What would Washington (or Jefferson or Hamilton) do? Practical leadership lessons from the eighteenth century that you can use today. To many, the leaders of the American Revolution are distant men of myth—stoic, heroic, and unknowable. People take for granted that these men were brilliant, but rarely ask why. What distinguished them from their fellow citizens, both then and now? What can they teach about leadership, and about realizing both career and personal goals? Founding Leadership reveals the human side of these “marble men,” examining the words, deeds, and personal qualities that allowed Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, and others to achieve their utopian aims. Historian Brent Taylor demonstrates that effective leadership requires more than perseverance and a laundry list of how-to steps. It requires leaders to conceive visions greater than themselves, then communicate those visions in ways that inspire, persuade, and motivate others. In examining historical episodes both famous and obscure, Taylor uncovers the light and dark sides of power, including the motivations behind Benedict Arnold’s infamous betrayal. Through these fascinating studies, you can become more attuned to America’s past and—most importantly—to your own leadership potential.

“A leadership book written by a real leader! . . . eminently useful for those ‘in command’ of organizations of any kind. A stimulating five-star work” (Ralph Peters, New York Times–bestselling author). This book tells the dramatic story of seven defining leadership moments from the American Revolution, as well as providing case studies that can improve your leadership at home, business, in your community, in the military, or in government. Leadership is not about position, it is about influence. You can be a leader no matter what your rank or position. It is not about power, it is about selflessness. You cannot be a good leader unless you can also be a good follower. Good leaders don’t shine, they reflect. Lessons like these are the core of this book. The stories in this book are about leaders who were challenged at all corners, adapted, improvised and overcame. The tales of leaders like Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Henry Knox, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington, to name a few, are stories you will want to know and tell. These leaders knew how to push teams to succeed under the toughest conditions. These stories will come alive on the pages of this book to fuel your leadership fire and make you a better leader in any endeavor. Learn how they secured our liberty so you can transform today into a better tomorrow. “John Antal has captured seven timeless stories that will raise your leadership awareness and make you a better leader in peace or war, at home, at work or in your community.” —Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of 36 Righteous Men

Extracts valuable lessons on business leadership from the story of the Founding Fathers' struggle to create a new nation. Shows how figures such as Thomas Paine, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin faced challenges and dissension in their own ranks with a vision from which they would not stray. Includes checklists of organizational, management, strategic, and leadership lessons learned from the leaders of the American Revolution. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Compares decisions made by America's Founding Fathers with those made byodern businesses to reveal qualities needed for successful business leaders.

Since its inception, higher education in the U.S. has claimed to develop leaders. This bold claim appears in college mission statements and mottos, and it is reinforced in recruiting materials and ad campaigns. But is this claim justified? Leadership Reckoning takes to task American colleges and universities for their haphazard, incoherent, evidence-free approaches to developing students as leaders and offers a principle-driven, outcome-oriented blueprint for how effective leader development can occur. Higher education has both the opportunity and the responsibility to take leader development seriously and create the leaders we need. It's high time that happens, and Leadership Reckoning points the way. "Take it from me, as someone who has worked in both government and business: leadership matters! In the face of global challenges like the climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for good leaders in every part of society has never been greater. In Leadership Reckoning, the Doerr Institute for New Leaders pioneers a data-driven approach to make the development of moral leadership a core function of college education. This book is a must read for the leaders of today and tomorrow." -Al Gore, Former Vice President of the United States "This book is a gem of a resource for institutions of higher education considering their role and approach in preparing the rising generation to exert the leadership our world needs. It is hard to imagine a more important question for revitalizing our colleges and universities and, most importantly, for getting on the path to realizing our collective aspirations for a just, sustainable, and peaceful world." -Wendy Kopp, CEO and Co-founder of Teach for All "Our students will impact the world in far greater proportion than their numbers. Higher Education needs to fulfill its currently broken promise to students and society: to intentionally and genuinely prepare them to lead in a complex and hyper-connected world. This book makes a compelling case for leadership being central to university mission and more importantly, delivering on that mission." -Cynthia Cherrey Ph.D., President & CEO, International Leadership Association "Higher education institutions have an urgent obligation to develop real-world leadership skills in students, and the authors provide innovative, practical ways to accomplish that mission. This groundbreaking book is a must-read for every university administrator and board member." -John R. Ryan, President & CEO, Center for Creative Leadership, Former Chancellor, State University of New York "Imagine every student at your institution having the opportunity to formally participate in developing their leadership skills. Imagine that those who participate come to see themselves as better leaders, perform more effectively as leaders, and do better in school than those who don't. Imagine no more. This is happening right now, and authors Tom Kolditz, Libby Gill, and Ryan Brown show you where and how in Leadership Reckoning. Kolditz, Gill, and Brown begin with an insightful critique of the current state of affairs, and then they spend equal time documenting an evidence-based approach that creatively and effectively responds to unmet needs." -Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling and award-winning, The Leadership Challenge, and former Dean's Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

This book is specifically targeted for founders who find themselves at the point where they need to transition into a selling role. Specifically founders who are leading organizations that have a B2B, direct sales model that involves sales professionals engaging in verbal, commercial conversations with buyers. Moreover, many examples in this book will be targeted specifically to the realm of B2B SAAS software, and specifically as regards new, potentially innovative or disruptive offerings that are being brought to market for the first time. In short, direct sales of the sort a B2B SAAS software startup would engage in. With that said, if you are looking to be a first time salesperson, transitioning in from another type of role, or fresh out of school, in an organization that meets those characteristics above, you will get value out of this book. Similarly, if you are a first time sales manager, either of the founder type, or a sales individual contributor who is transitioning into that role, again, in an organization who meets the criteria above, you will also get value from this book.

The Founder's Dilemmas examines how early decisions by entrepreneurs can make or break a startup and its team. Drawing on a decade of research, including quantitative data on almost ten thousand founders as well as inside stories of founders like Evan Williams of Twitter and Tim Westergren of Pandora, Noam Wasserman reveals the common pitfalls founders face and how to avoid them.