2018: Book #20
He and his brother were almost murdered as teenagers when a serial murderer and rapist broke into their home looking for a sister and money. Their parents were out taking dancing lessons.
That’s how the book opens.
The author walks through working for Rudy Giuliani and how he, and others, took on members of New York’s mafia.
If you haven’t yet figured it out, I just finished reading James Comey’s book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership.”
It’s a book on leadership and it’s full of great stories.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
“A leader needs the truth, but an emperor does not consistently hear it from his underlings.”
“Evil has an ordinary face. It laughs, it cries, it deflects, it rationalizes, it makes great pasta.” —in reference to mafia members who had murdered people.
“All bullies are largely the same. They threaten the weak to feed some insecurity that rages inside them.” —in reference to the mafia.
“In a healthy organization, doubt is not weakness, it is wisdom, because people are at their most dangerous when they are certain that their cause is just and their facts are right.”
“Sean Joyce, who served as my first deputy director, because famous in the FBI for hitting ‘reply all’ when some bureaucrat within the Bureau sent an all-employee message instructing personnel to shelter in place or flee in the event of an ‘active shooter’ in the workplace. Sean replied that any special agent who took that advice and hid or failed to run TOWARD an active shooter would be fired.”
Whether you believe it or not, it’s a book about leadership.
Comey takes you from his boss at a grocery store, to others, and eventually to Rudy Giuliani, President Bush, President Obama, and President Trump.
I found this interesting…
Bush liked personal relationships and enjoyed humor;
Obama was less formal and liked questions;
Trump…well…go read the book.
Leaders should read this book. It is filled with so many great leadership lessons.
What about Trump? I’ll let you read the book.
I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
It’s well worth the read.
That’s book #20 for 2018.
32 more to go to hit 52
Note: For those curious, I’m still reading the 1,000 page Ron Chernow book on Grant. I’m about 400 pages in. It’s very depressing. Grant is a troubled man. But a great story. So many lessons.
Remember, all leaders are readers.
If you want to be a better leader…be a reader.
#52in2018
