Naval War College Review Volume 61 Article 10 Number 1 Winter
2008 George C. Marshall: Rubrics of Leadership Cole C. Kingseed
Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review
Recommended Citation Kingseed, Cole C. (2008) "George C. Marshall: Rubrics of Leadership," Naval War College Review: Vol. 61 : No. 1 , Article 10. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol61/iss1/10
This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Kingseed: George C. Marshall: Rubrics of Leadership
BOOK REVIEWS
VALUABLE LESSONS FOR THE LEADERS OF TODAY
Husted, Stewart W. George C. Marshall: Rubrics of Leadership. Carlisle Barracks, Pa.: U.S. Army War College Foundation, 2006. 259pp. $23.95
In recent years a veritable avalanche of Husted has chosen well in selecting monographs and manuscripts has ex- Marshall to exemplify leadership during amined corporate and military leader- trying and difficult times. No leader ship. Recognizing the need for a book better encapsulated moral and ethical about leaders of character, Stewart leadership than George C. Marshall. In Husted selected as his model one of the words of General Colin Powell, “We America’s most admired figures, Gen- have so much to learn from Marshall— eral George C. Marshall. This work ex- from his character, from his courage, amines Marshall’s leadership and its his compassion, and his commitment to impact on the world throughout his ca- our nation and to all humankind.” reer as a military officer, Army chief of Using Marshall’s career as a foundation staff during World War II, secretary of to examine contemporary leadership, state, and secretary of defense. Husted cites numerous “untold stories” Husted is hardly a stranger to the study that not only are entertaining reading of General Marshall. He is a former but also serve as “tried-and-true exam- business school dean, a retired U.S. ples of how today’s leaders of govern- Army Reserve officer, and the inaugural ment, the military, and business can John and Jane Roberts Chair in Free demonstrate character, competence and Enterprise Business at the Virginia Mil- skill.” Rubrics of Leadership addresses itary Institute, Marshall’s alma mater. such diverse topics as managing and Writing primarily for the military mar- planning the impossible, turning crisis ket, Husted draws heavily upon historian into success, dealing with communica- Forrest Pogue’s masterful four-volume tions, and conflict resolution and biography of Marshall, the private and negotiation. public papers of General Marshall By far the most interesting chapter is that housed at the Virginia Military Insti- on civil-military relations. Husted exam- tute’s Marshall Foundation, and the ines Marshall’s contributions over a pe- Preston Library. riod of two decades and provides valuable insight into his subject’s nonpartisan
Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2008 1 Naval War College Review, Vol. 61 [2008], No. 1, Art. 10
BOOK REVIEWS 129
approach to complex problems. This either the U.S. Navy or early American chapter concludes with a call to develop history will find it hard to put down. military and political strategy that demon- Toll begins his story with a review of strates the importance of nation building the Continental navy and its limited in the aftermath of war—a valuable lesson value during the American Revolution, to current leaders attempting to cope with then moves seamlessly into the post- the ongoing global war against terrorism. revolutionary period. America’s colonial On the debit side, Husted’s approach is experience and the needs of the newly frequently choppy and lacks adequate formed nation had a direct effect on the transitions. Though he provides a list of founding of a navy. Pro-navy views were Marshall’s salient leadership principles largely tied to the merchant interests of throughout the text, a concluding para- the north, championed by leaders such graph summarizing each section’s salient as John Adams and Alexander Hamilton. points would have greatly enhanced the The foes of a naval force were essentially overall text. So too would an introduc- southern based and included James tory chapter outlining the broad con- Madison and Thomas Jefferson, who fa- text of the areas on which the author vored domestic development, westward concentrates. expansion, and agrarian interests. These observations aside, Husted has In March 1794, these political and eco- produced a valuable leadership primer nomic interests were rooted deeply in that will be well received by military of- the American experience, and were the ficers, regardless of rank or position. As seeds of an acrimonious debate in Con- do the military’s senior service colleges, gress that preceded House and Senate Rubrics of Leadership urges understand- authorization for the construction of ing of the importance of positive rela- six frigates to keep the sea-lanes safe for tionships with civilians at all levels of America’s large merchant fleet. They government and business. It is here that were originally designated merely as Husted makes his greatest contribution. frigates A through F. The first five names—United States, President, Con- COLE C. KINGSEED Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired) gress, Constitution, and Constellation— New Windsor, New York were chosen by George Washington from a list of alternatives suggested by the War Office; subsequently, the Ches- apeake was named. The debate over the question of who Toll, Ian. The Six Frigates: The Epic History of the would design the ships began in the Founding of the U.S. Navy. New York: W. W. wake of the authorization to build them. Norton, 2006. 592pp. $27.95 The nation’s most respected ship design- Many books have been written about ers, Joshua Humphreys and Josiah Fox, the history of the American navy, but clashed over the most desirable warship this one is of particular excellence. design, with Humphreys being the vic- While truly a scholarly work, this book tor. In the end, the six frigates emerged contains many attributes of a historical as the most powerful of their type in the novel. Any reader with an interest in world, equipped to serve as the nation’s first blue-water force.
https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol61/iss1/10 2