The West Point Way of Leadership

by Larry Donnithorne

West Point has bred more CEOs than any business school, and the leadership skills taught there are truly matters of life and death.  Bolder than Sun Tzu, savvier than Gracian -- THE book on learning to lead.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Self Help, Business

192 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1993

Reviews

[Allison Gerrish · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read on leadership! It’s a simple read and a lot of applicable tips to utilize in different aspects of life. I am biased in my high rating, bc it also allowed me to converse with my Dad about his own West Point experiences. ☺️

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a trip down memory lane. Agree with most of what the author wrote.

[Barack Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

037-West Point Way of Leadership-Larry Donnithorne-Management-1993
Barack

——Responsibility, honor, country.

"West Point Way of Leadership" was firstly published in 1993. It introduced some educational ideas of West Point.

Larry Donnithorne served in the US military for 27 years. He studied at West Point Military Academy, Stanford University, and Harvard University. Representative works: " West Point Way of Leadership" and so on.

The United States Military Academy often referred to as West Point. It is the first military school in the United States. It was established in 1802. Notable alumni: Button, MacArthur, Grant, Eisenhower, and so on.

Unconditional execution. No excuse. Details make a difference. Regard the leader as an example. The principle of honor. Popular. Good at cooperation. Teamwork. To be the No.1. Adventurous.

Fire-like spirit. Constantly improve yourself. The game of the brave. Go all out. Dutifully. Nothing is impossible. Never give up. Dedication is the soul. Struggle for yourself. Ideas are paramount. Automatically spontaneously. Act now.

I feel that it should be regrettable for a man not to serve in the military for a while. I don't want to be a professional soldier, but I want to have a military career.

When I graduated from high school, I wanted to serve for two years and then go to college. When I was an undergraduate, I wanted to serve for two years and then study for a master's degree. During the master's degree, I also considered taking a break from school. Finally, I give up for subjective and objective reasons.

In the future, for my son or daughter, I may recommend them to serve in the military for 2 years before starting undergraduate life after graduating from high school. I have gradually developed such a mentality that my unfulfilled wishes, more or less hope that my children can fulfill. Of course, if they have no interest in it, I will not force them.

It is indeed difficult to overcome fear, but it is also worth trying to overcome. Especially when it has been overcome, you may find that things are not so bad. The thing that scares us most is often the unknown itself.

Reasonable bravery. In October 2014, I once experienced a critical moment of life and death with a friend. When I almost lost my fighting spirit, his reason and determination left me with a profound impact.

When the danger is still wearing shoes at the door, there are still many people who can still talk and laugh. But when the crisis has come out of the door, most people cannot remain calm.

I often feel that I lack self-control and cannot resist many types of temptations. If I couldn't have a strong will in such a pure environment when I’m still a student, how can I expect myself to have a clear mind and a high ability of execution in the face of stronger temptations in the future? Once when I cannot control myself, my desire will control me.

To conquer the world, we need to conquer ourselves firstly. I’m often controlled by my emotions rather than control my emotions when I am irritable or angry. I have been trying not to retaliate to vent my emotions, even if I suffer from injustice. I must always use rationality to guide my behavior. Even if the external environment is bad, I try to tolerate misunderstanding and slander by others.

Boldness and passion are the abilities that a trailblazer needs to possess. Indecisiveness leads to disaster. From a statistical point of view, whether it is a large cycle spanning more than ten years or a small cycle of a few weeks, life usually oscillates back and forth in the peaks and bottoms.

When the road is correct, we should not be influenced by objects outside. A person is an army.

There is no perfect person, only perfect groups. Try more polite, humble, enthusiastic, and compassionate ways to treat people, and try to gain more trustworthy friendships.

The first person who tries to establish a trust relationship with the crowd often takes great risks. But once this bond is established, it will also significantly improve the overall strength of the team.

15/06/05
20/05/11

[William Bahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leading with character

This book by Larry Donnithorne is a brilliant, full-colored, and detailed portrait of leadership training at the United States Military Academy at West Point, the world’s premier leadership development school. Specifically, it covers the Cadet Leader Development System (CLDS), introduced to West Point by Lieutenant General Dave R. Palmer, 53rd USMA Superintendent, and his staff (to include Donnihorne) to move training from attrition to development, with each class assigned an increasing role in efforts at leadership development, with a key emphasis on character. Donnithorne masterfully describes and illustrates the CLDS concepts, clarifying them through examples of his memorable experiences both watching and performing not only simple but complex acts of remarkable leadership.

Donnithorne begins his book with descriptions of plebes (freshmen) entering West Point, taking them through lessons in followership, then having them progress into sophomore face-to-face team-leaders, junior-year leaders of leaders (indirect leaders), and finally senior-year executive leaders of character. He ends the book with “Brave Words for Leaders in Tough Situations,” a collection of inspiringly instructive quotes from noted military greats. All in all, whether for military or civilian applications, if you’re interested in the secrets behind West Point’s success in turning out leaders of character, this is the book for you!

Of possible interest: George Washington's Liberty Key: Mount Vernon's Bastille Key - the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul, a best-seller at Mount Vernon. “Character is Key for Liberty!” and Strategy Pure and Simple: Essential Moves for Winning in Competition and Cooperation

[Christopher John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Working for a 1.2 Billion dollar e-commerce company as a digital marketing manager is a task filled with changing parts and uncertainty. This book has given me some fundamentals on how to lead and develop new and eager employees into effective executive leaders.

[Rex Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The West Point Way has so many great implications for my current employer, Oak Ridge Military Academy. I hope to gather our faculty around this book, and implement foundational principles about character development. What a great resource!

[dalton forman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leadership for everyone

This book brings great practical advice to everyone and create the opportunity to challenge yourself to be better. I recommend this to anyone looking beer pay off something bigger than themself.

[Abby Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting distinction between morality and character

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid leadership manual with military credentials

The United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York, has graduated presidents, generals and corporate leaders. Although its military tradition and patriotism are pivotal to West Point’s purpose, developing leaders is the focus of its mission and curriculum. Since 1802, West Point has been turning out young men and, in more recent years, young women, who are prepared to fill leadership positions in the U.S. Army immediately and who are trained to be leaders for the rest of their lives, in business, philanthropy or the military. Cadets receive a world-class education that includes an intense leadership curriculum designed to transform them into leaders and outstanding moral exemplars. Here, West Point grad and former teacher Col. Larry R. Donnithorne (Ret.) details what the USMA’s leadership training involves, how it is structured and how it meets its goal. He may make you envy the young students who are getting such a thorough grounding in how to lead. Donnithorne will hold your interest as he conveys the meaning and merit of West Point. If you want to learn about leadership – military or civilian – getAbstract recommends this overview from a dedicated West Pointer.

[JP · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting reading but just doesn't bring home any points beyond that typically found in this genre. The author's personal anecdotes and those from history certainly lead the charge in terms of conveying the meaning of leadership. But he somehow seems to take more words to drive home the underlying meaning than is really necessary. I did particularly enjoy the discussion of the lessons regarding character taught to cadets and the concurring juxtaposition to the current trend toward ethics training. In short, there are some valuable lessons here, but they lie more in the examples rather than the discourse itself.

[Quinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another leadership book, but this one stresses building character. It was quite a good read, and made me wish that I had gone through west point.
Despite being US army - it had a whole section on thinking for yourself, questioning orders when appropriate, and doing the 'right thing' in all circumstances (even if it means personal loss). There are also a few cases where it gives you a morally ambiguous situation, and you have to determine what the actual right thing to do is. It was good fun.

[Cyril Embil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly one of the best books on leadership I've ever read. Of course couldn't help but regret not attending West Point as I was reading it. Still...

Col. Larry Donnithorne was the keynote speaker at a conference I planned while working for an international organization. His speech on leadership combined lessons and quotes from great civic and military leaders from great antiquitiy to today. This man is brilliant.

[Joel Hannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a potentially good book for SLI. The leadership characteristics that are presented in this book are in line with our SLI principles.

Enjoy!

[Anakon Tường]

The West Point Way of Leadership