cover image Great Quotes from Military Leaders

Great Quotes from Military Leaders

William A. Cohen. Prentice Hall Press, $22 (231pp) ISBN 978-0-7352-0167-5

Retired air force general and marketing professor Cohen (The New Art of the Leader) has compiled an assortment of quotes from accomplished and often famous military leaders on topics ranging from stress and duty to politics, vision and communication. Although his style is conversational, Cohen wastes no time getting to the heart of the matter and states his opinions clearly. For example, on responsibility, he says, ""There is no getting around it. You are responsible for the actions of your organization, and those in it. But your responsibility always goes further. You must always take care of your people before you take care of yourself."" To illustrate his point, he then describes what responsibility meant to General George Patton, wrapping up with a truism such as ""A leader is responsible for everything his organization or members in it achieve or fail to achieve when you encounter failure in your organization, take full responsibility; when you encounter success, give full credit to others."" Offering the most obvious and innocuous of observations, Cohen leaves his reader with little that is memorable. This book may interest military buffs, but it will have only limited practical appeal to managers and employees.