Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
by
Lee Iacocca
<p align="center"> 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 sa
...morePaperback, 288 pages
Published
April 17th 2007
by Scribner
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I'm listening to the audiobook of Lee Iacocca's Where Have All the Leaders Gone? It is a call to action for anyone who believes that this country is off course. I happen to believe in most of what Lee says in this book. Unfortunately, most of the kids (teens and young adults) in this country are too sidetracked by all the gadgets the world has to offer to pay attention to the issues. Forget about us baby-boomers. We're too tired. I hope that we can get mad enough to take action and make th...more
I remember reading about Lee Iacocca’s leadership in Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap by Jim Collins. Collins said Iacocca was more interested in celebrity than being a great CEO – the lesson there being: great leaders have humility.
Iacocca does not list humility as important to great leadership. He does list nine other attributes: curiosity, creativity, communication, character, courage, conviction, charisma, competence, and common sense. And what does he do with the...more
Iacocca does not list humility as important to great leadership. He does list nine other attributes: curiosity, creativity, communication, character, courage, conviction, charisma, competence, and common sense. And what does he do with the...more
Part rant, part call to action, part history of his life; Iacocca puts forth a list he calls the 9 C's of Leadership by which we should measure our leaders. The nine C's are curiosity, creativity, communication, character, courage, conviction, charisma, competence, and finally common sense. Unfortunately most of our leaders today are lacking in more than a few of these areas.
Like many pundits it is easy to point out flaws in the system, but what can we do for solutions? Iacocca ...more
Like many pundits it is easy to point out flaws in the system, but what can we do for solutions? Iacocca ...more
I’ll start off by saying that Iacocca occasionally uses strong language, but not the “F” word. He does not do this excessively, but if this will offend you, read no further.
Iacocca, who comes from a blue collar background, went to college (Lehigh, not some Ivy League school) and prospered as he worked hard and picked up mentors along the way. He supported George W. Bush in the 2000 campaign but became disillusioned during his first term and worked for Kerry in 2004. With that back...more
Iacocca, who comes from a blue collar background, went to college (Lehigh, not some Ivy League school) and prospered as he worked hard and picked up mentors along the way. He supported George W. Bush in the 2000 campaign but became disillusioned during his first term and worked for Kerry in 2004. With that back...more
Though this was a work book club pick, it really wasn't about Iacocca's leadership wisdom from his days with Chrysler - but much more a call to action for picking our nation's leaders. His political bent is definitely liberal and Democratic (similar to mine) but even though at times he really rants and raves - there are some good points as well. I liked the last half of the book better than the first half as he got away from what we need to look for in a political leader and concentrated more on...more
I really enjoyed Iacocca autobiography... this book is simply him ranting into a tape recorder and then having someone type the results. He is constantly name dropping and his love fest with Castro is particularly disgusting to read. One thing that is interesting is that most of the politicians that he believes are "honest and true" are presently under ethics probes and indictments.
I think someone talked him into "writing" a book before he kicks the bucket. It isn...more
I think someone talked him into "writing" a book before he kicks the bucket. It isn...more
Not bad, really just hits home that our country is in need of strong leadership.
If you want to read about the state of the country from one of the "old heads" of this country, this is your book. And I hate to call Iacocca an old head because what he had to say was true. He was on the money. When this crisis hit and all, I had wondered where was he? I was so glad to know that he was living,and that he wrote this book. It is very good. Not the type of book I read, but once I started, he had my interest. When he mentioned the C characteristics, then took all of the '...more
Full disclosure: what I read of this book I found so outrageous, I soon began to skip through many parts, and could not finish.
In 1979, Lee Iacocca "saved" the failing Chrysler Corporation with a massive taxpayer-funded loan, using the justification that Chrysler was "too big to fail". This helped establish the precedent for the criminal TARP bailouts of 2008/2009... So now this clown has the gaul, the hypocrisy, to criticize the current state of things!?
...more
In 1979, Lee Iacocca "saved" the failing Chrysler Corporation with a massive taxpayer-funded loan, using the justification that Chrysler was "too big to fail". This helped establish the precedent for the criminal TARP bailouts of 2008/2009... So now this clown has the gaul, the hypocrisy, to criticize the current state of things!?
...more
When I finished my first two summer novels, I wanted something current. I thought about the Asault on Reason by Al Gore, but I was afraid it might be too technical (dry) or too partisan (not that he doesn't deserve to be angry since HE was elected President, not Bush Jr.) Then I spied this one. I was going to give it to my dad for Father's Day. He'd read a couple of other books by or about Iacoca, he's from Michigan, so I figured he liked it. Well two things happened on my drive down to Phoenix ...more
Are all leaders just self interested power brokers? Lee Iacocca wants us to think that he's different.
Since the book has been out over a year, Lido's predictions are somewhat dated. Yet his argument that we Americans are not outraged enough at our current national trajectory is still on the mark - even though Mr. Iacocca had a visual or verbal role in many of these wrong turns and we should be holding him accountable as well. His protests come off as accurate but a little too lat...more
Since the book has been out over a year, Lido's predictions are somewhat dated. Yet his argument that we Americans are not outraged enough at our current national trajectory is still on the mark - even though Mr. Iacocca had a visual or verbal role in many of these wrong turns and we should be holding him accountable as well. His protests come off as accurate but a little too lat...more
It has been my goal to read books from many different points of view, not necessarily of my own.
What I learned about this book is that Iacocca doesn't like George W. Bush. One of the most disappointing books that I have tried to read. I started reading this a few days ago. I thought maybe he was going to use the Bush criticism to start off his premise of how to define a great leader. I tried to remain open minded as this book was recommended by a friend. As I continued to read today I had ...more
What I learned about this book is that Iacocca doesn't like George W. Bush. One of the most disappointing books that I have tried to read. I started reading this a few days ago. I thought maybe he was going to use the Bush criticism to start off his premise of how to define a great leader. I tried to remain open minded as this book was recommended by a friend. As I continued to read today I had ...more
Nancy Fuller
rated it
Recommends it for:
Everyone should read this book before the November election!
Everyone should read this book before the November election!!!
This book exposes just how far we have strayed from the constitution and good old fashioned American values. We are so brainwashed by the media that we can only see Republican and Democrat. This book favors neither Republican nor Democrat. This book wants us to return to the principles that made this country great.
Here's a quote from the book:
Am I the only guy in this country who is fed up with what is h...more
This book exposes just how far we have strayed from the constitution and good old fashioned American values. We are so brainwashed by the media that we can only see Republican and Democrat. This book favors neither Republican nor Democrat. This book wants us to return to the principles that made this country great.
Here's a quote from the book:
Am I the only guy in this country who is fed up with what is h...more
I flipped through this book while waiting for my daughter to pick out some books for herself. I read Iacocca's autobiography back in the day and found that I kind of liked the guy, but we were really quite far apart politically. I will admit that I bought this book because he trashes George W. in the first few pages and I thought, "Maybe we're not so far apart after all."
I've been feeling queasy about the upcoming presidential election, but I couldn't quite figure out why...more
I've been feeling queasy about the upcoming presidential election, but I couldn't quite figure out why...more
mark
rated it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Concerned citizens/voters.
Shelves:
nonfiction,
relationships
Lee Iacocca was perhaps the man most responsible for CEOs becoming celebrities and super millionaires. He's been retired now for about 15 years and this is his assessment of the state of America. It is a blunt indictment of American culture, the people, AND the leaders. A quote (pg. 205): "You don't have to be a genius to see that a nation full of overeating, pill-popping, TV watching, iPod wired, shopaholic, attention-deficit-disordered people is not going to make it. We could be headed fo...more
Iacocca,the bestselling author and former president of Ford and Chrysler comes out with guns blazing from page one, and never stops until the last page. He is howling on the sad state of leadership in the U.S. He starts with a rundown of sins committed by George W. Bush and his administration, and then moves on to criticize the American auto industry and is furious over the sale of Chrysler to Daimler-Benz.
At age 82, he has seen the U.S. overcome some of its worst crise...more
At age 82, he has seen the U.S. overcome some of its worst crise...more
I probably am a big freak for this, but…I have, in fact, read all three of the Lee Iacocca books. I read the first two because they were in abundance at the local Baltimore Book Thing, and I was curious. This one is typical of what he dishes out in the other two: straight-up, easy to understand opinion and common sense from Lee Iacocca. Say what I might about his sometimes simplistic-sounding advice, but it is hard to argue with success.
Iacocca was the man who worked for Henry Ford, th...more
Iacocca was the man who worked for Henry Ford, th...more
Thought-provoking and surprisingly candid. I particularly enjoyed his dismissive attitude towards the egregious abuses of the foolish Bush administration, his savage critique of the Saudi theocracy, and his discussion of the 9 C's of a successful leader (charisma, character, curiosity about the world, convictions). Perhaps most surprising is his calls for a unified energy policy? Seems strange coming from a guy that fought tooth and nail against CAFE standards for American automobiles.
I enjoyed this book.
Iacocca doesn't address problems in a complex way, but he does use a brief sentence to sum them up, and I agree that many of our problems can be stated simply as a starting point. For instance, if we spend more money than we take in, we have problems. Ta da!
He wrote the book in 2007, and boy, does he hate George W. Bush! However, many of the things Iacocca didn't like in 2007 have continued in the current administration, so I wonder what he thinks now.
He ...more
Iacocca doesn't address problems in a complex way, but he does use a brief sentence to sum them up, and I agree that many of our problems can be stated simply as a starting point. For instance, if we spend more money than we take in, we have problems. Ta da!
He wrote the book in 2007, and boy, does he hate George W. Bush! However, many of the things Iacocca didn't like in 2007 have continued in the current administration, so I wonder what he thinks now.
He ...more
This book is more of a conversational piece consisting of the ramblings and rantings of an 80 year old man than a well-structured and edited book. But I think that made it better -- more passionate and inspired. Plus, this is an 80 year old man I think we should all be listening to because he's filled with experience and knowledge. Being a bit of a car nerd, I was just as excited about the bits of personal insight into the automotive world as I was for his view on the world in general...and i...more
Iococca rather satisfyingly rants against the evils of "Bush and Co.", but his withering tract grows stale when he hypocritically rails against "fat cat CEO's who encourage our addiction to oil and won't give back to their communities" That's pretty rich coming from one of the first and foremost car businessmen of a generation who owns a home in Tuscany and resents having to give his employees health coverage!
I have to admit that I didn’t really know much about Lee Iacocca before I read this book I remember I heard his name in High school or maybe it was in a song, I can’t remember. So I decided to pick it up. I am so glad I did although the book starts out very negative towards the Bush presidential team I can understand that is because Mr. Iacocca is obviously upset with the current direction our country is headed. This is probably the reason he first decided to write this book and as he wrote, ...more
Iococca has an impressive list of life accomplishments and I can only assume his star power was the reason behind publication of this book. His few worthwhile observations and pieces of advice are mostly buried in rants against George W. Bush, vents of personal frustrations, and incoherent ramblings. Fortunately, it was a very quick read :)
Lee Iacocca gives an experienced perspective on what leadership can do for a company and why it is so necessary for our country.
A significant portion is about the crisis with the automakers, which is to be expected given the author. Most of the leadership value from this book comes only if you are a discerning reader. Iacocca gives some answers, but there are leadership lessons that must be deduced as well.
A significant portion is about the crisis with the automakers, which is to be expected given the author. Most of the leadership value from this book comes only if you are a discerning reader. Iacocca gives some answers, but there are leadership lessons that must be deduced as well.
This is the equivalent of sitting down with your grandfather and listening to him dispense pearls of wisdom about the state of the United States. The first two-thirds are really insightful, full of "common sense" that nobody seems willing to talk about or admit to anymore. The final third weakens a bit and becomes more of a rant. Still, some worthwhile things to consider especially as we head into this election season.
The most valuable thing I got from the book was his r...more
The most valuable thing I got from the book was his r...more
This book is great. I like Iacocca's writing style and his very matter-of-fact tone. I love the fact that he calls the leadership of this country out on their ridiculous behavior. I think our government and the leaders of industry need a collective boot in the arse from Lee. I think he'd do it too.
Very interesting perspectives from a true business man. The beginning discusses the most recent election prior to the election so that outdates the book but the rest was his interesting views expressed in a simple but meaningful manner. The book is especially relevant to the car industry happenings today.
This is a very interesting and thought provoking book. Lee Iacocca discusses what used to characterize the American government and some of our outstanding political leaders throughout history. He then compares the past to the current political climate and leaders, and he presents an argument that we have no true leaders anymore. I'm not a huge fan of economics and politics, but I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a real eye-opener as to some of the areas that we as a country are currently ...more
The man could have been the best President we ever had. Lest I get too political I will stop there. His love of our country, his heritage, and the size of the vision he sees for America are all there with no punches pulled,....but isn't that what you would have expected from Lee?
Lee brings up several issues that are currently plaguing many aspects of this country. He has a gripe with just about everything and many times toots his own horn regarding his successes. The book succeeds in pissing you off when confronted with the progress of Corporate America, politics, education, etc.. His point of a lack of true leaders is made, but he fails in pointing out a true direction for people (especially young people) to move towards
becoming better leaders. The only aide...more
becoming better leaders. The only aide...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Politics | 1 | 5 | Jan 31, 2009 10:23am |

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