of them. Although the characteristics are many and are very difficult to maintain, McNeilly provides a depiction of the stages through which individuals, teams, and businesses evolve. The journey through these stages is not always smooth sailing and prosperous, but very difficult and painful at times. Some of the most valuable lessons are learned through these failures. And a failure in and of itself is only a failure, but a failure that is used as an educational experience is a lesson with the potential to be a future success. In addition McNeilly has provided the history of George Washington's life which steps a reader through the American Revolution. The United States was built on the results of the American Revolution. Correspondingly, McNeilly has shown that leadership of this country, of business, of any team should be built and formed using the same types of characteristics George Washington, the Father of our Country upheld. He is a true leader, one everyone can learn from, and is the person who should be looked to as the epitome of a leader. The book is very well organized with explicit points. The examples in George Washington's life, those in businesses, and in some cases those in sport teams/organizations are clearly linked. Each example further defines the main points McNeilly has intended to convey. The book was a quick read due to the organization and clarity of the writing. I highly recommend the book to many different audiences including but not limited to those intending to improve leadership skills, leaders in business, and those who enjoy US history. Congratulations to Mark McNeilly on his success as an author.

The "father of his country" in so many important ways

In recent years, a great deal of attention has been devoted to one or more of the founding fathers, especially Washington, Jefferson, and Adams. What we have in this volume is Mark McNeilly's analysis of what lessons can be learned from George Washington's leadership as commander-in-chief of the Colonial forces during the War for Independence and then as the new nation's first president. He responds to the question "Why George Washington?" in the Introduction and then, in the first two chapters, he examines "the foundation of Washington's leadership principles" and how the American Revolution was organized in the first two chapters. During the balance of the book, McNeilly identifies and discusses the aforementioned leadership principles and devotes a separate chapter to each. McNeilly brilliantly juxtaposes his presentation of historical material with the business lessons he believes can be learned from it. I also appreciate the fact that he cites specific companies when doing so. For example, in Chapter 2, he reviews various competitive disadvantages Washington encountered at the outset of the war. "Could I have foreseen what I have experienced and am likely to experience, no consideration upon earth should have induced me to accept this command." Yet, despite all the unexpected problems such as the continuous expiration of enlistments that depleted his forces, the 43 year-old general did not quit. "Washington made his share of mistakes: choosing to defend New York when it was in reality indefensible, not protecting his flank on Long Island Heights, and losing Fort Washington and its garrison. Yet after setback he returned to fight again." McNeilly then focuses his attention on a relevant example in the modern business world, the situation faced by Jong Yong Yun when he became CEO of Samsung Electronics. Like Washington, he used the severe crisis that then existed to make major changes. The integrity and courage of a leader are essential to the success of any such initiatives. In Washington's case, he put his organizational skills to work. "At the same time he was fighting the British and their Hessian allies, Washington was implementing measures to improve the fighting ability and logistical system to ensure the army's survival." To me, some of the most interesting and most valuable material is provided in Chapter 8 as McNeilly examines the situation after the victory at Yorktown in 1781. Washington was frustrated to see his officers and men so poorly treated by Congress after they had made so many sacrifices under especially difficult conditions. At one point, a core group of officers decided that taking direct action was necessary and began to plan what amounted to a military coup. Their efforts to enlist support became known as the "Newburgh Conspiracy" because their base camp was in Newburgh, New York, where they met on March 15, 1783. Washington thoroughly disapproved of the officers' efforts and met with them, calling their behavior