Rating: 
Summary: The Analects of Patton
Review: Axelrod gleans Patton's speeches and writings to distill what he believed to be Patton's philosophy of leadership. He also includes a few memoirs of Patton by those who knew him personally. Axelrod sets out each anecdote or saying in boldface and then gives a brief commentary on what he believes Patton meant by the statement. For the most part, the commentaries are superfluous. You could completely dispense with them except for the fact that they sometimes contain additional statements by and anecdotes about Patton.
Patton emerges as a talented but flawed leader. Contrary to his reputation as "Old Blood and Guts," he was a humane commander who truly cared for the welfare of his troops. His statement that he'd rather waste ammunition than lives pretty well sums it up.
The book is well organized, entertaining, and informative on the subjects of both leadership and military history.
Rating:
Summary: George C. Scott and then Some
Review: Frankly, I had some reservations as I began to read this book. By now I have become weary of so many books with gimmicky concepts (eg Chicken Soup for Dummies, Caligula on Management) and was pleased to find that Axelrod has skillfully correlated Patton's expressed ideas on leadership with key issues in the contemporary business world. Many of those ideas probably reflect the influence of Sun Tzu and von Clausewitz whom Patton no doubt studied while a student at V.M.I. (for one year) and then the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from which he graduated. In any event, this is a well-written book with solid substance. After a Foreword and Introduction, Axelrod organizes 183 "Strategic Lessons" within ten chapters:1. What He Did and Who He Was (Patton's Achievement and Background) 2. "A Commander Will Command" (On the Dimensions of Leadership) 3. "Always Attack, Never Surrender" (On Developing a Winning Attitude) 4. "How Do We Know That?" (On Fact Finding, Preparation, and Planning) 5. "Speed -- Simplicity -- Boldness" (On Execution and Opportunity) 6. "The Soldier Is the Army" (On Training, Mentoring, Motivating, and Inspiring) 7. "Letters of Instruction" ((On Communication and Coordination) 8. "Only One Direction -- Forward" (On Creating Efficiency) 9. "Success Is How High You Can Bounce When You Hit Bottom" (On Courage and Character) 10. "Audacity" (On Managing the Impossible) I provide the chapter titles and subtitles to suggest the specific areas in which Axelrod examines Patton's ideas. Patton remains one of the 20th century's best-known and least-understood military leaders. Mention his name and most people immediately conjure an image of George C. Scott whose inspired portrayal provided an accurate but incomplete representation of Patton. It is worth noting that Patton's strategies minimized casualties of his own troops while maximizing destruction of those whom his troops opposed, that he assembled an extraordinarily talented staff to whom he delegated effectively and whose members remained steadfastly loyal to him, and that under his leadership his troops achieved truly stunning results, often with severely limited resources and under political constraints. There is a great deal to learn from this man...and Axelrod has done a brilliant job of suggesting what that is. Axelrod includes a Recommended Readings section to which I presume to add Puryear's 19 Stars (A Study in Military Character and Leadership). In it, Puryear examines the careers of George S. Patton, Jr., Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, and George C. Marshall. You may also wish to check out Sun Tzu's The Art of War (Oxford University Press) and von Clausewitz's On War (Penguin).
Rating:
Summary: L'audace, L'audace, Toujour L'audace
Review: Frederick the Great may have said it, but George "Blood 'n Guts" Patton lived it. What a remarkable man, and what a remarkable presentation about that man, his life and his leadership skills. One should read this book just for the hell-of-it if not for any other reason. What a great first read for anyone wishing to know more about the General. First of all, this book reads well and fast, and it's hard to put down. Mr. Axelrod tells a great story, conveys the essence of Patton's Generalship and Management styles, and along the way adds some very good history. Axelrod clears up the legends and myth surrounding the famous slapping incident, and details the campaigns into Bastogne and to Berlin in short, clear and entertaining fashion. It was truly enjoyable to read this book. To keep the record straight, the format of the book allows for a 3 - 4 hour total read time due to the fact that many of the pages have only 18 - 25 lines of print on them, where as others are in standard layout. The stories will excite, entertain, and cause "out-loud" laughter. The language is harsh sometimes, but perfectly appropriate to the original situation. I say get the SOB book and read it "...every God damn night", and smile.
Rating:
Summary: L'audace, L'audace, Toujour L'audace
Review: Frederick the Great may have said it, but George "Blood 'n Guts" Patton lived it. What a remarkable man, and what a remarkable presentation about that man, his life and his leadership skills. One should read this book just for the hell-of-it if not for any other reason. What a great first read for anyone wishing to know more about the General. First of all, this book reads well and fast, and it's hard to put down. Mr. Axelrod tells a great story, conveys the essence of Patton's Generalship and Management styles, and along the way adds some very good history. Axelrod clears up the legends and myth surrounding the famous slapping incident, and details the campaigns into Bastogne and to Berlin in short, clear and entertaining fashion. It was truly enjoyable to read this book. To keep the record straight, the format of the book allows for a 3 - 4 hour total read time due to the fact that many of the pages have only 18 - 25 lines of print on them, where as others are in standard layout. The stories will excite, entertain, and cause "out-loud" laughter. The language is harsh sometimes, but perfectly appropriate to the original situation. I say get the SOB book and read it "...every God damn night", and smile.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Read, Inspiring, Instructive
Review: General George S. Patton, Jr., was a legend in his own time. While known for his coarse language, he was also respected as a brilliant tactician and terrific motivator. Those who served with him weren't just "in the war" or "in the army," they were Patton's men. This hard-driving leader instilled confidence, acted decisively, and excelled under relentless pressure. His army moved at unprecedented speed, always on the attack and not on the defensive. Patton did not write extensively; he was challenged by dyslexia. But he said a lot, was often quoted, and was written about. Historians have a rich treasure of who this unusual man was and the impact he had on others . . . and ultimately on the world. His approach to his work was clear and direct, making him an excellent case study and role model. Role model? A man who spat profanity in almost every sentence? Ah, look beyond the rough exterior that actually endeared him to his men. Look at how Patton thought, his philosophies. That's where the lessons are. This book delivers 183 of those lessons in short, tight, bite-size pieces. This is a book you can read cover-to-cover or refer to as an inspirational resource. Each lesson is constructed as a Patton quote, with Axelrod's interpretation of the meaning, the purpose, and the impact of the words. The flavor throughout the book is how Patton's military style and experience applies to management and leadership of today's business organization. Or any organization, for that matter. The beginning of the book includes an enlightening biographical profile of Patton to understand the context of the man. The volume concludes with some recommended reading and a helpful index. As a reviewer, I'm tempted to start listing some of the titles of those 183 lessons. I'll resist, because it will be too difficult to present a representative sample. Every page of this book is filled with concise, valuable insights. Thought-provoking as well as inspiring, Patton on Leadership should be read-and applied-by leaders at all levels. Invest a few dollars and some of your reading time. You'll get a good return on your investment with this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Book Your Egomaniac CEO Never Read
Review: Having worked in a number of corporate environments, this book struck a nerve. There are so many self-help-styled "How to be a great manager" titles out there that when you finally read something with some substance to it, based strictly on the tried-and-true principles of this country's greatest advocate of leadership skills, that you can't help but be reminded that it is the basics that are worth all. It may seem trite to some that this book merely takes quotes and extracts from Patton's life and writings and develops them to highlight various aspects of leadership, yet the study of leadership is deceptively simple in this regard; leadership is taking people where they must go, focusing on what is truly important and worthwhile. And the great leader is always one of the troops, not some invulnerable sage from On High. It should be noted that prior to reading this book, the reader is strongly advised to read Carlo D'Este's superb biography, "Patton: A Genius for War" in order to appreciate who Patton was as a man before he was, well, George C. Scott. Suffering from severe dyslexia, he struggled to get through West Point and VMI. His tortured efforts to memorize the works of great historical military leaders apparently left an indelible mark on his thinking, yet what remained throughout his life was the underlying principle that it is leadership that wins wars and not abstractions like courage or heroism. Military units are like spaghetti, he said, which must be pulled rather than pushed. And this man lead from the front. So when you read in these pages that a leader must endure what his/her minions endure in order to earn (earn!) their respect, he knows what he is talking about. I once worked at a computer software company that specialized in healthcare programs, and our V.P. of Sales gave a long-winded speech about how we must all "tighten our belts and stay focused on lean expenditures!" The very next day the S.O.B. drove into work in a brand new BMW 700 series car (company car, of course). Just what kind of leadership is that?! Leadership by example, or by arrogant authoritarianism? Want to hold the reins and lead with certainty and conviction? Here's the manual!
Rating:
Summary: A Book Your Egomaniac CEO Never Read
Review: Having worked in a number of corporate environments, this book struck a nerve. There are so many self-help-styled "How to be a great manager" titles out there that when you finally read something with some substance to it, based strictly on the tried-and-true principles of this country's greatest advocate of leadership skills, that you can't help but be reminded that it is the basics that are worth all. It may seem trite to some that this book merely takes quotes and extracts from Patton's life and writings and develops them to highlight various aspects of leadership, yet the study of leadership is deceptively simple in this regard; leadership is taking people where they must go, focusing on what is truly important and worthwhile. And the great leader is always one of the troops, not some invulnerable sage from On High. It should be noted that prior to reading this book, the reader is strongly advised to read Carlo D'Este's superb biography, "Patton: A Genius for War" in order to appreciate who Patton was as a man before he was, well, George C. Scott. Suffering from severe dyslexia, he struggled to get through West Point and VMI. His tortured efforts to memorize the works of great historical military leaders apparently left an indelible mark on his thinking, yet what remained throughout his life was the underlying principle that it is leadership that wins wars and not abstractions like courage or heroism. Military units are like spaghetti, he said, which must be pulled rather than pushed. And this man lead from the front. So when you read in these pages that a leader must endure what his/her minions endure in order to earn (earn!) their respect, he knows what he is talking about. I once worked at a computer software company that specialized in healthcare programs, and our V.P. of Sales gave a long-winded speech about how we must all "tighten our belts and stay focused on lean expenditures!" The very next day the S.O.B. drove into work in a brand new BMW 700 series car (company car, of course). Just what kind of leadership is that?! Leadership by example, or by arrogant authoritarianism? Want to hold the reins and lead with certainty and conviction? Here's the manual!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Recommended
Review: I concur with the previous 5-star reviews and can attest that this is an excellent work at both giving insight into Gen Patton as well as translating his leadership and management practices into the business world.
Rating:
Summary: I never equated Army generals with CEOs, but it works!
Review: I had seen this book in an airport bookstore, but wasn't sold until I saw Patton: the movie on TV and was entranced by George C. Scott's portrayal of the WWII General.
General George S. Patton commanded the Third Army in Europe during WWII. Although I had never realized it before, Patton really managed a giant corporation, an army of over 400,000 soldiers which built almost 2500 bridges, shipped over 2,000,000 tons of supplies, and inflicted hundreds of thousands of casualties on the enemy.
After a short preface by George Steinbrenner (Red Sox fans will start on pg. 3), Axelrod begins with a short description of Patton's history and life philosophy. Patton was certainly a fascinating character, with compelling qualities and outrageous flaws.
The format of the book proceeds as follows: Axelrod uses a quote or anecdote from Patton's life to convey and support Patton's philosophy on leadership. Although the subjects are grouped together (Chapter 3:Always attack. Never Surrender and Chapter 5:Speed-simplicity-boldness), the book does not refer back to any previous section.
Fans of the movie will recognize many parts of the book, but those who know nothing about Patton will also find it an easy yet exciting read. I found it to be quite valuable.
This book is certainly not a whitewash of Patton's career, but Axelrod does a fantastic job of sifting through his life and finding the kernels of Patton's success. I recommend this book to anybody interested in leadership (coaches), those in business, and those with an interest in military affairs.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book for Managers (Experienced or Budding)
Review: I have to admit that I am a Gen. George Patton fan, even with the profanity. But this book is a good reference on how to manage people, whether you are starting out as a manager or have been managing for a while. Mr. Axelrod did a good job taking what Patton said, wrote, or did, and he applied it to the business world perfectly. Granted, you do not want to start out as rough and tough as Gen. Patton did, but how Gen. Patton manage his people can be used in any business setting.. From giving directions simply and clearly, providing directions both written and oral, stand out of the way of people you manage with little input, praising loudly and publicly but repermanding privately, to the chapter about bouncing back when you are "knock down", all the parts are easily identified by anyone. I do like the chapter about bouncing back when you are "knocked down." It helps deal with any sort of difficult time one may have when one is going through a rough time (like me). If I could, I would like to send this book to all my managers, 'cause from what I have seen lately with my managers, they could use "a good kick in the pants."
| 
