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Aim High: Chart Your Course and Find Success
A GUIDING LIGHT TO THRIVING, PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY, IN TODAY’S WORLD OF INCREASING DYSFUNCTION AND ANXIETY.
Dysfunction abounds in America in so many ways, from continuous turbulent change in the business environment, to a US federal government polarized by an inability to compromise and fulfill its historic missions, to personal levels where even deeper and darker levels of dysfunction reside within our colleagues, families, friends, and ourselves. Can any of us survive and thrive against such a backdrop of unsettledness and anxiety? Deborah Lee James wants to help us try.
As the 23rd Secretary and the “CEO” of the male-dominated US Air Force (only the second woman to lead a US military service), Secretary Deborah Lee James led a force of 660,000 people and managed a $139 billion budget—larger than the GDP of more than 120 countries. In the midst of unprecedented political dysfunction in Washington, she faced down enormous challenges, including preparing military women and men to fight terror in the Middle East, combatting sexual assault in the military, and responding to a crisis in the nuclear enterprise.
In Aim Chart Your Course and Find Success, Deborah James shares her personal and professional challenges, outcomes, strategies for success, and the problem-solving principles she used to overcome the daunting pressures, threats, and challenges that come with rising to the top of the US Armed Forces. As a supplement to her storytelling, Bain and Company, a top-tier management consulting firm, offers research and statistics that prove James’ insights have widespread impact.
The book offers an insider’s view on how things really work in Washington—and how the author’s five-step, repeatable problem-solving approach can work in any walk of life.
As a mother and wife, Deborah James carried her insights and problem-solving skills home. For women in similar circumstances, her story will provide a powerful guidebook for excelling in both public and private life, and ensuring that their battles can be won and their challenges overcome.
Dysfunction abounds in America in so many ways, from continuous turbulent change in the business environment, to a US federal government polarized by an inability to compromise and fulfill its historic missions, to personal levels where even deeper and darker levels of dysfunction reside within our colleagues, families, friends, and ourselves. Can any of us survive and thrive against such a backdrop of unsettledness and anxiety? Deborah Lee James wants to help us try.
As the 23rd Secretary and the “CEO” of the male-dominated US Air Force (only the second woman to lead a US military service), Secretary Deborah Lee James led a force of 660,000 people and managed a $139 billion budget—larger than the GDP of more than 120 countries. In the midst of unprecedented political dysfunction in Washington, she faced down enormous challenges, including preparing military women and men to fight terror in the Middle East, combatting sexual assault in the military, and responding to a crisis in the nuclear enterprise.
In Aim Chart Your Course and Find Success, Deborah James shares her personal and professional challenges, outcomes, strategies for success, and the problem-solving principles she used to overcome the daunting pressures, threats, and challenges that come with rising to the top of the US Armed Forces. As a supplement to her storytelling, Bain and Company, a top-tier management consulting firm, offers research and statistics that prove James’ insights have widespread impact.
The book offers an insider’s view on how things really work in Washington—and how the author’s five-step, repeatable problem-solving approach can work in any walk of life.
As a mother and wife, Deborah James carried her insights and problem-solving skills home. For women in similar circumstances, her story will provide a powerful guidebook for excelling in both public and private life, and ensuring that their battles can be won and their challenges overcome.
- GenresLeadershipNonfiction
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2019
22 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 31, 2019
Are you going to read this book or will you continue to queep?
I just finished SECAF James's book and found it inspiring and down to earth. She shows the human side of rising to one of the most senior and visible roles in the nation, and the world. It is tremendously readable, with usable, pragmatic guidance. The icing on the cake comes at the end, with a great high-level summary of her "Get Things Done" approach. It is clear from the start that she did not lead a privileged life naturally destined to greatness; she overcame obstacles and earned her position in the country and on the portrait wall in the Pentagon.
I just finished SECAF James's book and found it inspiring and down to earth. She shows the human side of rising to one of the most senior and visible roles in the nation, and the world. It is tremendously readable, with usable, pragmatic guidance. The icing on the cake comes at the end, with a great high-level summary of her "Get Things Done" approach. It is clear from the start that she did not lead a privileged life naturally destined to greatness; she overcame obstacles and earned her position in the country and on the portrait wall in the Pentagon.
June 29, 2020
Listened on audible. Deborah Lee James is incredibly accomplished and has had a fascinating career. Unfortunately, the structure of this book was really difficult to follow. I think she spent way too much time trying to relate her life and experiences to stale research principles from Bain, which detracted from her story. Additionally, she jumped around quite a bit chronologically and tried to relate each chapter to a principle, but was so boring and hard to follow. I think it could have been much better in story format with lessons weaved in, not lesson format with stories weaved in. I wouldn’t recommend.
February 21, 2021
This book was good for what it is- an advice book for people in the public and private sector. I enjoyed the memoir-like parts of the book, but the end with all the case studies had me a bit lost. All in all, I have deep respect for any woman in a position of power. Deborah James addressed many systemic issues within the Air Force and I genuinely believe she had a great impact on the lives of Airmen and saved taxpayers an awful lot in money spent on resources. A good read for anyone thinking about joining the public sector for work!
March 5, 2020
2.5 stars
It has some interesting tips for career development but it's also fairly fluffy and high level. She speaks from a management viewpoint and therefore much of her advice is primarily applicable to that kind of role. Unfortunately she often skips over how she overcame her challenges and there aren't many mentioned. She has a fair degree of privilege and had an abundance of willing mentors. Still there are some helpful points to take from the book. Read with a dash of salt
It has some interesting tips for career development but it's also fairly fluffy and high level. She speaks from a management viewpoint and therefore much of her advice is primarily applicable to that kind of role. Unfortunately she often skips over how she overcame her challenges and there aren't many mentioned. She has a fair degree of privilege and had an abundance of willing mentors. Still there are some helpful points to take from the book. Read with a dash of salt
April 12, 2020
Inspirational Read From Future First Female President
To be honest, Ms. James did not say or even hint anything about Presidency. I just hope the nation could be so fortunate to have someone in the Oval Office with her leadership skills.
Ms. James articulates many common-sense leadership skills and techniques in an entertaining, engaging and easy to read format. Aim High puts the information into practical tools that can help both new and seasoned leaders.
To be honest, Ms. James did not say or even hint anything about Presidency. I just hope the nation could be so fortunate to have someone in the Oval Office with her leadership skills.
Ms. James articulates many common-sense leadership skills and techniques in an entertaining, engaging and easy to read format. Aim High puts the information into practical tools that can help both new and seasoned leaders.
January 30, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. I am a career Army officer and I could relate to many of the challenges the author faced as a woman leader in the business world as well as the Pentagon. She offered good examples of what went well and what did not. She is not just offering a theory of good leadership - she is a practitioner. I prefer AIM HIGH over many other (some more well-known) leadership books because it is more concise in its message - not nearly as repetitive as other books. She lives up to her message of BLUF (bottom line upfront).
Another reason the reader will connect with the author is that she highlights the times that she made bad decisions or mishandled situations. She also highlighted some examples of challenges she faced in her personal life, which makes her seem human. She talks about work-life balance and how she prioritized her children, which was great to read.
Overall, very happy with this book. It was a quick read and one that I enthusiastically recommend!
Another reason the reader will connect with the author is that she highlights the times that she made bad decisions or mishandled situations. She also highlighted some examples of challenges she faced in her personal life, which makes her seem human. She talks about work-life balance and how she prioritized her children, which was great to read.
Overall, very happy with this book. It was a quick read and one that I enthusiastically recommend!
April 7, 2020
Very down to earth description of a personal career. One of a few ladies who had a chance to be a senior in the US Army. Not that interesting to read in terms of being captivated but has a few good ideas to think about organizations. I can recommend to people who work for big organisations and are interested in learning about a career path of a mid-senior manager level person.
July 16, 2022
I enjoyed the authentic, organized, matter-of-fact storytelling, and appreciated learning through the case studies at the end of the book. I respect James's approach to tough situations, especially when it comes to rooting out the causes of systemic issues and communicating early and often. Definitely felt resumé-y at times, but some good stuff in here for sure.
May 13, 2019
This book is part memoir, part leadership lessons and all heart. I highly recommend for anyone working in government and recommend for anyone who enjoys hearing about others journeys and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
March 26, 2020
Wow! Talk about an impressive career! This women has led an incredible life and made some real meaningful change. Here she discusses her 5 step problem solving approach and how to apply it to your life.
December 1, 2019
This book was nothing special but there were a couple of good nuggets in there.
May 31, 2021
I really enjoyed this — thank you to my friend, Will Clark, for lending it to me and being patient with me as it took me so long to finally read it!
Deborah James is an incredible role model and her book is excellent and especially inspiring to me as a young woman looking ahead to the future and opportunities ahead. Life and the unique challenges of being an ambitious female can be so daunting, so to hear directly from a woman who has broken glass ceilings in a government and military career and has exemplified her values throughout is encouraging and life-giving. Wow. Definitely a worthwhile read.
The book is quite formulaic in style, and is wrapped up with an outline of all the key points made in the book — something I’ll take a few notes from as reminders to keep with me. It gets Deborah’s points across effectively and provides evidence for many of her arguments. I’d say she definitely accomplished her goal in Aim High and shares her lessons and wisdom efficiently.
Deborah James is an incredible role model and her book is excellent and especially inspiring to me as a young woman looking ahead to the future and opportunities ahead. Life and the unique challenges of being an ambitious female can be so daunting, so to hear directly from a woman who has broken glass ceilings in a government and military career and has exemplified her values throughout is encouraging and life-giving. Wow. Definitely a worthwhile read.
The book is quite formulaic in style, and is wrapped up with an outline of all the key points made in the book — something I’ll take a few notes from as reminders to keep with me. It gets Deborah’s points across effectively and provides evidence for many of her arguments. I’d say she definitely accomplished her goal in Aim High and shares her lessons and wisdom efficiently.
January 1, 2023
I read this book for work and, surprised myself, by reading it all in one sitting! That never happens for me anymore (mostly due to phase of life), but this just hooked me in and I had to read it. I think it captured my attention because I could relate so much to her. She has a positive, optimistic outlook with great actionable steps that I've already adapted into my working life. I also appreciated that she was honest with the amount of help she utilized in her daily life (what she could outsource) so that she could spend the precious time she had with her children. While the majority of us don't have the luxury she did, the thought resonated with me - my kid comes first! Excellent prof dev type book, totally worth the read!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews