The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush: 10 Common Sense Lessons from the Commander-in-Chief

By Carolyn B. Thompson, James W. Ware, Jim Ware

Book Overview

Praise for The LEADERSHIP GENIUS of GEORGE W. BUSH "Finally, a fun-to-read book about George W. Bush that details the secrets to his success " -- Ken Blanchard , coauthor, The One Minute Manager "Political journalists love graduate student intelligence, the ability to make clever allusions in seminars, and in 1999--2000, they hassled George W. Bush for not having it. They didn't realize what this book succinctly displays: that the President has something far more important-CEO intelligence, the ability to ask tough questions, garner essential information, and make discerning decisions. Such intelligence can be fostered and honed, and this book shows how." -- Dr. Marvin Olasky , Professor of Journalism, The University of Texas at Austin, and Editor in Chief, Worl d magazine "Put aside politics and read this book right away for its true wisdom and concrete advice about leadership. The authors have done a brilliant job explaining the leadership style that makes this President so effective. Any leader can learn from the philosophy, strategy, and tactics in this book." -- Bruce Tulgan , founder of RainmakerThinking, Inc., and author, Winning the Talent Wars "Thompson and Ware make a compelling case that this President who 'loves to be underestimated' has a highly effective approach to leadership that is humane, direct, and at times, truly transformational. Many in business today could benefit from reading this book." -- David M. Abshire , President, Center for the Study of the Presidency

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471420069
• ISBN13: 9780471420064
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

At last - a book that recognizes the truth about our President!

This book shows how George W. Bush's life and experiences uniquely prepared him for his role as President of the United States, at a such pivotal time in the history of our county. This book does a good job of countering the liberal-left media's dis-information campaign. It shows how GWB has risen to the challenges presented by terrorist attacks on our country, and how he has stood firm, despite pressure on every side, to back down, in the face of aggression. He was raised in a tradition of true statesmanship, and has unfailingly put the interestes or our country above all else, choosing to sacrifice temporary popularity for doing the right thing. History will view him as one of our greatest presidents.

For those with short memories

Sure, the "pundits" and "talking heads" are having a field day right now, taking pot-shots at the President just because there is some tactical tweaking going on in Iraq , but pause for a moment to recall some of the outstanding characteristics that impelled us to elect President Bush. TWICE! That's what this fine book brings to light What the "pundits" fail to comprehend is that the seeming "incuriosity" of the President (to employ one of the media's pet pejoratives) reflects a voracious, non-judgemental absorption of facts, ideas and information from those surrounding him. Only after this process does he sit down with the logical objectivity of a CEO to determine what course is best for America. That said, this book is NOT a tribute to G. W. Bush. It is a HOW TO book, that can teach and instill similar leadership qualities in those willing to learn. I think we can all agree that the rest of the world would quake if they thought our industries and government were controlled by a group of men (and women) with the same leadership skills and panache as W. (Let me add here that, if Chrysler had had decent [Bushian] leadership, Mercedes would be using American made parts, and not the other way around!) Lastly, it's important to understand that many people simply don't "get" the President's leadership style. Often - though not always - blinded by partisanship, they simply refuse to accept or understand the necessity and appropriateness of his decisions. With that kind of negativity, how can they? Fortunately, at least their children will reap the results of the breathtaking strategic vision and leadership of President Bush.

Commonsense Approach to Leadership

I am an avid reader of biographies and this book provided a biographical sketch of President Bush's lifestyle and then used that foundation to show how his management skills transformed his life. I grabbed a pencil and highlighter half-way into the first chapter and began writing in the margins. I liked this book because I could open to any page and find a nugget of information with a down to earth example. Some of the examples were just real funny and actually made me laugh out loud.Then after reading the first few chapters, I realized that this book was not about President Bush's politics (although there was some strategies revealed) or about his faith (although his personal convictions are the heart of his core values) or even about his IQ level (his emotional intelligence is recognized as highly intuitive). This was a book was about how an average person can become the leader they want to be. I finished the book quickly from a purely biographical point of view and now am going back over each chapter to concentrate on the leadership competencies and how I can learn from the examples. The authors know what they are talking about but they also made it real easy for the reader to put into practice the lessons that need to be learned. After reading this book, I also came to appreciate and admire President Bush and how his personal discipline is one of the timeless principles of his leadership. I am glad that I read this book at this time in history.

An excellent resource !

In an enjoyable and insightful manner, authors Thompson and Ware present a compelling analysis of George W. Bush's leadership skills and techniques. In ten (10) concise chapters the reader is presented with an equal number of practical lessons that are applicable to leaders (or potential leaders) within most any type of organization. Starting with an examination of the fundamental core values that drive President Bush, the authors develop a useful guide that is loaded with practical "real world" examples and references. I personally found the chapter on Intuitive Wisdom to be very useful and thought provoking.This book also serves as a powerful and timely corrective to much of the partisan nonsense that has been published in recent years regarding President Bush's capabilities. For all those truly interested in improving their management skills and those seeking diversity in thought and opinion, this one is a must read!

President with a Purpose

As I read this book it hit me right between the eyes as why I think this president has been doing such a good job. He is probably one of the only presidents I know that has defined his values and applies them to his job and his life. Both Carolyn and James has shown us that George "Dubya" has defined and communicated his management style and values to those that work for him. In addition, Carolyn and James has clearly laid out a plan or process I could use with my team to identify our values to assure we are working together. They have shown how not only defining these values and living them by "walking the talk" can make your organization or team successful. Carolyn and James have written a book that not only identifies the specific management style that made GW so successful, they have given me a process to utilize these skills in my own position. They have used all the resources available to them, admitedly most of them are negative, to show specific examples of GW's leadership style and how they have impacted decisions he has made. More important, they have taken examples where GW's critics have taken shots at the prez (and there are several) and used them to show how the president has changed his style and his views not to please the general public but for the common good of the country.I am sure that many of GW's critics won't want to read this book. If you want to learn about your management style and how you can be more successful you should definitely read this book. It is easy to read, humorous, factual, and thought-provoking. I also enjoy how Carolyn and James add sections on how I can improve my management style.