rearranged ad infinitum – exercise respect, treat others attentively, listen responsibly, exercise attentiveness, treat others with listening, and so on. This is presented amid a plethora of headings, sub-headings, pull quotes, and bullet points that would distract from serious reading, if there were any to be done. The rest of what Brown says is baffling. The Grump cites part one, “Rumbling
Which Goodwin does in her book Leadership in Turbulent Times . She tells us lots of interesting things about four interesting men – Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and LBJ. All were undeniably leaders. However, what are we ordinary people supposed to learn about leading from these extraordinary persons? The “leadership secret” that
Lincoln, the Roosevelts, and Johnson possessed was to be born with a genius IQ, a prodigiously retentive memory, and a level of energy bordering on the maniacal, then to be absolutely and unrelentingly ambitious in a way that would be alarming in ordinary people – and was often alarming in them. Also, there’s
with Vulnerability,” section three, “The Armory,” item four, “Armored Leadership,” subtitle, “Propagating the False Dichotomy of Victim or Viking.” Brown seems, from her first- person narrative text, to be a likable, decent, well-meaning person. She has a PhD and is a research professor and Licensed Master Social Worker. She has written four previous NYT best- sellers having to do with “personal
All were undeniably leaders. However, what are we ordinary people supposed to learn about leading from these extraordinary persons?
the matter of Goodwin’s choice of leadership examples. Lincoln was a leader of unalloyed greatness (give or take a suspension of habeas corpus and a slight political cynicism about slavery emancipation). But TR’s leadership skills weren’t put to any hard test. The nation suffered no momentous crises during his administration. The spread of business monopolies and increasing labor unrest were problems, but Teddy did the wrong thing about them. He employed
growth” (which, with the Grump, involves ever-advancing belt notches). Her TED Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” is one of the five most-watched ever. Good for her. But not so good for the Grump who, it is to be confessed, lost patience with Dr. Brown on the first page of her introduction when she said, “Effective speaking is about the unpredictable and uncontrollable art of connection.” No, it’s not. Effective speaking is about having something to say...
American Consequences 79
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