The Leader’s Bookshelf

I’m a strong believer in lifelong learning and that you need to master your profession, especially if you are a leader. I know that some people are natural leaders, but leadership can be taught, and professional reading is essential if you want to be an effective leader. General George Patton, for example, spent many hours reading books in order to learn from the past and avoid mistakes made by others. I read in one of Patton’s biographies written by Carlo D’Este that, “Patton’s evenings were generally reserved for reading and study. It was his custom to scribble in the margins of his books and later type or inscribe the results – often on note cards – into a synopsis that became a permanent part of his personal papers.”1

Having a personal library (physical or digital) is important, so I’m always researching this topic. I found an interesting book titled “The Leaders’ Bookshelf” written by retired Admiral James Stavridis and R. Manning Ancell that focuses on this topic. The main point of the book is that “by focusing on the reading patterns of most senior officers in the U.S. military – certainly by any measure an organization that produces some of the best leaders in the world – we can create a set of books that makes sense for leaders in all walks of life.”2

The book provides advice on making time for reading. It gives you the top 50 recommended books with synopses based on their interviews with top military leaders. It includes reading lists, writing and publishing, what young leaders are reading, building a personal library, and reading and leading: The Big Lessons.

There are many quotes throughout the book, but the following ones caught my attention:

“You live your profession through reading” by General Alexander Haig (p. 39)

“Leadership involves as much knowing what to do as inspiring others to do it” by General Edwin Burba (p. 62).

“Mankind, if it is to survive, must choose its leaders by the test of their intellectuality; and, contrarily, leadership must justify itself by its detachment, moderation, and power of analysis. Hopes of transitioning to such a style of leadership need not be based on mere wish.” by Sir John Keegan (p. 139)

“It is a man’s duty to have books. A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessities of life.” by Henry Ward Beecher (p.236)

From the synopsis of book number 27, “Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker: Leadership Lessons from George C. Marshall” by Jack Ullrich, you get nine leadership principles (p. 127-128):

  1. Do the right thing – the principle of integrity.
  2. Master the situation – the principle of action.
  3. Serve a greater good – the principle of selflessness.
  4. Speak your mind – the principle of candor.
  5. Lay the groundwork – the principle of preparation.
  6. Share knowledge – the principle of learning and teaching.
  7. Choose and reward the right people – the principle of fairness.
  8. Focus on the big picture – the principle of vision.
  9. Support the troops – the principle of caring.

The Leader’s book is a great read. It introduces you to the topic of selecting leadership books and building a personal library. Books like this one, “How to Read a Book” by Mortimer Adler, and “On Reading Well” by Karen Swallow Prior are essential tools as you engage on your reading journey.

  1. D’Este, Carlo. A Genius For War. (P. 318). New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.  ↩︎
  2. Stavridis, James and Ancell, R. Manning. The Leader’s Bookshelf. (P. 5). Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2017. ↩︎

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