A Passion for Leadership
Lessons on Change and Reform from Fifty Years of Public Service
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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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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
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For the better part of the last half century, the United States has been the world's police, claiming to defend ideologies, allies, and our national security through brute force. But is military action always the most appropriate response? Drawing on his vast experience, retired four-star general Tony Zinni argues that we have a lot of work to do to make the process of going to war-or not-more clear-eyed and ultimately successful.
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A must read for leaders
- By Ted on 06-17-22
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The Quiet Man
- The Indispensable Presidency of George H.W. Bush
- By: John H. Sununu
- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
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In this unique insider account, John H. Sununu pays tribute to his former boss - an intelligent, thoughtful, modest leader - and his overlooked accomplishments. Though George H. W. Bush is remembered for orchestrating one of the largest and most successful military campaigns in history - the Gulf War - Sununu argues that conventional wisdom misses many of Bush's other great achievements.
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Outstanding Biograpy
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By: John H. Sununu
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The War Within
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- By: Bob Woodward
- Narrated by: Boyd Gaines
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
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As violence in Iraq reaches unnerving levels in 2006, a second front in the war rages at the highest levels of the Bush administration. With unparalleled intimacy and detail, Bob Woodward takes listeners deep inside the tensions, secret debates, unofficial back channels, distrust, and determination within the White House, Pentagon, State Department, intelligence agencies, and U.S. military headquarters in Iraq.
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Too short the story...
- By Mr. Miint on 10-21-08
By: Bob Woodward
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Lessons from the Edge
- A Memoir
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- Length: 17 hrs and 11 mins
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By the time she became US Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch had seen her share of corruption, instability, and tragedy in developing countries. But it came as a shock when, in early 2019, she was recalled from her post after a smear campaign by President Trump’s personal attorney and his associates—men operating outside of normal governmental channels, and apparently motivated by personal gain. Her courageous participation in the subsequent impeachment inquiry earned Yovanovitch the nation’s respect, and her dignified response to the president’s attacks won our hearts.
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Heroic patriot's amazing story
- By Victoria Eriksson on 03-19-22
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Secrets to Winning at Office Politics
- How to Achieve Your Goals and Increase Your Influence at Work
- By: Marie G. McIntyre PhD
- Narrated by: Margaret Strom
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
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Whether you are a new player or a seasoned veteran, Secrets to Winning at Office Politics can help you increase your personal power without compromising your integrity or taking advantage of others. This smart, practical guide shows you how to stop wasting energy on things you can't change and start taking steps to get what you want.
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Amateur.
- By Christie on 08-11-18
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The Promise
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Barack Obama’s inauguration as president on January 20, 2009, inspired the world. But the great promise of “Change We Can Believe In” was immediately tested by the threat of another Great Depression, a worsening war in Afghanistan, and an entrenched and deeply partisan system of business as usual in Washington. Despite all the coverage, the backstory of Obama’s historic first year in office has until now remained a mystery.
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Tiresome
- By Matthew on 05-21-10
By: Jonathan Alter
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My Story
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"I was prime minister for three years and three days. Three years and three days of resilience. Three years and three days of changing the nation. Three years and three days for you to judge." On Wednesday 23 June 2010, with the government in turmoil, Julia Gillard asked Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for a leadership ballot. The next day, Julia Gillard became Australia's 27th prime minister, and our first female leader.
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Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
- By Michael on 10-11-16
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Obama's Wars
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Working behind the scenes for 18 months, Bob Woodward has written the most intimate and sweeping portrait of President Obama making the critical decisions on the Afghanistan War, the secret war in Pakistan, and the worldwide fight against terrorism.
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Woodward Does a Service
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Good Hunting
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Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story is the spellbinding memoir of Devine's time in the CIA, where he served for more than 30 years, rising to become the acting deputy director of operations, responsible for all of the agency's spying operations. This is a story of intrigue and high-stakes maneuvering - all the more gripping when the fate of our geopolitical order hangs in the balance. But this audiobook also sounds a warning to our nation's decision makers.
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Fascinating, An education on spying
- By Anthony on 12-13-15
By: Jack Devine
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Lead with Humility
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When Fortune announced its list of the World’s Greatest Leaders, the top spot was awarded - not to a captain of industry - but to the new pontiff. In the year since his election, Pope Francis earned that accolade - and more. He has achieved the remarkable: breathed life into an aging institution, reinvigorated a global base, and created real hope for the future.How did a man who spent his life laboring in slums far from the Vatican manage to do this and so quickly?
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Disjointed.
- By Richard K. on 03-10-17
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Moral Mazes
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Robert Jackall's Moral Mazes offers an eye-opening account of how corporate managers think the world works, and how big organizations shape moral consciousness. Based on extensive interviews with managers at every level of two industrial firms and of a large public relations agency, IMoral Mazes takes the reader inside the intricate world of the corporation.
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Well written; poorly narrated
- By C. Youngblood on 09-30-13
By: Robert Jackall
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The Oz Principle
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The Oz Principle is the groundbreaking work that demonstrates the vital role of accountability in the achievement of business results and the improvement of both individual and organizational performance. With more than a half million copies sold, The Oz Principle has emerged as one of the most influential and useful business ideas of recent times. The Oz Principle shows how to overcome The Blame Game that is so prevalent in organizations today.
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Trustless Accountability
- By Michael on 04-23-17
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My Journey at the Nuclear Brink
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My Journey at the Nuclear Brink is a continuation of William J. Perry's efforts to keep the world safe from a nuclear catastrophe. It tells the story of his coming of age in the nuclear era, his role in trying to shape and contain it, and how his thinking has changed about the threat these weapons pose. In a remarkable career, Perry has dealt firsthand with the changing nuclear threat.
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His journey has just begun
- By Amazon Customer on 04-18-17
By: William Perry
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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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- 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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- William
- 09-02-16
A Leadership Course I Would Take
I have used concepts suggested in this book to do my job and live my life. The message is clear, practical, and without a bunch of grandstanding. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
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- Peter Jabaut
- 04-07-17
Best book on leadership
Best book on leadership that I have read to date. Pertains to public and private sectors alike. Highly recommend!!
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- Anonymous User
- 03-09-22
One of the best books ever.
Gates does a great job in a professional manner explain the problems face by civil servants in a system that is overtaken by lackluster politicians and bureaucrats while also identifying good management and leadership techniques.
Robert Gates is an exceptional leader or always put country and his people before self. This book should be a must read for everyone who does or seeks to work in government included those individuals elected and appointed.
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- R. F. Peterson
- 09-02-24
Personal integrity and personal behavior on the job and off are important, perhaps central, qualities of an effective leader.
Chapter 6 is the center of this excellent book on the effective leader. His observations parallel mine during my 45 years in the scientific endeavors which made up my career. It also pointed out a number of personal shortcomings which plagued me over the decades. This is an excellent book for those genuinely interested in self-improvement in leadership roles.
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- 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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