Lead Like Ike: Ten Business Strategies from the CEO of D-Day

· HarperCollins Leadership
1.8
4 reviews
Ebook
304
Pages
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“A novel, intriguing—and more importantly—highly instructive approach enabling us to truly grasp fundamental management principles. In the person of Dwight Eisenhower planning and executing the D-Day landings and the subsequent liberation of Europe, these basic concepts are vividly brought to life. As Loftus rightly observes, no CEO ever faced a more daunting, pressure-filled, obstacle-laden mission than did Ike. Perfect reading for these turbulent times.” —Steve Forbes, Chairman & CEO, Forbes Media

“Geoff Loftus has written an intriguing and highly useful book on Dwight Eisenhower’s extraordinary ability as a leader. If you liked Ike before, you’ll like him even more now. And you’ll be grateful to Geoff Loftus.” —Christopher Buckley, author of Boomsday and Thank You for Smoking

“In Lead Like Ike, Geoff Loftus provides keen insights on management lessons drawn from one of the greatest battlefields in military history. The lessons may appear simple, but it’s the simplest management principles that we often forget: Listen to your people. Set your vision. Be consistent about your message. Let your managers manage.” —Salvatore J. Vitale, Senior Vice President, The Conference Board

Who was the greatest CEO of the 20th century? A persuasive case can be made for General Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower, who undertook history’s most harrowing executive assignment: Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe on June 6, 1944. In Lead Like Ike, business journalist and communications guru Geoff Loftus weaves a fly on-the-wall narrative from Ike’s perspective as supreme allied commander overseeing the Normandy invasion. While swept into a gripping story that honors the sacrifice of all who fought and died on D-Day, you’ll also be drawn to a cache of battle-tested strategies and tactics with direct applications to modern-day business leadership.

Ratings and reviews

1.8
4 reviews
A Google user
July 7, 2010
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to switch places with someone else and walk in their shoes for a day or a week or a year? Geoff Loftus makes the switch for us by naming Dwight D. Eisenhower the CEO of D-Day, Inc., the most important corporation of the 20th century. FDR and Winston Churchill become leaders on Eisenhower’s Board of Directors. Ike becomes an upper-level middle manager. It’s an odd and interesting twist on a familiar story that begins with a great deal of promise but weakens and tires as the book progresses. The book is well-researched and, as the title promises, analyzes Eisenhower’s leadership and gleans 10 strategies for today’s leader: Determine Your Mission Plan for Success Stay Focused Prioritize Plan to Implement Communicate Motivate Your People Manage Your People Avoid Project Creep Be Honest As Salvatore J. Vitale notes on the cover jacket, “[I]t’s the simplest management principles that we often forget,” and it’s this simplicity that makes the book so promising and so disappointing. If you’re a history buff and want stories to flesh out the 10 strategies, I highly recommend this book. Otherwise, I’d suggest reading Eisenhower’s own Crusade in Europe (1948) instead. [Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for this unbiased review.]
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