A Passion for Leadership
Lessons on Change and Reform from Fifty Years of Public Service
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A Passion for Leadership
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Narrated by:
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George Newbern
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By:
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Robert M. Gates
About this listen
From the former secretary of defense and author of the acclaimed #1 best-selling memoir Duty, a characteristically direct, informed, and urgent assessment of why big institutions are failing us and how smart, committed leadership can effect real improvement regardless of scale.
Across the realms of civic and private enterprise alike, bureaucracies vitally impact our security, freedoms, and everyday life. With so much at stake, competence, efficiency, and fiscal prudence are essential, yet Americans know these institutions fall short. Many despair that they are too big and too hard to reform.
Robert Gates disagrees. Having led change successfully at three monumental organizations—the CIA, Texas A&M University, and the Department of Defense—he offers us the ultimate insider’s look at how major bureaus, organizations, and companies can be transformed, which is by turns heartening and inspiring and always instructive.
With practical, nuanced advice on tailoring reform to the operative culture (we see how Gates worked within the system to increase diversity at Texas A&M); effecting change within committees; engaging the power of compromise (“In the real world of bureaucratic institutions, you almost never get all you want when you want it”); and listening and responding to your team, Gates brings the full weight of his wisdom, candor, and devotion to civic duty to inspire others to lead desperately needed change.
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Historians universally agree that Thucydides was the greatest historian who has ever lived, and that his story of the Peloponnesian conflict is a marvel of forensic science and fine literature. That such a triumph of intellectual accomplishment was created at the end of the fifth century B.C. in Greece is, perhaps, not so surprising, given the number of original geniuses we find in that period. But that such an historical work would also be simultaneously acknowledged as a work of great literature and a penetrating ethical evaluation of humanity is one of the miracles of ancient history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 5,754
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,983
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4 out of 5 stars
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17,655
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14,529
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Built To Last, the defining management study of the 90s, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning. But what about companies that are not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness?
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3 out of 5 stars
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Good info, over-the-top narration
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 108
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Gordon Wood's wondrous accomplishment here is to bring these men and their times down to earth and within our reach, showing us just who they were and what drove them. In so doing, he shows us that although a lot has changed in two hundred years, to an amazing degree the virtues these founders defined for themselves are the virtues we aspire to still.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Wood clearly dislikes Adams
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Critic reviews
Selection, Huffington Post 5 Political Books for Insight This Election Season (2016)
Selection, Publishers Weekly Business & Economics Top 10 for Fall 2015
"The book [politicians] should all admit to reading--and actually read... Refreshingly nonideological... Mr. Gates preaches the value of civility, internal transparency, and work-life balance." —The Wall Street Journal
“[Gates] brings [his suggestions] to life through stories of his own powerful and critical leadership roles.” —The Washington Post, Nine Leadership Books to Watch for in 2016
"Characteristically direct, informed and urgent... [Gates] offers us the ultimate insider’s look at how major bureaus, organizations and companies can be transformed, which is by turns heartening and inspiring and always instructive... Gates brings the full weight of his wisdom, candor, and devotion to civic duty to inspire others to lead desperately needed change." —Long Island Weekly
What listeners say about A Passion for Leadership
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Todd R Fredricks
- 06-07-16
Another Book on Basic Common Sense
What did you love best about A Passion for Leadership?
Sec Gates tells it like it is to an audience that seems to have difficulty finding common sense.
What other book might you compare A Passion for Leadership to and why?
Duty, his last book. Gates is what American leaders should be.
Which character – as performed by George Newbern – was your favorite?
N/A
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No, I just love Sec Gates and because he was willing to man up, exercise authority and do the right thing regardless of politics he saved American soldiers' lives with MRAPS. I witnessed it personally in Iraq.
Any additional comments?
Sec Gates is one of very few people that I would like to meet personally. He is a quiet professional and what every American leader should aspire to be like. I have some issues with some of his policies but the respect he garners because of his composure and capacity make those things matters of mild disagreement and surely things that are insignificant in the greater scheme of things.
The fact that Sec Gates is no longer in government is a great loss to America. There are very few like him and anyone interested in understanding what real leadership entails needs to read this book.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adam
- 04-17-16
leadership and challenges
This was an amazing learning experience about true leadership and if you're one of those.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- maximilliondisla
- 07-19-16
excellent book, Gates does it again!
what a great book. every leader should read and learn these lessons well. Duty was good but this book was a masterpiece of leadership and change.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 08-22-16
Character and humility
This book was required reading for my first MPA class and I can see why. The principles of good leadership espoused in this book seem like something from a past era. Gates, now in his 70's sets the bar appropriately high for what a good leader should be and do in this book. His call for humility and admission that everyone has flaws, helps season this book some grace that mainly about keeping high standards, acting professionally and respectfully.
There were times I felt I was being lectured by a moral authority figure in the book, but ai believe this is because the man himself is just so daunting as a professional. It's nothing like reading a folksy, feel good political memoir. Gates is all business in this book.
That's not to say there aren't humorous passages, but that he seems primarily interested in conveying his principles and values to the reader in order to pass on what he has learned and foster a continuing call to principle and integrity.
Overall, this is not the most enjoyable read, but contains great thoughts about leadership from a man who had a distinguished career in public service.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- DF
- 02-07-16
Lots of great insights
Any additional comments?
I saw Robert Gates on CBS This Morning and it made me want to check out the book. I found it to be full of good insights and leadership examples (both good and bad). I was delighted to find that the book wasn't political -- it really was about leadership. It provided takeaway lessons that I could apply to my own career. In fact, I put some of the best practices into action in a recent interview and got the job!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AlexJouJou
- 01-30-16
Useful for leadership in the public sector!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend to anyone who struggles through a career role that is mired in politics, bureaucracy, and "because that's the way we've always done it" mentality. The audiobook, in particular, was very well narrated. The voice was solid with great inflection and I found him pleasing and easy to listen too.
What did you like best about this story?
The practical components that I can take out and use in my everyday work life. The acknowledgement that candor can be valued, the slow pace that can cripple efforts to change, finding ways (sometimes small) to get folks on board with change, and how to handle it when you just cannot fire someone. Yes sometimes that really does happen.
Have you listened to any of George Newbern’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have not listened to any previous but I would listen to him in any book. I am well pleased with the narrator.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I had no extreme reaction other than careful thought for what the book was saying.
Any additional comments?
I'm going to purchase the regular book as well on kindle. There were too many places where I wanted to write things down - but I use audio books on long runs and commutes and neither is conducive to jotting notes down.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jeanne McKenna
- 02-10-16
A Must Read for Any Leader Dealing With Reform
Would you listen to A Passion for Leadership again? Why?
Yes. I am involved with school reform. He had such great advice including what strategies failed.
What did you like best about this story?
The fact that Robert admitted his mistakes and how he learned from them.
Have you listened to any of George Newbern’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No. He was very easy to understand and listen to.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes
Any additional comments?
It gave me more confidence in my work. It made me feel better about my frustrations with my work, and that what I am doing is meaningful.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John A.
- 04-26-22
A perfectly written book
A great book that I found to be developmental and maturative for a young man coming of age such as myself. I found this book to be relatable and very well written and I further highly recommend this book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jim Deets
- 02-06-16
great advice from an admirable man, yet repetitive
Robert Gates' accomplishments are amazing. There is so much one can learn from him using this book. The format lacked an intuitive flow and there was a good deal of repetition. Overall, though, it was well worth the time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D. K. Van Gemert
- 03-15-16
Excellent leadership read!
This book should be required reading for all government employees and contractors, and especially politicians Robert Gates has credibility through his record of Excellence..
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