by Geoff Loftus
Thomas Nelson Publishing
Who was the greatest CEO of the 20th century? A persuasive case can be made for General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who undertook history's most harrowing executive assignment: Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe on June 6th, 1944. In Lead Like Ike, business journalist and communications guru Geoff Loftus waves a fly-on-the-wall narrative from Ike's perspective as supreme allied commander overseeing the Normandy invasion. While swept into a gripping story that honors the sacrifice of all who fought and died on D-Day, you'll also be drawn to a cache of battle-tested strategies and tactics with direct applications to modern-day business leadership.
I love history, specifically the WWII era, so when I saw that I had a chance to read a book about the Supreme Commander of D-Day I jumped at the opportunity. I was not disappointed in the least.
Mr. Loftus creates a parallel between Eisenhower's strategies for winning the war with Germany and a company determined to win the war of competition with another company, and I think he does a very good job of constructing the analogy. He shows the successes and failures of Eisenhower's plans and uses them as examples of what to do and what not to do in the business world.
I don't know how effective this book would be to an executive or upper to middle-manager, as the points that Loftus makes are all common sense to the everyday, blue-collar worker, but in my experience not too many upper-management types are aware of these strategies.
This is a tremendous book -- simply for the historical content alone, so if you love history you will truly appreciate the biographical content. If you are upper management, I dare you to get this book, follow the strategies that are laid out, and see if your business flourishes.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
