Lee on Leadership

Although his career ended in spectacular defeat, Confederate general Lee's accomplishments were extraordinary, maintains Kaltman, in this solid if simple-minded guide to advancement at work based on anecdotes from Lee's battlefield experiences. From Lee's military career before the Civil War, Kaltman extracts a lesson about leadership based on core values. Lee's strategies for fighting with few men and few provisions yield insights about competition when one's opponent is more powerful. His ultimate surrender to Grant teaches readers about rebounding from failure. Pervasive themes range from the importance of rising to a challenge, striving for continuous improvement, managing from solid ground and projecting a confident image to adages like ""Little Things Mean a Lot"" (suggesting that ""managers who show kindness in little ways earn huge rewards in staff loyalty and performance""). Kaltman (Cigars, Whisky and Winning: Leadership Lessons from Ulysses S. Grant) is a clear, straightforward writer demonstrating keen interest in his subject. However, the reader learns only a little about Lee and a little about management. Managers who are also history buffs may enjoy Kaltman's latest effort, but overall, it's disappointing. (Jan. 2)