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 any pursuit. Using real-life vignettes and examples of USNA graduates who experienced breakthrough success in combat, government, and business, this timely book looks beyond just the military aspects to explore: Techniques for teaching honor, duty, and commitment Empowerment strategies proven to work over centuries of use Insights for overcoming the perils of blind obedience

When it comes to mentoring, women face more barriers than men. Here's how men can help change that. Increasingly, new employees and junior members of any profession are encouraged—sometimes stridently—to "find a mentor!" Four decades of research reveals that the effects of mentorship can be profound and enduring; strong mentoring relationships have the capacity to transform individuals and entire organizations. But the mentoring landscape is unequal. Evidence consistently shows that women face more barriers in securing mentorships than men, and when they do find a mentor, they may reap a narrow range of both professional and psychological benefits. Athena Rising is a book for men about how to eliminate this problem by mentoring women deliberately and effectively. Traditional notions of mentoring are modeled on male-to-male relationships, yet women often report a desire for mentoring that addresses their interpersonal needs. Women want mentors who not only understand this, but truly honor it. Coauthors W. Brad Johnson and David G. Smith present a straightforward, no-nonsense manual for men working in all types of institutions, organizations, and businesses to become excellent mentors to women, because as women succeed, lean in, and assume leading roles in any organization or work context, the culture will become more egalitarian, effective, and prone to retaining top talent.

Drawing on the amazing story of Shackleton and his polar exploration team’s survival against all odds, author Dennis N. T. Perkins demonstrates the importance of a strong leader in times of adversity, uncertainty, and change. Part adventure tale and part leadership guide, Leading at the Edge uncovers what the legendary Antarctic adventure of Sir Ernest Shackleton, his ship Endurance, and his team of twenty-seven polar explorers can teach us about bringing order to chaos through true leadership. Among other skills, you’ll learn how to: instill optimism while staying grounded in reality, step up to risks worth taking, consistently reinforce your team message, set a personal example, find things to celebrate, laugh small things off, and--even in the face of extreme temperatures, hazardous ice, scarce food, and complete isolation--never give up. This second edition of Leading at the Edge features additional lessons, new case studies of the strategies in action, tools to uncover and resolve conflicts, and expanded resources. An updated epilogue compares the leadership styles of the famous polar explorers Shackleton, Amundsen, and Scott, which transcend the one-hundred-plus years since their historic race to the South Pole to help today’s leaders learn valuable lessons about the meaning of true success.

Against the Tide is a leadership book that illustrates how Adm. Hyman Rickover made a unique impact on American and Navy culture. Dave Oliver is the first former nuclear submarine commander who sailed for the venerable admiral to write about Rickover’s management techniques. Oliver draws upon a wealth of untold stories to show how one man changed American and Navy culture while altering the course of history. The driving force behind America’s nuclear submarine navy, Rickover revolutionized naval warfare while concurrently proving to be a wellspring of innovation that drove American technology in the latter half of the twentieth-century. As a testament to his success, Rickover’s single-minded focus on safety protected both American citizens and sailors from nuclear contamination, a record that is in stark contrast to the dozens of nuclear reactor accidents suffered by the Russians. While Rickover has been the subject of a number of biographies, little has been written about his unique management practices that changed the culture of a two-hundred-year-old institution and affected the outcome of the Cold War. Rickover’s achievements have been obscured because they were largely conducted in secret and because he possessed a demanding and abrasive personality that alienated many potential supporters. Nevertheless he was an extraordinary manager with significant lessons for all those in decision-making positions. The author had the good fortune to know and to serve under Rickover during much of his thirty-year career in the Navy and is singularly qualified to demonstrate the management and leadership principles behind Rickover’s success.

"We need to recognize that what we have been doing for decades to ceate good leaders has failed and we must move in a different direction where we stop trying to make everyone into a leader. Instead, we must find ways to identify and develop natural-born leaders who possess innate leadership talent"--Jacket.

For leaders who believe they may not be maximizing their leadership potential, Warwick Fairfax is the trusted leadership advisor who helps readers uncover their own unique path to living and leading with significance, effectiveness, and authenticity in all areas of life. In Crucible Leadership, he shares the power of embracing the crucible moments: those past trials, failures, and setbacks that can be seen as either roadblocks or as jumping-off points to leading a life of significance and purpose dedicated to serving others. Crucible Leadership comes alive through the unique framework of Warwick’s own story: how his legacy shaped his worldview and drove decisions that eventually led to his own crucible moment. He demonstrates to readers in an honest, self-reflective way how they can make sense of their own talents and trials to lead with authenticity in all areas of life. Warwick empowers readers to become the leader they were designed to be through his unique perspective, which has been shaped by three powerful touchstones: Hard-won insights and honest, self-reflective lessons learned from his own crucible moment, and the long road back from it Inspiring and instructive stories from his rich and iconic family history Time-honored leadership truths proven out by history’s greatest and most inspirational figures

Imagine a company where people love coming to work and are highly productive on a daily basis. Imagine a company whose top executives, in a quest to create the most "fun" workplace ever, obliterate labor-management divisions and push decision-making responsibility down to the plant floor. Could such a company compete in today's bottom-line corporate world? Could it even turn a profit? Well, imagine no more. In Joy at Work, Dennis W. Bakke tells the true story of this extraordinary company--and how, as its co-founder and longtime CEO, he challenged the business establishment with revolutionary ideas that could remake America's organizations. It is the story of AES, whose business model and operating ethos -"let's have fun"-were conceived during a 90-minute car ride from Annapolis, Maryland, to Washington, D.C. In the next two decades, it became a worldwide energy giant with 40,000 employees in 31 countries and revenues of $8.6 billion. It's a remarkable tale told by a remarkable man: Bakke, a farm boy who was shaped by his religious faith, his years at Harvard Business School, and his experience working for the Federal Energy Administration. He rejects workplace drudgery as a noxious remnant of the Industrial Revolution. He believes work should be fun, and at AES he set out to prove it could be. Bakke sought not the empty "fun" of the Friday beer blast but the joy of a workplace where every person, from custodian to CEO, has the power to use his or her God-given talents free of needless corporate bureaucracy. In Joy at Work, Bakke tells how he helped create a company where every decision made at the top was lamented as a lost chance to delegate responsibility--and where all employees were encouraged to take the "game-winning shot," even when it wasn't a slam-dunk. Perhaps Bakke's most radical stand was his struggle to break the stranglehold of "creating shareholder value" on the corporate mind-set and replace it with more timeless values: integrity, fairness, social responsibility, and a sense of fun.

In September 2010, James G. Pierce, a retired U.S. Army colonel with the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, published a study on Army organizational culture. Pierce postulated that "the ability of a professional organization to develop future leaders in a manner that perpetuates readiness to cope with future environmental and internal uncertainty depends on organizational culture." He found that today's U.S. Army leadership "may be inadequately prepared to lead the profession toward future success." The need to prepare for future success dovetails with the use of the concepts of mission command. This book offers up a set of recommendations, based on those mission command concepts, for adopting a superior command culture through education and training. Donald E. Vandergriff believes by implementing these recommendations across the Army, that other necessary and long-awaited reforms will take place.

TRUTH, TRUST + TENACITY lets readers peek behind the curtain to see what it takes to become an extraordinary leader in today's business climate. In his third book, Ritch Eich shares the secrets of building a culture around trust, engagement, energy and civility that lets employees grow, work teams prosper, organizations succeed and tomorrow's leaders confidently emerge.

The legendary New York Times bestselling tale of top-down change for anyone trying to navigate today's uncertain business seas. When Captain Abrashoff took over as commander of USS Benfold, it was like a business that had all the latest technology but only some of the productivity. Knowing that responsibility for improving performance rested with him, he realized he had to improve his own leadership skills before he could improve his ship. Within months, he created a crew of confident and inspired problem-solvers eager to take the initiative and responsibility for their actions. The slogan on board became "It's your ship," and Benfold was soon recognized far and wide as a model of naval efficiency. How did Abrashoff do it? Against the backdrop of today's United States Navy, Abrashoff shares his secrets of successful management including: See the ship through the eyes of the crew: By soliciting a sailor's suggestions, Abrashoff drastically reduced tedious chores that provided little additional value. Communicate, communicate, communicate: The more Abrashoff communicated the plan, the better the crew's performance. His crew eventually started calling him "Megaphone Mike," since they heard from him so often. Create discipline by focusing on purpose: Discipline skyrocketed when Abrashoff's crew believed that what they were doing was important. Listen aggressively: After learning that many sailors wanted to use the GI Bill, Abrashoff brought a test official aboard the ship-and held the SATs forty miles off the Iraqi coast. From achieving amazing cost savings to winning the highest gunnery score in the Pacific Fleet, Captain Abrashoff's extraordinary campaign sent shock waves through the U.S. Navy. It can help you change the course of your ship, no matter where your business battles are fought.