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Leadership & Statesmanship, Leadership
Where Have All the Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca β€” book cover

Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

by Lee Iacocca, Catherine Whitney
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Overview

Legendary auto executive Lee Iacocca has a question for every American: Where have all the leaders gone?

The most widely recognized business executive of all time asks the tough questions that America's leaders must address:

Β• What is each of us giving back to our country?

Β• Do we truly love democracy?

Β• Are we too fat and satisfied for our own good?

Β• Why is America addicted to oil?

Β• Do we really care about our children's futures?

Β• Who will save the middle class?

A self-made man who many Americans once wished would run for president, Iacocca saved the Chrysler Corporation from financial ruin, masterminded the creation of the minivan, and oversaw the renovation of Ellis Island. Since then he has created the Iacocca Institute for leadership at Lehigh University and the Iacocca Foundation, which funds research for a cure for diabetes. Lee Iacocca believes that leaders are made in times of crisis β€” such as today. He has known more leaders than almost anyone else β€” among them nine U.S. presidents, many heads of state, and the CEOs of the nation's top corporations β€” and is uniquely suited to share his wisdom, knowledge, and wit about the leadership of America.

Author of the gigantic number one bestsellers Iacocca: An Autobiography and Talking Straight, Lee Iacocca famously doesn't mince words and offers his no-nonsense, straight-up assessments of the American politicians most likely to run for president in 2008, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Mitt Romney, and John Edwards.

Confessing that he has "flunked retirement," Iacocca calls on citizens of all ages to vote, get involved, and choose our leaders carefully. Along the way, he shares stories about the prominent people he's met and known, including the time he smoked cigars with Fidel Castro, what Bob Hope told him about how to live a long life, what Lady Sarah Ferguson said to him as they danced, why Bill Clinton woke him up in Italy, what Robert McNamara taught him about success, how Frank Sinatra sang for him personally, and whom Pope John Paul II asked him to pray for. We learn what he discussed with Warren Buffett, DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche, Ronald Reagan, Senator John Kerry, Congressman John Murtha, Prince Charles and Camilla, former Saudi ambassador Prince Bandar, rapper Snoop Dogg, financier Kirk Kerkorian, Ted Turner, Bob Dole, and many more.

Knowing that the times are urgent, the iconic leader shares his lessons learned and issues a call to action to summon Americans back to their roots of hard work, common sense, integrity, generosity, and optimism.

Where have all the leaders gone?

Lee Iacocca has the answer.

Synopsis

Legendary auto executive Lee Iacocca has a question for every American: Where have all the leaders gone?

The most widely recognized business executive of all time asks the tough questions that America's leaders must address:

• What is each of us giving back to our country?

• Do we truly love democracy?

• Are we too fat and satisfied for our own good?

• Why is America addicted to oil?

• Do we really care about our children's futures?

• Who will save the middle class?

A self-made man who many Americans once wished would run for president, Iacocca saved the Chrysler Corporation from financial ruin, masterminded the creation of the minivan, and oversaw the renovation of Ellis Island. Since then he has created the Iacocca Institute for leadership at Lehigh University and the Iacocca Foundation, which funds research for a cure for diabetes. Lee Iacocca believes that leaders are made in times of crisis -- such as today. He has known more leaders than almost anyone else -- among them nine U.S. presidents, many heads of state, and the CEOs of the nation's top corporations -- and is uniquely suited to share his wisdom, knowledge, and wit about the leadership of America.

Author of the gigantic number one bestsellers Iacocca: An Autobiography and Talking Straight, Lee Iacocca famously doesn't mince words and offers his no-nonsense, straight-up assessments of the American politicians most likely to run for president in 2008, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Mitt Romney, and John Edwards.

Confessing that he has "flunked retirement,"Iacocca calls on citizens of all ages to vote, get involved, and choose our leaders carefully. Along the way, he shares stories about the prominent people he's met and known, including the time he smoked cigars with Fidel Castro, what Bob Hope told him about how to live a long life, what Lady Sarah Ferguson said to him as they danced, why Bill Clinton woke him up in Italy, what Robert McNamara taught him about success, how Frank Sinatra sang for him personally, and whom Pope John Paul II asked him to pray for. We learn what he discussed with Warren Buffett, DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche, Ronald Reagan, Senator John Kerry, Congressman John Murtha, Prince Charles and Camilla, former Saudi ambassador Prince Bandar, rapper Snoop Dogg, financier Kirk Kerkorian, Ted Turner, Bob Dole, and many more.

Knowing that the times are urgent, the iconic leader shares his lessons learned and issues a call to action to summon Americans back to their roots of hard work, common sense, integrity, generosity, and optimism.

Where have all the leaders gone?

Lee Iacocca has the answer.

Library Journal

Iacocca stays upbeat in this assessment of issues like family values, job security, and the Iraq war. With a five-city tour. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Lee Iacocca

Lee Iacocca is the former president of Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corporation and a bestselling author. He spends his time traveling, giving speeches, and supporting the Iacocca Foundation, which funds research for a cure for diabetes.

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Editorials

Library Journal

Business icon Lee Iacocca has cultivated a reputation as a straight talker, and he lives up to it in this engaging treatise. Using a lifetime's worth of business examples from Ford (where he was president) and Chrysler (where he was CEO), as well as his charitable endeavors, he makes his case that better leadership is needed to regain America's social and economic greatness. In 21 chapters, arranged somewhat arbitrarily into four sections questioning America's lack of leadership, fragile global relationships, capitalism, and future, Iacocca tackles such broadly ranging subjects as the prospective 2008 presidential candidates, the war in Iraq, our (lack of an) energy policy, globalization's challenges, and his own retirement. His mix of straightforward lists (e.g., nine qualities of leadership) and conversational asides makes for fast reading, although many readers may be surprised by his level of vitriol toward George W. Bush ("the President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies"). His status as an icon of commerce and a best-selling author (Iacocca) demands this book's purchase by all public and corporate libraries, but its lack of sourcing or index may make it an optional purchase for undergraduate libraries.
β€”Sarah Statz Cords

Library Journal

Iacocca stays upbeat in this assessment of issues like family values, job security, and the Iraq war. With a five-city tour. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Book Details

Published
May 1, 2008
Publisher
Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Pages
272
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781416532491

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