Making a Difference: Stories of Vision and Courage from America's Leaders

by Chesley B. Sullenberger III

As a follow up to his phenomenal New York Times bestselling memoir, Highest Duty, Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger explores exactly what it takes to lead and inspire. In Making a Difference, one of the most captivating American heroes of this century—the courageous pilot who brought the crippled US Airways Flight 1549 safely down in New York’s Hudson River—engages some of the most accomplished men and women in the fields of technology, medicine, education, sports, philanthropy, finance, law, and the military in inspiring conversations on true leadership. With powerful thoughts and invaluable guidance from such notables as former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, legendary baseball manager Tony LaRussa, NASA Flight Director Eugene Kranz, and Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Making a Difference is a potential life-changer that stands with Katie Couric’s The Best Advice I Ever Got, Lee Iaococca’s Where Have All the Leaders Gone, Michael J. Fox’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future, and other classic volumes that celebrate human achievement and triumph over adversity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Leadership, Biography, Business, Collections, Inspirational

483 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2012

About the author

Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III is an American airline transport pilot (ATP), safety expert, and accident investigator from Danville, California,who successfully carried out the emergency ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, offshore from Manhattan, New York City, on January 15, 2009, thus saving the lives of the 155 people on the aircraft. He is an international speaker on airline safety and has helped develop new protocols for airline safety. As of September 30, 2009, Sullenberger is also the co-chairman of the EAA's Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program.

Reviews

[Suneel Dhand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Captain Sullenberger, the hero of flight 1549, goes through the life stories of eleven inspirational people who have made a huge difference in their respective fields. The book focusses particularly on the component of leadership that has guided their endeavors.

I was particularly fascinated and inspired by the stories of Lieutenant Colonel Tammy Duckworth (a military heroine and now a political figure), Michelle Rhee (schools crusader), Sue Sheridan (fighting for more safety in healthcare, an issue that I too feel passionately about) and Jim Sinegal (a very different CEO).

We can all learn so much from these stories of vision and courage, and I would recommend this book to anyone who may think that such people are lacking in today's society—because this clearly isn't the case.

[Lincoln · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a series of stories and interviews of great U.S. leaders in recent years and it provides great insight into what makes a great leader. It covers a broad gauntlet of people including: USCG Admiral Thad Allen, Police Commissioner William Bratton, LTC Tammy Duckworth USA, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, NASA CEO Gene Kranz, Baseball manager Tony LaRussa, Educator Michelle Rhee, Mother Sue Sheridan, COSCO CEO John Sinegal and others. The book provides Lessons in Leadership, Strong Leadership values, discusses the Nature of Leadership, and what the Common Thread that connects great leaders.

ITS A GREAT READ

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book in October. It was borrowed from the library and I renewed it, but had to return it afterwards, not yet finished. After my schedule got a bit less crazy, I took it out again and have again renewed it. I can read books quickly, but this one was to important to me to race through. I've read several chapters several times and anticipate reading this book again in the future.

Written by Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger, the US Air pilot who successfully landed his disabled plane on the Hudson River, it is a collection of interviews he held with a broad range of 'leaders' whom he admired to discuss qualities of leadership. Many of the people are well known, while others are less well known. Each chapter is largely self-contained, although there are cross references to underline particular points. The book was written because Sullenberger wanted to take advantage of the publicity he was experiencing due to the 'miracle on the Hudson' to draw attention to critical aspects of our society which needs attention.

A couple of key points which caught my eye. He criticizes the 'drift towards expedience' or in other words, the tendency to cut corners due to production pressures. A discussion with Robert Reich describes the problem with the seduction of leadership of 'martyrdom'. Working so hard to result in personal burnout if a sign of a poor leader. The authors (book was co-written with Douglas Century, who was probably responsible for the physical description of each person interviewed) repeatedly underscored the importance of failing to compromise among leaders. Michelle Rhee would not start negotiations withe the teachers' union in DC with the points they agreed on (a waste of time) but would start with the points of disagreement. The importance of delegation was pointed out in several cases as being the only way to effectively lead because leaders cannot do everything that needs to be done. I also very much appreciated various business leaders cautioning against paying too much attention to the short term directions of financial analysts. It cannot be completely ignored, because it does focus one's attention on the business, but it should not be the only consideration made.

A minor criticism is the continued bias towards ivy-league institutions and thinking. At one point, during the interview with Michelle Rhee, complimenting her change of the Washington DC school system as becoming 'ground zero for education reformers ... when young graduates from Harvard and Stanford were streaming to work as interns in her office...' I can't help but think that the Washington DC system would be better served if young graduates from all over were streaming to work, rather than simply the perceived elite. (I have a similar concern about the current makeup of our Supreme Court.)

A worthwhile read with lots to think about.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Making a Difference" will surely make a difference in my life - as well as in the lives of all who will pick it up and read it.

For this book on leadership, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has interviewed many very noteworthy people, including Lt. Col. Tammy Duckworth, Gene Kranz, Tony La Russa, and several others.

One interview in particular, however, impacted me far greater than the others - that of Sue Sheridan. Ms. Sheridan's story is one of deep tragedy, sure to powerfully impact people everywhere when they read her story. It has to do with misdiagnosis and carelessness on the part of medical professionals, the folks with whom we entrust our very lives. Due to negligence, carelessness, and ignorance by the medical community, Ms. Sheridan's baby son suffered cerebral palsy and, later, her husband died of cancer. Read her story - it will affect you as deeply as it's affected me.

[Eileen Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the school library as it looked interesting. “Sully” Sullenberger as on the cover-the pilot who rescued US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River! In his book he explores the questions of – Where do the best leaders come from? How do the most successful and creative truly lead, motivate, and inspire? He interviewed men and women from a variety of fields and told their stories. He talked to Tony La Russa (baseball manager), Gene Kramz (NASA) Michelle Rhee (Founder of New Teacher Project) and others. I must admit that I enjoyed two of the women entries the most-Jennifer Granholm, first female Governor and then Sue Sheridam who overcame so much personal family tragedy to take a leadership role in patient safety rights. While it was interesting reading the narratives, the commonalities and lessons were not tied together until the last short chapter and I wish this section was longer. Here the author reflected on “The Lessons Learned in Leadership” by noting the strong values among the leaders as well as the real actions they did to be the leaders. He lists the “Core Qualities of Leadership” and recommends the reader to use some of the ideas to move forward as a leader in his/her own way.

[Walter Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

TIME for a Leader

Read what we need as a people for our leaders. With wisdom comes humility - an educated electorate deserves the best. Keep these leadership traits in mind next time.

[Maria E · Rating 3 out of 5]

The key thought I had listening to this book was - "Is it possible to appreciate leadership traits in someone who isn't on your side of the political aisle?"

I wanted to be inspired not told that my political party is the reason that people have to be courageous. The political diatribe wasn't necessary when talking about baseball coaching or non-politicians. The Costco section was the only chapter where I don't recall an overt political rant- unless you count the segment on Costco's self-funded medical plan. Actually the section on the woman who changed medical care from the hospital side of things was pretty neutral too.

Maybe I was just politically sensitive to nuances while reading this after going through the last election cycle.

[diddier gil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from all the people Captain Sully interviewd. They were well chosen.
Captain Sully sure has made the best out of the unexpected and sudden fame he got.
No doubt he was a potencial great leader and human being, he just had to be pushed by life, or God. He is a good example of the belief that sometimes you have to go through something really bad in order to become really great.

[John R Naugle]

Are you finding ways to give back and show the gratitude you have for your life. The title of Sully's new book is very inspiring "Making A Difference" and I like his disposition/personality. Here's his recent CNN interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a_APe... Enjoy!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book required for one of my classes. To me, it was an ok book. The stories were fairly interesting, however the attributes on being a leader I was already familiar with so....

[Bob Schatz]

Great profiles of inspiring leaders and their stories as told with commentary from "Sully". I especially enjoyed the stories from Gene Kranz and Michelle Rhee.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off strong, I had such high hopes!

[Todd Pinchevsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely some good gems in here. I particularly enjoyed the Gene Krantz section (head of NASA mission control during Apollo 11 and 13). Makes me want to read his autobiography "Failure is not an Option." (Which is from the movie Apollo 13 - he didn't actually say it, his actual speech was a little longer, but he liked the line so much he used it for the title of his book :-))
Lt. Col. Tammy Duckworth also super inspirational!

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very inspiring!

[Pug · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Sully, but since this book was about a number of random people, and not about his "Miracle on the Hudson," I lost interest.

[Dorian Pacheco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great work from Sully! Very much worth a read.

[Victor Vilchiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

good stories about leading and what makes some effective leaders.

[Ana Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

"There is no difference between becoming an effective leader and becoming a fully integrated human being."