The Art of Command

Military Leadership from George Washington to Colin Powell

Harry S. Lavar and Jeffrey J. Matthews

Narrated by Scott Laurence Peterson

Available from Audible

Book published by University Press of Kentucky

What essential leadership lessons do we learn by distilling the actions and ideas of great military commanders such as George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Colin Powell? The Art of Command illustrates that great leaders become great through a commitment not only to develop vital skills but also to surmount personal shortcomings. Harry S. Laver, Jeffrey J. Matthews, and the other contributing authors identify nine core characteristics of highly effective leadership, such as integrity, determination, vision, and charisma, and nine significant figures in American military history whose careers embody those qualities. The Art of Command examines each figure’s strengths and weaknesses and how those attributes affected their leadership abilities, offering a unique perspective of military leadership in American history.

Harry S. Lavar is assistant professor of history and political science at Southeastern Louisiana University. He is the author of Citizens More Than Soldiers: The Kentucky Militia and Society in the Early Republic.

Jeffrey J. Matthews is the George F. Jewett Distinguished Professor at the University of Puget Sound. He has published three other books including Blacksheep Leadership, Alanson B. Houghton: Ambassador of the New Era, and The Art of Command.

REVIEWS:

“Art of Command excels. The reader can follow each leader from inauspicious beginnings to greatness in the course of a short story that chronicles the development of a particular quality in that leader.”

—Marine Corps University Journal

“Interesting, insightful, inspirational. Should be a must-read for aspiring leaders.”

—Admiral Hank Chiles, USN (retired), former professor of leadership, U.S. Naval Academy

“Truly insightful...this engaging work makes Art of Command an indispensible guide on leadership at both the tactical and operational levels...an entertaining yet applicable tool.”

—On Point

“Laver and Matthews have created a guide that will help every reader discern the traits that make an effective leader, from the battlefield and beyond. ”

—The Lone Star Book Review

“This collection of essays identifies and illuminates the dominant characteristics of America's most successful—and most innovative—military leaders. Each chapter connects the traits of these extraordinary men to the particular challenges they faced through well-researched, compelling, and intriguing vignettes. Their stories, unified by the thread of historical continuity, are freshly presented to portray nine fascinating and idiosyncratic individuals who endowed the nation with exemplary vision, tenacity, achievement, and devotion to duty.”

—Vice Admiral Kevin P. Green, U.S. Navy, Retired