There’s Something Happening Here

You can learn a lot about leadership from what you read

Other than an annual sojourn or two to the beach every year for a longish weekend of reading, I’m mostly a crawl into bed and read for 20-30 minutes almost every night type of person; almost always non-fiction, lots of biographies. Presidents, war time, some business types are a big focus. Here’s just a few of the tidbits I’ve picked up over the years. In Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, the author talks about the late Apple co-founder as being “driven by demons … Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated.” Isaacson calls Jobs’ tale “instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership and values.” Seems like it all worked out for the Apple empire.

As a former longtime veteran of small manufacturing companies, I’m a big fan of Roanoke author Beth Macy’s first book, Factory Man, which began as a newspaper story. It describes the battle for the Bassett Furniture Company in Southwestern Virginia, at one time the world’s biggest wood furniture manufacturer. Then came cheap imports starting in the 80’s – even forcing Bassett to move much of its production to China to stay price competitive. But a third-generation factory man, John “JB” Bassett III fought back, using “grit, tenacity and will to compete against China and ultimately save his family’s company.” In Factory Man, JB III stays light on his feet, changes direction and the product mix as needed to stay relevant in the furniture market. Legal maneuvers, factory efficiencies and “sheer will” saved hundreds of jobs. Anyone in an industry where the competition is cutthroat will appreciate Bassett’s leadership skills in this – for me anyway – page turner of a tale.

In Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin writes about a President-elect Abraham Lincoln was so secure in his leadership skills and his ability to shape a consensus that he enlisted a cabinet full of talented people who aspired to be president themselves or thought they were smarter. Unlike some presidents – or business leaders - Lincoln chose not to micromanage. Finally Washington: A Life, the 2010 biography of the nation’s first president written by former business journalist Ron Chernow (he also penned Alexander Hamilton – another good leadership tale about the man who helped design our central banking system) describes George Washington as the right man in the right place at the right time. Already revered as a Revolutionary war hero, Washington had an innate sense of leadership, a man who could seem laconic and unemotional on the outside, but one who was “a passionate man of fiery opinions, with “canny political genius who knew how to inspire people.” You can learn a lot about leadership from what you read.

By Gene Marrano

Executive Summary:

What I’ve picked up from my bedtime reading habits about leadership.