A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Rumsfeld’s Universe

[Geee]

American Spectator:

 

THERE ARE an awful lot of books on leadership, and a great many of them have one unfortunate thing in common: They are written by people who haven’t led anything.

That certainly can’t be said of Donald Rumsfeld. Twice secretary of defense, CEO of the Searle pharmaceutical firm, White House chief of staff, congressman, and head of the Nixon-era Office of Economic Opportunity, he’s spent his life—all 80-plus years of it—becoming a capable and effective leader.

Hence Rumsfeld’s Rules. As the author acknowledges, they aren’t all rules, and they aren’t all Rumsfeld’s. What they are is—on the one hand—the most informative compilation of lessons on leadership from the ground up that has come around in many a decade. On the other hand, the book has a bit of Horatio Alger in it, briefly coaching young people on what to do in an interview and how a corporate officer looks at résumés. Helping prepare young people to be future leaders is clearly on his mind.