Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker: Leadership Lessons From George C. Marshall

by Jack Uldrich

No list of the greatest people of the 20th century is complete without General George C. Marshall. Winston Churchill called him the ""organizer of victory"" and ""the last great American."" President Harry Truman referred to him as the ""great one of the age."" Tom Brokaw called him the ""godfather"" of ""the greatest generation."" Even so, many people know Marshall's name without being able to recall his many astonishing accomplishments. Among * He personally trained future generals Eisenhower, Bradley, Ridgeway, Patton, and others. * As Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army before and during World War II, he oversaw its expansion from a small, homeland defense force -- smaller than Bulgaria's -- into the mightiest army ever assembled. * As Secretary of State, he introduced the ""Marshall Plan,"" which literally rescued Europe after the war. * He was the first professional soldier ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize and was twice named Time's Man of the Year. Marshall's extraordinary career reflects unparalleled leadership traits and consummate skills, among them vision, candor, a commitment to action, the ability to listen and learn, and not least, selflessness. In an extraordinary chronicle and analysis of legendary leadership, Jack Uldrich brings the life and achievements of General Marshall front and center -- where they have always belonged.

Genres: Leadership, Biography, War, History

244 pages, Hardcover

First published April 22, 2005

Reviews

[B. Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who has gone through the US military history and later developments of corporate leadership there (especially after WWII, stemmed from military-industrial complex, and diffused to the rest of world), can say with an appreciation that General George C. Marshall is the father of “Institutional Leadership”. In this regard Mr. Jack Uldrich has done an excellent job of learning about his life and thereby finding the patterns in his leadership activities and finally consolidating them in to 9 principles of leadership (I call it as 9 ingredients of leadership).

However, the fundamental purpose of the leadership has been indirectly mentioned by the author in the last paragraph of chapter 7 (Choosing and Rewarding the Right People: The Principle of Fairness) (the real spirit of the entire book).

Other than this, the major highlights of the book are 1) the words of General Marshall and the context in which those were said (for understanding the corresponding leadership principle) 2) various corporate world situations in which these leadership principles were applied.
(END)

[Cuellared · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction