The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush (StumpJumper)

Thompson, Carolyn B. and James W. Ware. The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush: 10 Commonsense Lessons from the Commander in Chief. 2003. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

George W. Bush is a controversial President. Opinions of him range from very good to very bad. One complaint that is never heard is that he has done nothing since taking office. Even his most vehement detractors do not raise this complaint. To the contrary, those who are most unhappy with him are unhappy precisely because he has done so much. Their problem is with what he has accomplished, not that he has accomplished too little. It is President Bush’s ability to accomplish his agenda is the focus of this book, not his agenda itself.

The two authors of this book are both leadership consultants. One is a self-proclaimed conservative and the other is a self-proclaimed liberal. Theirs view of Bush’s politics diverge, but their assessment of him as a leader is the same. Both agree that George W. Bush is brilliant in his ability to achieve his agenda and they credit this brilliance on his background as an MBA and a business person. In writing this book the authors hoped to detail the leadership skills of the President so that other leaders can learn from him while studiously avoiding any discussion of his political beliefs. They succeed admirably. This book is prescient, insightful, and fun to read. Anyone who is in a leadership role can benefit from this book.

After studying President Bush as a leader, the authors identified ten aspects of his leadership style that they feel are the cornerstones of his success. After a brief introduction they launch into the main part of the book: ten chapters, each devoted to a single aspect of Bush’s leadership style. These ten chapters are:

• What Do You Stand For?: Identify Core Values
• Where Are You Going?: Inspire Through Vision
• Can I Trust You? Become Credible
• Bring in the Right People, Part One: Don’t Be Afraid to Hire People Smarter Than You
• Bring in the Right People, Part Two: Leave ‘Em Alone!
• Encourage Collaboration: Build Alliances
• Give It to ‘Em Straight: Communicate
• If It’s Noon, I Must Be Jogging: Be Disciplined and Focus
• Intuitive Wisdom: Trust Your Instincts
• Getting Results: Hold People Accountable

Each of the ten core chapters is organized in a similar manner. Each starts with an anecdotal description of a situation in which President Bush applied the principle of that chapter. It then discusses that principle in greater detail, explaining why it is so important to successful leadership. The authors then give more examples of how the President is still applying the principle to his recent activities. The chapters then conclude with what, in my opinion, is the best feature of the book: suggestions and ideas about how the reader can apply the chapter’s core principle to any leadership situation. Sprinkled throughout each chapter are quotes, activities, anecdotes, and humor.

My only complaint about this book is the lack of a conclusion. The book ends when the chapter on accountability ends. This brings the cook to an abrupt halt with no real closure. The reader is left with no real sense of completeness. This is a minor complaint, however.

Overall I am very happy with this book. This book truly is for everyone. The authors do an outstanding job of concentrating on George W. Bush’s leadership while avoiding politics. When they must mention a specific political act they do so only as an example and completely avoid any editorializing. They use examples from Bush’s past to show a consistent pattern of behavior. Each chapter stands by itself as a discussion of one and only one leadership principle. This makes the book very easy to use as a reference later. The authors are very detailed in their work and, quite obviously, are experts in the field of leadership. Their writing style is direct and to the point, yet remains humorous and easy to read. They manage to cram a lot of useful information into the book’s 279 pages. This book was worth my time and my money. I would recommend it to anyone interested in leadership, regardless of their political affiliation.