Book review: Retired general takes on private-sector leadership - Entertainment, Books - Navy Times

Book review: Retired general takes on private-sector leadership

“Charge” is in the title, but “change” is more accurate.

And that’s a plus for this new entry onto the shelves of leadership texts at a time when retired Marine Gen. Tony Zinni says “too many leaders fail to get the job done.”

“How many Enrons or Tycos or Bear Stearns or Fannie Maes or Freddie Macs or bankrupt airlines or General Motors or Chryslers do we need to convince us there is a problem in leadership?” he writes in “Leading the Charge: Leadership Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom.”

OK, we’re convinced. And business is not alone in Zinni’s view. Even the Catholic church takes a hit from this devout Roman Catholic — for the way its bishops and cardinals handled abuse charges.

“Why do leaders in government, in the military, in business, and in other elements of our society fail to understand the changing world and how to operate effectively in it?”

The answer is simple, Zinni writes: “They haven’t understood or adapted to the changes because the changes were too many, too diverse and too unexpected.”

So the retired Marine Corps four-star general and former head of U.S. Central Command suggests throwing out the old definitions of leadership.

The general has suggestions to fill the void. And the book is a convenient venue for Zinni to point to the leadership failures of the recent Bush administration.

“They failed to understand what those of us who were familiar with the [Middle East] region knew well, that Iraq was a ‘fragmented society’ ... that would come apart like a cheap suitcase when it was stressed.” Yes, his work at CentCom had told them so — if they had listened.

“With a better understanding of the situation ... we would have taken all the expenditures of resources and manpower over six-plus years and focused them into two or less. Those who thought they were going to beat us over the long haul might have found themselves overwhelmed.

“That would have been real shock and awe.” Ouch.

“Why weren’t senior military leaders willing to stand up for the truth” about the Bush invasion plan, he asks, “even if that meant throwing their stars on the table?”

Considering the source, it’s too bad that’s a throwaway question. Answers from a couple of tarnished stars would have been evocative and newsworthy.

However, the book is more than a refutation of the former administration.

The Marine shares many leadership revelations that he has learned from Vietnam to Tampa, Fla., (home of CentCom) and from countless boardrooms in the corporate world. Unfortunately, there are repetitive references to Zinni’s impressive civilian résumé, as if occasional reminders of his stature are necessary.

But he speaks with recognized authority and knows “power can’t be assumed. It must be earned and used wisely, or it is lost.”

“Leading the Charge” is worth following.

Zinni’s signs of character

“You can’t produce leaders in a cookie-cutter assembly line process that wants to radically alter human nature and produce ideal look-alike models.

“Neither can you create the perfect leader just by modeling the perfect person. Human beings are far too varied and complex ...,” Zinni writes. Nevertheless, “11 new or newly molded qualities are the core elements modern leaders need.”

• Have “a clear and confident understanding of himself.”

• Have “a strong ethical sense. He is the conscience of the organization.”

• “Listen to, understand and relate to the ‘new lead.’”

• “Constantly take the pulse of the dynamic, complex and ever-changing environment.”

• “Understand his or her organization to its roots, yet be able to function with little or no structure and to change and morph structures.”

• “Operate at a blisteringly fast pace and be quick to harness ever-evolving technologies.”

• “Be far more cautious, broadly knowledgeable and wisely educated than leaders of the past.”

• “Communicate clearly and articulately.”

• “Develop different — and stronger — decision-making skills than one’s predecessors.”

• “Be able to lead in times of crisis and change” and “calmly steer a course through these confused seas.”

• “Think and act strategically ... at a time when vision has become more vitally necessary to survive and prosper.“

Leading the Charge: Leadership Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom By Gen. Tony Zinni and Tony Koltz. Palgrave Macmillan, $25, 243 pages.