A Passion for Leadership
Robert M. Gates, A Passion for Leadership: Lessons on Change and Reform from Fifty Years of Public Service (Knopf, 2016)
Summary: Fascinating tales from a man who led the Boy Scouts of America, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, and Texas A&M University. Less "self-help" on leadership and more "lessons learned" from a career in public administration. Not as weighty as his memoirs; a brisk, easy read.
Key Quote: "It is the job of a leader at any level to choose chief lieutenants who will use a flamethrower to burn away the bureaucratic weeds so the options that remain are real and significant." - p. 87
Bottom Line: Read this book if you aren't ready quite yet to give up on your bureaucracy—but you're nearly so.
