Research Guides: CMC Professional Reading Program 2020: Leadership

CALL SIGN CHAOS: LEARNING TO LEAD by Jim Mattis; Bing West
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Call Sign Chaos is the account of James Mattis' storied Marine Corps career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, Mattis recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas -- and short-sighted thinking -- now facing our nation. He makes it clear why America must return to a strategic footing so as not to continue winning battles but fighting inconclusive wars. The book is divided into three parts: Direct Leadership, Executive Leadership, and Strategic Leadership.
DARE TO LEAD: BRAVE WORK. TOUGH CONVERSATIONS. WHOLE HEARTS by Brené Brown
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Daring leadership in a culture defined by scarcity, fear, and uncertainty requires skill-building around traits that are deeply and uniquely human. The irony is that we're choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the exact same time as we're scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines and AI can't do better and faster. What can we do better? Empathy, connection, and courage, to start.
IT WORKED FOR ME: IN LIFE AND LEADERSHIP by Colin Powell
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Colin Powell, one of America's most admired public figures, reveals the principles that have shaped his life and career in this inspiring and engrossing memoir. Powell's memoir is a trove of wisdom for anyone hoping to achieve their goals and turn their dreams into reality. A message of strength and endurance from a man who has dedicated his life to public service, It Worked for Me is a book with the power to show readers everywhere how to achieve a more fulfilling life and career.
THE LEADER'S BOOKSHELF by Adm James Stavridis, USN (Ret.); R. Manning Ancell
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Download: Discussion Guide
Establishes the "top 50" books on leadership, through interviews with over 200 actively serving and retired four-star officers.
LEGACY by James Kerr
Read it: Quantico Libraries
Download: Discussion Guide
MarineNet: MCCEP GE Course
Legacy is a unique, inspiring handbook for leaders in all fields, and asks: What are the secrets of sustained success? How do you achieve world-class standards, day after day, week after week, year after year? How do you handle pressure? How do you train to win at the highest level? What do you leave behind you after you're gone? What will be your legacy? MarineNet course MCCEPGE requires CAC and enrollment.
RESILIENCE: HARD-WON WISDOM FOR LIVING A BETTER LIFE by Eric Greitens
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A masterpiece of warrior wisdom that shows how to overcome obstacles with positive action. Struggling without a sense of purpose, plagued by PTSD, and masking his pain with heavy drinking, Greitens needed help. His letters explain how we can build purpose, confront the pain in our lives, practice compassion, develop our vocations, find a mentor, create happiness, follow a role model, think about the story of our lives, and much more. Resilience grapples with real hardship. The lessons are deep, yet practical, and the advice leads to clear solutions.
SMARTER FASTER BETTER: THE SECRETS OF BEING PRODUCTIVE IN LIFE AND BUSINESS by Charles Duhigg
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This book explores the science of productivity, and why, in today’s world, managing how you think—rather than what you think—can transform your life. Eight key concepts—from motivation and goal setting to focus and decision making—explain why some people and companies get so much done. Drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics, as well as the experiences across the business and military spectrum, this book explains how the most productive people view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.
START WITH WHY: HOW GREAT LEADERS INSPIRE EVERYONE TO TAKE ACTION by Simon Sinek
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Download: Discussion Guide
Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over? Drawing on a wide range of real-life stories, Sinek weaves together a clear vision of what it truly takes to lead and inspire. In studying the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world, he discovered that they all think, act, and communicate in the exact same way — and it's the complete opposite of what everyone else does.
TRIBE: ON HOMECOMING AND BELONGING by Sebastian Junger
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We have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding -- "tribes." This tribal connection has been largely lost in modern society, but regaining it may be the key to our psychological survival. Decades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians -- but Indians almost never did the same. Tribal society has been exerting an almost gravitational pull on Westerners for hundreds of years, and the reason lies deep in our evolutionary past as a communal species. The most recent example of that attraction is combat veterans who come home to find themselves missing the incredibly intimate bonds of platoon life. The loss of closeness that comes at the end of deployment may explain the high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by military veterans today. Combining history, psychology, and anthropology, Tribe explores what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging, and the eternal human quest for meaning. It explains the irony that-for many veterans as well as civilians -- war feels better than peace, adversity can turn out to be a blessing, and disasters are sometimes remembered more fondly than weddings or tropical vacations. Tribe explains why we are stronger when we come together, and how that can be achieved even in today's divided world.
UNBROKEN: A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND REDEMPTION by Laura Hillenbrand
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On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared -- Lt Louis Zamperini. Captured by the Japanese and driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor.
YOU ARE WORTH IT: BUILDING A LIFE WORTH FIGHTING FOR by Kyle Carpenter; Don Yaeger
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On 21 November 2010, U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Kyle Carpenter was posted on a rooftop in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, when an enemy grenade skittered toward Kyle and fellow Marine Nick Eufrazio. Without hesitation, Kyle chose a path of selfless heroism that few can imagine. He jumped on the grenade, saving Nick but sacrificing himself. Kyle’s remarkable memoir reveals a central truth that will inspire every reader: Life is worth everything we’ve got. It is the story of how one man became a so-called hero who willingly laid down his life for his brother-in-arms—and equally, it is a story of rebirth, of how Kyle battled back from the gravest challenge to forge a life of joyful purpose. In 2014, Kyle was awarded the nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his “singular act of courage” on that rooftop in Afghanistan, an action which had been reviewed exhaustively by the military. Kyle became the youngest living recipient of the award. You Are Worth It is a memoir about the war in Afghanistan and Kyle’s heroics, and it is also a manual for living. Organized around the credos that have guided Kyle’s life (from “Don’t Hide Your Scars” to “Call Your Mom”), the book encourages us to become our best selves in the time we’ve been given on earth. Above all, it’s about finding purpose, regardless of the hurdles that may block our way.

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