What Is Leadership?

A question we might all be asking this year. There are 3 titles which come out in November that might show us what 'real' leadership is.

Jon Meacham has written Jefferson: The Art of Power which comes out on November 13. Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, delves into a much visited field - Thomas Jefferson. He gives us a

Jefferson that is a politician and the president but also a man of many passions who loved the idea of America most of all. He seems to embody the 'art of power' while struggling to led a nation through perilous times. A worthy read by a worth author.

William Manchester wrote the first two books in the trilogy, The Last Lion, about the life of Winston Churchill. Before Manchester died in 2004, he chose Paul Reid to finish his work. The first two were truly remarkable works and Reid continued that effort. This third volume is subtitled Defender of the Realm and covers Churchill's years as Prime Minister of Great Britain. It was more that 20 years since the second volume but those who have read this say it is excellent unparalleled portrait and a biography worth reading. Perhaps an interesting title to read if you are waiting for Killing Lincoln.

David Von Drehle offers us Rise to Greatness on October 30. Von Drehle is an editor for Time and writes quite clearly about Abraham Lincoln's struggles during 1862. With no money in the U.S. Treasury  and the Union’s top general was gravely ill. The Confederacy—with its booming economy, expert military leadership, and commanding position on the battlefield seemed to have a clear view to victory. To a remarkable extent, the survival of the country depended on the judgment, cunning, and resilience of the unschooled frontier lawyer who had recently been elected president. In struggling through these and other challenges, Lincoln became one of our country's singular leaders. Everyone who has read this, has praised it's readability.