The Road to Character

The Road to Character PDF Author: David Brooks
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0679645039
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • David Brooks challenges us to rebalance the scales between the focus on external success—“résumé virtues”—and our core principles. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE ECONOMIST With the wisdom, humor, curiosity, and sharp insights that have brought millions of readers to his New York Times column and his previous bestsellers, David Brooks has consistently illuminated our daily lives in surprising and original ways. In The Social Animal, he explored the neuroscience of human connection and how we can flourish together. Now, in The Road to Character, he focuses on the deeper values that should inform our lives. Looking to some of the world’s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built a strong inner character. Labor activist Frances Perkins understood the need to suppress parts of herself so that she could be an instrument in a larger cause. Dwight Eisenhower organized his life not around impulsive self-expression but considered self-restraint. Dorothy Day, a devout Catholic convert and champion of the poor, learned as a young woman the vocabulary of simplicity and surrender. Civil rights pioneers A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin learned reticence and the logic of self-discipline, the need to distrust oneself even while waging a noble crusade. Blending psychology, politics, spirituality, and confessional, The Road to Character provides an opportunity for us to rethink our priorities, and strive to build rich inner lives marked by humility and moral depth. “Joy,” David Brooks writes, “is a byproduct experienced by people who are aiming for something else. But it comes.” Praise for The Road to Character “A hyper-readable, lucid, often richly detailed human story.”—The New York Times Book Review “This profound and eloquent book is written with moral urgency and philosophical elegance.”—Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree and The Noonday Demon “A powerful, haunting book that works its way beneath your skin.”—The Guardian “Original and eye-opening . . . Brooks is a normative version of Malcolm Gladwell, culling from a wide array of scientists and thinkers to weave an idea bigger than the sum of its parts.”—USA Today

The Road to Character

The Road to Character PDF Author: David Brooks
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0679645039
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Get Book Here

Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • David Brooks challenges us to rebalance the scales between the focus on external success—“résumé virtues”—and our core principles. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE ECONOMIST With the wisdom, humor, curiosity, and sharp insights that have brought millions of readers to his New York Times column and his previous bestsellers, David Brooks has consistently illuminated our daily lives in surprising and original ways. In The Social Animal, he explored the neuroscience of human connection and how we can flourish together. Now, in The Road to Character, he focuses on the deeper values that should inform our lives. Looking to some of the world’s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built a strong inner character. Labor activist Frances Perkins understood the need to suppress parts of herself so that she could be an instrument in a larger cause. Dwight Eisenhower organized his life not around impulsive self-expression but considered self-restraint. Dorothy Day, a devout Catholic convert and champion of the poor, learned as a young woman the vocabulary of simplicity and surrender. Civil rights pioneers A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin learned reticence and the logic of self-discipline, the need to distrust oneself even while waging a noble crusade. Blending psychology, politics, spirituality, and confessional, The Road to Character provides an opportunity for us to rethink our priorities, and strive to build rich inner lives marked by humility and moral depth. “Joy,” David Brooks writes, “is a byproduct experienced by people who are aiming for something else. But it comes.” Praise for The Road to Character “A hyper-readable, lucid, often richly detailed human story.”—The New York Times Book Review “This profound and eloquent book is written with moral urgency and philosophical elegance.”—Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree and The Noonday Demon “A powerful, haunting book that works its way beneath your skin.”—The Guardian “Original and eye-opening . . . Brooks is a normative version of Malcolm Gladwell, culling from a wide array of scientists and thinkers to weave an idea bigger than the sum of its parts.”—USA Today

Character in Action

Character in Action PDF Author: Donald Phillips
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 1612515479
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
How does the U.S. Coast Guard create, instill, and maintain leadership throughout a 40,000 member force spread across the United States? A former Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and a best-selling author combine their knowledge of the subject to offer a formula for success. Donald T. Phillips, who has written eight books on leadership, asserts that the Coast Guard is a superlative example of an organization with effective leadership, loaded with leaders at all levels. From a guardsman scraping barnacles off buoys in the Gulf of Mexico to the captain of a cutter in the Gulf of Alaska to the Commandant in Washington, they know exactly what leadership is, how it works, and why it is important. This case study in leadership uses the Coast Guard as an example for other organizations who want to imbue leadership to every single one of its members. An effective leadership beacon, the book is replete with tangible examples, vivid anecdotes, and explicit guidelines on how to instill leadership throughout an entire organization. Stories abound on Coast Guard efficiency, innovation, and heroism and many are used to illustrate the service's effectiveness and to engage the reader. From the military and government communities to the business world, a variety of organizations can benefit from this outstanding leadership guide.

Becoming a Leader of Character

Becoming a Leader of Character PDF Author: James L. Anderson
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
ISBN: 1630479381
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 219

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Book Description
This handbook for developing six crucial habits “ should be on every modern leader’s desk” (Jeb Blount, bestselling author of People Follow You). While many books focus on developing managerial competencies, most leadership failures are the result of a failure in character, not a failure in competence. But just as you don’t get in shape by reading a fitness magazine, you don’t become a leader of character by reading a book on character. You have to do what you want to be! Becoming a Leader of Character is a workout plan designed to develop six Habits of Character by providing small daily exercises that strengthen your character muscles—for the important tests of character all leaders face.

A Matter of Character

A Matter of Character PDF Author: Robin Lee Hatcher
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310258073
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
Daphne McKinely has a secret about a nefarious villain featured in a series of dime novels loosely based on local lore.

Robert E. Lee on Leadership

Robert E. Lee on Leadership PDF Author: H.W. Crocker III
Publisher: Currency
ISBN: 0307434567
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
Robert E. Lee was a leader for the ages. The man heralded by Winston Churchill as "one of the noblest Americans who ever lived" inspired an out-manned, out-gunned army to achieve greatness on the battlefield. He was a brilliant strategist and a man of unyielding courage who, in the face of insurmountable odds, nearly changed forever the course of history. "A masterpiece—the best work of its kind I have ever read. Crocker's Lee is a Lee for all leaders to study; and to work, quite deliberately, to emulate." — Major General Josiah Bunting III, superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute In this remarkable book, you'll learn the keys to Lee's greatness as a man and a leader. You'll find a general whose standards for personal excellence was second to none, whose leadership was founded on the highest moral principles, and whose character was made of steel. You'll see how he remade a rag-tag bunch of men into one of the most impressive fighting forces history has ever known. You'll also discover other sides of Lee—the businessman who inherited the debt-ridden Arlington plantation and streamlined its operations, the teacher who took a backwater college and made it into a prestigious university, and the motivator who inspired those he led to achieve more than they ever dreamed possible. Each chapter concludes with the extraordinary lessons learned, which can be applied not only to your professional life, but also to your private life as well. Today's business world requires leaders of uncommon excellence who can overcome the cold brutality of constant change. Robert E. Lee was such a leader. He triumphed over challenges people in business face every day. Guided by his magnificent example, so can you.

Literary Character

Literary Character PDF Author: Elizabeth Fowler
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501724169
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
Chaucer introduces the characters of the Knight and the Prioress in the General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales. Beginning with these familiar figures, Elizabeth Fowler develops a new method of analyzing literary character. She argues that words generate human figures in our reading minds by reference to paradigmatic cultural models of the person. These models—such as the pilgrim, the conqueror, the maid, the narrator—originate in a variety of cultural spheres. A concept Fowler terms the "social person" is the key to understanding both the literary details of specific characterizations and their indebtedness to history and culture.Drawing on central texts of medieval and early modern England, Fowler demonstrates that literary characters are created by assembling social persons from throughout culture. Her perspective allows her to offer strikingly original readings of works by Chaucer, Langland, Skelton, and Spenser, and to reformulate and resolve several classic interpretive problems. In so doing, she reframes accepted notions of the process and the consequences of reading.Developing insights from law, theology, economic thought, and political philosophy, Fowler's book replaces the traditional view of characters as autonomous individuals with an interpretive approach in which each character is seen as a battle of many archetypes. According to Fowler, the social person provides the template that enables authors to portray, and readers to recognize, the highly complex human figures that literature requires.

The Character Edge

The Character Edge PDF Author: Robert L. Caslen, Jr.
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 125025907X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
The former superintendent at West Point and a psychologist explain why all successful leaders rely on a foundation of strong character. Among the most successful leaders throughout history—from Abe Lincoln to Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi to Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jr. to Nelson Mandela—some were brilliant mathematicians and economists, others were creative visionaries, still others were masterful at strategic planning. Their mastery of their field wasn’t the secret to their highly effective leadership. All of their skill, grit, resilience, charisma, and courage emanated from one thing: their strength of character. Character—the moral values and habits of an individual—is in the spotlight now more than perhaps at any other point in modern history. Politicians distort facts. Corporations cheat customers and investors. Athletes are caught using illegal supplements. In addition to harming our culture at large, these failures of character have a profound and undermining impact on leadership. The authors of this book are experts on the value of character, its correlation with successful leadership, and how to build it in individuals and prospective leaders. General Robert L. Caslen, Jr. served the US Army for over 43 years and served as Superintendent at the US Military Academy at West Point. Psychologist Dr. Michael D. Matthews is a Professor of Engineering Psychology at West Point who has focused on the psychology of character for years. Together they witnessed firsthand that raw talent is not enough to stand on its own; successful leadership relies on the critical foundation of a strong character. In The Character Edge they leverage their perspectives to offer an empowering, story-driven argument—backed by the latest scientific research—that character is vital to success. They give readers the tools to build and sustain character in themselves and their organizations by testing readers' strengths of the gut, head and heart and teaching how to build trust and nurture the seeds of character.

Leading with Character

Leading with Character PDF Author: Jim Loehr
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111978168X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 414

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Book Description
From leadership expert Dr. Jim Loehr, strengthen your moral and ethical character for outstanding leadership results with this must-have set. Leading with Character: 10 Minutes a Day to a Brilliant Legacy At the end of your life, how are you likely to be remembered? Chances are that people won’t be praising your money, power, and status. Instead, the people you’ve impacted will remember you for your compassion and personal strength—in short, your character. Unfortunately, many leaders are unaware of their character shortcomings and blind spots that hold so many of us back from building the lasting legacy we are capable of. With the right motivation, you can begin to strengthen your character and become a moral and ethical leader capable of creating lasting change. In Leading with Character: 10 Minutes a Day to a Brilliant Legacy, Dr. Jim Loehr, cofounder of the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, reveals 50 character competencies that you can practice daily to transform your life and work. This book will also guide you through the process of developing a Personal Credo that will serve as your decision-making mission statement. Most leaders never take the time to identify their own core values, instead defaulting to a reflexive form of decision making. Gain an awareness of the conscious and unconscious processes that guide what you do and why you do it, and take charge of your leadership legacy. Even good leaders are vulnerable to corruption. Read Leading with Character to learn how human evolution and contemporary culture can lead us astray without our even knowing it. As we work hard to get to the top, who are we becoming along the way? If we want to become heroes whose memories will long outlast us, we need to channel our energy into creating habits that will add up to a strong and meaningful character. The Personal Credo Journal: A Companion to Leading with Character We all want to become high impact leaders with a robust ethical and moral character, but getting there is a challenge. Dr. Jim Loehr’s Leading with Character offers a succinct plan for developing your character as a leader and building a meaningful legacy through your life’s work. The Personal Credo Journal is a day-by-day workbook that will guide you through the process of identifying your core values and crafting your Personal Credo—a statement of beliefs and values that will help you align every action and decision with your deepest held ideals. With these activities and exercises, you’ll spend just a few minutes each day reflecting on meaningful and thought-provoking prompts about your life story, your personal strengths and weaknesses, and your life goals. By the end of this life-altering, 150-day challenge, you will have gained a deep self-knowledge and a clear vision of your path forward as a leader. Take charge of the legacy you’ll leave behind, build character, and learn to use your Personal Credo to transform your life.

Questions of Character

Questions of Character PDF Author: Joseph Badaracco
Publisher: Harvard Business Press
ISBN: 9781591399681
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 221

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Book Description
Through rich analysis of the main characters in "The Death of a Salesman, The Secret Sharer, The Last Tycoon," and other stories, Badaracco addresses complex issues leaders face, such as the soundness of their vision, their readiness to take on responsibility, the depth of their compassion, and their ability to manage success.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief PDF Author: Markus Zusak
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0385754728
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 578

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Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME • A NEW YORK TIMES READER TOP 100 PICK FOR BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY The extraordinary, beloved novel about the ability of books to feed the soul even in the darkest of times. When Death has a story to tell, you listen. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time. “The kind of book that can be life-changing.” —The New York Times “Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.” —USA Today DON’T MISS BRIDGE OF CLAY, MARKUS ZUSAK’S FIRST NOVEL SINCE THE BOOK THIEF.