Author: Aaron David Miller
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1137464461
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
The Presidency has always been an implausible—some might even say an impossible—job. Part of the problem is that the challenges of the presidency and the expectations Americans have for their presidents have skyrocketed, while the president's capacity and power to deliver on what ails the nations has diminished. Indeed, as citizens we continue to aspire and hope for greatness in our only nationally elected office. The problem of course is that the demand for great presidents has always exceeded the supply. As a result, Americans are adrift in a kind of Presidential Bermuda Triangle suspended between the great presidents we want and the ones we can no longer have. The End of Greatness explores the concept of greatness in the presidency and the ways in which it has become both essential and detrimental to America and the nation's politics. Miller argues that greatness in presidents is a much overrated virtue. Indeed, greatness is too rare to be relevant in our current politics, and driven as it is by nation-encumbering crisis, too dangerous to be desirable. Our preoccupation with greatness in the presidency consistently inflates our expectations, skews the debate over presidential performance, and drives presidents to misjudge their own times and capacity. And our focus on the individual misses the constraints of both the office and the times, distorting how Presidents actually lead. In wanting and expecting our leaders to be great, we have simply made it impossible for them to be good. The End of Greatness takes a journey through presidential history, helping us understand how greatness in the presidency was achieved, why it's gone, and how we can better come to appreciate the presidents we have, rather than being consumed with the ones we want.
The End of Greatness
Author: Aaron David Miller
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1137464461
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
The Presidency has always been an implausible—some might even say an impossible—job. Part of the problem is that the challenges of the presidency and the expectations Americans have for their presidents have skyrocketed, while the president's capacity and power to deliver on what ails the nations has diminished. Indeed, as citizens we continue to aspire and hope for greatness in our only nationally elected office. The problem of course is that the demand for great presidents has always exceeded the supply. As a result, Americans are adrift in a kind of Presidential Bermuda Triangle suspended between the great presidents we want and the ones we can no longer have. The End of Greatness explores the concept of greatness in the presidency and the ways in which it has become both essential and detrimental to America and the nation's politics. Miller argues that greatness in presidents is a much overrated virtue. Indeed, greatness is too rare to be relevant in our current politics, and driven as it is by nation-encumbering crisis, too dangerous to be desirable. Our preoccupation with greatness in the presidency consistently inflates our expectations, skews the debate over presidential performance, and drives presidents to misjudge their own times and capacity. And our focus on the individual misses the constraints of both the office and the times, distorting how Presidents actually lead. In wanting and expecting our leaders to be great, we have simply made it impossible for them to be good. The End of Greatness takes a journey through presidential history, helping us understand how greatness in the presidency was achieved, why it's gone, and how we can better come to appreciate the presidents we have, rather than being consumed with the ones we want.
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1137464461
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
The Presidency has always been an implausible—some might even say an impossible—job. Part of the problem is that the challenges of the presidency and the expectations Americans have for their presidents have skyrocketed, while the president's capacity and power to deliver on what ails the nations has diminished. Indeed, as citizens we continue to aspire and hope for greatness in our only nationally elected office. The problem of course is that the demand for great presidents has always exceeded the supply. As a result, Americans are adrift in a kind of Presidential Bermuda Triangle suspended between the great presidents we want and the ones we can no longer have. The End of Greatness explores the concept of greatness in the presidency and the ways in which it has become both essential and detrimental to America and the nation's politics. Miller argues that greatness in presidents is a much overrated virtue. Indeed, greatness is too rare to be relevant in our current politics, and driven as it is by nation-encumbering crisis, too dangerous to be desirable. Our preoccupation with greatness in the presidency consistently inflates our expectations, skews the debate over presidential performance, and drives presidents to misjudge their own times and capacity. And our focus on the individual misses the constraints of both the office and the times, distorting how Presidents actually lead. In wanting and expecting our leaders to be great, we have simply made it impossible for them to be good. The End of Greatness takes a journey through presidential history, helping us understand how greatness in the presidency was achieved, why it's gone, and how we can better come to appreciate the presidents we have, rather than being consumed with the ones we want.
Good to Great
Author: Jim Collins
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0066620996
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 320
Book Description
The Challenge Built to Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the verybeginning. But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? The Study For years, this question preyed on the mind of Jim Collins. Are there companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great? The Standards Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years. How great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times in fifteen years, better than twice the results delivered by a composite index of the world's greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck. The Comparisons The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great. What was different? Why did one set of companies become truly great performers while the other set remained only good? Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study. After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness -- why some companies make the leap and others don't. The Findings The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include: Level 5 Leaders: The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness. The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles): To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence. A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Technology Accelerators: Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology. The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap. “Some of the key concepts discerned in the study,” comments Jim Collins, "fly in the face of our modern business culture and will, quite frankly, upset some people.” Perhaps, but who can afford to ignore these findings?
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0066620996
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 320
Book Description
The Challenge Built to Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the verybeginning. But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? The Study For years, this question preyed on the mind of Jim Collins. Are there companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great? The Standards Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years. How great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times in fifteen years, better than twice the results delivered by a composite index of the world's greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck. The Comparisons The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great. What was different? Why did one set of companies become truly great performers while the other set remained only good? Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study. After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness -- why some companies make the leap and others don't. The Findings The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include: Level 5 Leaders: The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness. The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles): To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence. A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Technology Accelerators: Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology. The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap. “Some of the key concepts discerned in the study,” comments Jim Collins, "fly in the face of our modern business culture and will, quite frankly, upset some people.” Perhaps, but who can afford to ignore these findings?
No Greatness Without Goodness
Author: Randy Lewis
Publisher: Lion Books
ISBN: 074595779X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
Like every parent of a disabled child, Randy Lewis fears for the future of his son. People like Austin need the security of a job. Randy was a senior executive at one of the largest and fastest growing retailers in America. If his distribution centres did not deliver efficiently and economically, Walgreens could not serve its customers and would lose out to competitors. Randy's motto is what's the use of having power if you don't use it to do good? He set out to create an inclusive workplace where people with disabilities could thrive in jobs with equal pay and conditions, held to the same standards as those without disabilities. No Greatness without Goodness tells how Randy and his team achieved their goal, the impact it had, and how companies throughout the world like Boots and Marks & Spencer have been inspired by this example.
Publisher: Lion Books
ISBN: 074595779X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
Like every parent of a disabled child, Randy Lewis fears for the future of his son. People like Austin need the security of a job. Randy was a senior executive at one of the largest and fastest growing retailers in America. If his distribution centres did not deliver efficiently and economically, Walgreens could not serve its customers and would lose out to competitors. Randy's motto is what's the use of having power if you don't use it to do good? He set out to create an inclusive workplace where people with disabilities could thrive in jobs with equal pay and conditions, held to the same standards as those without disabilities. No Greatness without Goodness tells how Randy and his team achieved their goal, the impact it had, and how companies throughout the world like Boots and Marks & Spencer have been inspired by this example.
Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned
Author: Kenneth O. Stanley
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319155245
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 144
Book Description
Why does modern life revolve around objectives? From how science is funded, to improving how children are educated -- and nearly everything in-between -- our society has become obsessed with a seductive illusion: that greatness results from doggedly measuring improvement in the relentless pursuit of an ambitious goal. In Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned, Stanley and Lehman begin with a surprising scientific discovery in artificial intelligence that leads ultimately to the conclusion that the objective obsession has gone too far. They make the case that great achievement can't be bottled up into mechanical metrics; that innovation is not driven by narrowly focused heroic effort; and that we would be wiser (and the outcomes better) if instead we whole-heartedly embraced serendipitous discovery and playful creativity. Controversial at its heart, yet refreshingly provocative, this book challenges readers to consider life without a destination and discovery without a compass.
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319155245
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 144
Book Description
Why does modern life revolve around objectives? From how science is funded, to improving how children are educated -- and nearly everything in-between -- our society has become obsessed with a seductive illusion: that greatness results from doggedly measuring improvement in the relentless pursuit of an ambitious goal. In Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned, Stanley and Lehman begin with a surprising scientific discovery in artificial intelligence that leads ultimately to the conclusion that the objective obsession has gone too far. They make the case that great achievement can't be bottled up into mechanical metrics; that innovation is not driven by narrowly focused heroic effort; and that we would be wiser (and the outcomes better) if instead we whole-heartedly embraced serendipitous discovery and playful creativity. Controversial at its heart, yet refreshingly provocative, this book challenges readers to consider life without a destination and discovery without a compass.
Rise to Greatness
Author: David Von Drehle
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 080507970X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 480
Book Description
"Von Drehle has chosen a critical year ('the most eventful year in American history' and the year Lincoln rose to greatness), done his homework, and written a spirited account."N"Publishers Weekly."
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 080507970X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 480
Book Description
"Von Drehle has chosen a critical year ('the most eventful year in American history' and the year Lincoln rose to greatness), done his homework, and written a spirited account."N"Publishers Weekly."
The Much Too Promised Land
Author: Aaron David Miller
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0553384147
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 418
Book Description
For nearly twenty years, Aaron David Miller has played a central role in U.S. efforts to broker Arab-Israeli peace as an advisor to presidents, secretaries of state, and national security advisors. Without partisanship or finger-pointing, Miller records what went right, what went wrong, and how we got where we are today. Here is a look at the peace process from a place at the negotiation table, filled with behind-the-scenes strategy, colorful anecdotes and equally colorful characters, and new interviews with presidents, secretaries of state, and key Arab and Israeli leaders. Honest, critical, and often controversial, Miller’s insider’s account offers a brilliant new analysis of the problem of Arab-Israeli peace and how it still might be solved.
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0553384147
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 418
Book Description
For nearly twenty years, Aaron David Miller has played a central role in U.S. efforts to broker Arab-Israeli peace as an advisor to presidents, secretaries of state, and national security advisors. Without partisanship or finger-pointing, Miller records what went right, what went wrong, and how we got where we are today. Here is a look at the peace process from a place at the negotiation table, filled with behind-the-scenes strategy, colorful anecdotes and equally colorful characters, and new interviews with presidents, secretaries of state, and key Arab and Israeli leaders. Honest, critical, and often controversial, Miller’s insider’s account offers a brilliant new analysis of the problem of Arab-Israeli peace and how it still might be solved.
Indescribable
Author: Louie Giglio
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1400216729
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 209
Book Description
Discover the wonders of the universe with the Creator. Based on Louie Giglio's popular messages "Indescribable" and "How Great Is Our God," Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science will help kids discover the incredible creation of our indescribable God. Indescribable displays the majesty of creation with scientific findings, photography, and original illustrations. Children who are fascinated with the world around them, nature, and the earth will deepen their faith as they explore God's Word. These 100 devotions encourage awe and appreciation for God's creativity with an in-depth look at these categories: space, galaxies, planets, and stars Earth, geology, oceans, and weather animals, from hummingbirds to dinosaurs our minds, bodies, and imaginations This book is perfect for children, ages 6–10 years old, each devotion features a "Be Amazed" section with fascinating scientific facts hands-on, easy-to-follow STEM activity closing prayer Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens tell the glory of God. And the skies announce what his hands have made." It's impossible to out-imagine God. He orchestrates time, creates light, and speaks things into existence—from the largest stars to the smallest starfish. God is the powerful, purposeful, personal, and unparalleled Creator. Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science has sold over 500,000 copies! Check out Louie Giglio's other bestselling science devotionals for kids: Indescribable for Little Ones How Great Is Our God The Wonder of Creation
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 1400216729
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 209
Book Description
Discover the wonders of the universe with the Creator. Based on Louie Giglio's popular messages "Indescribable" and "How Great Is Our God," Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science will help kids discover the incredible creation of our indescribable God. Indescribable displays the majesty of creation with scientific findings, photography, and original illustrations. Children who are fascinated with the world around them, nature, and the earth will deepen their faith as they explore God's Word. These 100 devotions encourage awe and appreciation for God's creativity with an in-depth look at these categories: space, galaxies, planets, and stars Earth, geology, oceans, and weather animals, from hummingbirds to dinosaurs our minds, bodies, and imaginations This book is perfect for children, ages 6–10 years old, each devotion features a "Be Amazed" section with fascinating scientific facts hands-on, easy-to-follow STEM activity closing prayer Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens tell the glory of God. And the skies announce what his hands have made." It's impossible to out-imagine God. He orchestrates time, creates light, and speaks things into existence—from the largest stars to the smallest starfish. God is the powerful, purposeful, personal, and unparalleled Creator. Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science has sold over 500,000 copies! Check out Louie Giglio's other bestselling science devotionals for kids: Indescribable for Little Ones How Great Is Our God The Wonder of Creation
No Less Than Greatness
Author: Mary Manin Morrissey
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0553896946
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
As a minister, counselor, and teacher, Mary Manin Morrissey has inspired tens of thousands of people to reach higher in life than they ever believed possible. Her message is revolutionary: God has designed each one of us for greatness. And her warmth, candor, and conviction bring this message alive in the heart and mind of everyone who hears her. As children we instinctively know that we are destined to live great lives. As adults we recognize that our true greatness is expressed in our relationships: in deep, fulfilling partnership, vibrant marriage, abiding closeness with children, parents, and friends. Yet fostering such bonds--even with those we cherish most--can be one of the greatest challenges we will ever face. In No Less Than Greatness Mary affirms that love is our birthright--and learning to love well is life’s greatest lesson. She shows that we are not alone in our search. When we learn to ask for and listen to divine guidance, we access a different kind of wisdom, a new kind of hope. Beginning with her own surprising story, Mary shows how ordinary, struggling, or even estranged relationships are a curriculum for learning love, and how our relationships--and we ourselves--can be transformed. Within these pages Mary provides a step-by-step guide to the spiritual principles that bring love into our lives. Her powerful affirmations, meditations, and exercises are designed to help you: • reveal your true self — your most precious gift to others • consciously design the relationships you most want • open yourself to partnering with God • discover the power of unreasonable giving • achieve intimacy by speaking from your heart • heal the hurt in difficult relationships • awaken your love through simple daily acts Let Mary Manin Morrissey show you that you already have what it takes to create what you desire most--and how, with God’s help, even imperfect relationships can lead to perfect love. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 0553896946
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
As a minister, counselor, and teacher, Mary Manin Morrissey has inspired tens of thousands of people to reach higher in life than they ever believed possible. Her message is revolutionary: God has designed each one of us for greatness. And her warmth, candor, and conviction bring this message alive in the heart and mind of everyone who hears her. As children we instinctively know that we are destined to live great lives. As adults we recognize that our true greatness is expressed in our relationships: in deep, fulfilling partnership, vibrant marriage, abiding closeness with children, parents, and friends. Yet fostering such bonds--even with those we cherish most--can be one of the greatest challenges we will ever face. In No Less Than Greatness Mary affirms that love is our birthright--and learning to love well is life’s greatest lesson. She shows that we are not alone in our search. When we learn to ask for and listen to divine guidance, we access a different kind of wisdom, a new kind of hope. Beginning with her own surprising story, Mary shows how ordinary, struggling, or even estranged relationships are a curriculum for learning love, and how our relationships--and we ourselves--can be transformed. Within these pages Mary provides a step-by-step guide to the spiritual principles that bring love into our lives. Her powerful affirmations, meditations, and exercises are designed to help you: • reveal your true self — your most precious gift to others • consciously design the relationships you most want • open yourself to partnering with God • discover the power of unreasonable giving • achieve intimacy by speaking from your heart • heal the hurt in difficult relationships • awaken your love through simple daily acts Let Mary Manin Morrissey show you that you already have what it takes to create what you desire most--and how, with God’s help, even imperfect relationships can lead to perfect love. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Living Life Backward
Author: David Gibson
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433556308
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 164
Book Description
What if it is death that teaches us how to truly live? Keeping the end in mind shapes how we live our lives in the here and now. Living life backward means taking the one thing in our future that is certain—death—and letting that inform our journey before we get there. Looking to the book of Ecclesiastes for wisdom, Living Life Backward was written to shake up our expectations and priorities for what it means to live "the good life." Considering the reality of death helps us pay attention to our limitations as human beings and receive life as a wondrous gift from God—freeing us to live wisely, generously, and faithfully for God's glory and the good of his world.
Publisher: Crossway
ISBN: 1433556308
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 164
Book Description
What if it is death that teaches us how to truly live? Keeping the end in mind shapes how we live our lives in the here and now. Living life backward means taking the one thing in our future that is certain—death—and letting that inform our journey before we get there. Looking to the book of Ecclesiastes for wisdom, Living Life Backward was written to shake up our expectations and priorities for what it means to live "the good life." Considering the reality of death helps us pay attention to our limitations as human beings and receive life as a wondrous gift from God—freeing us to live wisely, generously, and faithfully for God's glory and the good of his world.
Lift
Author: Ryan W. Quinn
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1626564027
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Just as the Wright Brothers combined science and practice to finally realize the dream of flight, Ryan and Robert Quinn combine research and personal experience to demonstrate how to reach a psychological state that elevates us and those around us to greater heights of achievement, integrity, openness, and empathy. It's the psychological equivalent of aerodynamic lift, and it is the fundamental state of leadership. This book draws on recent advances in positive psychology and organizational science to describe four questions that, when asked in any situation, will help us experience the fundamental state of leadership. Engaging personal stories illustrate how the Quinns and others have applied these concepts at work, at home, and in the community. --
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1626564027
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Just as the Wright Brothers combined science and practice to finally realize the dream of flight, Ryan and Robert Quinn combine research and personal experience to demonstrate how to reach a psychological state that elevates us and those around us to greater heights of achievement, integrity, openness, and empathy. It's the psychological equivalent of aerodynamic lift, and it is the fundamental state of leadership. This book draws on recent advances in positive psychology and organizational science to describe four questions that, when asked in any situation, will help us experience the fundamental state of leadership. Engaging personal stories illustrate how the Quinns and others have applied these concepts at work, at home, and in the community. --