Becoming a Leader the Annapolis Way

by W. Brad Johnson, Greg P. Harper

Battle-proven, step-by-step guidelines for instilling leadership in anyone, in any business Today, more than ever, businesses need leaders with a rare blend of strength, capability, and integrity. Unfortunately, they're not always easy to come by. Becoming a Leader the Annapolis Way details how the U.S. Naval Academy builds quality leaders from the ground up, instilling in them the habits and tools required for outstanding leadershipin any pursuit. Using real-life vignettes and examples of USNA graduates who experienced breakthrough success in combat, government, and business, this timely book looks beyond just the military aspects to

Genres: Leadership, Professional Development

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2004

About the author

W. Brad Johnson is Professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a Faculty Associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. A clinical psychologist and former commissioned officer in the Navy’s Medical Service Corps, Dr. Johnson served at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Pearl Harbor where he was the division head for psychology. He is a recipient of the Johns Hopkins University Teaching Excellence Award, and has received distinguished mentor awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychological Association. Dr. Johnson is the author of numerous publications including 14 books, in the areas of gender in the workplace, mentoring, cross-gender allyship, professional ethics, and counseling. His most recent books include: Good Guys: How Men Can Become Better Allies for Women in the Workplace (Harvard Business Review, 2020, with David Smith), Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women (Harvard Business Review, 2016, with David Smith), The Elements of Mentoring (3rd edition, St. Martin;s Press, with Charles Ridley), and On Being a Mentor (2nd edition, Routledge Press).
wbradjohnson.com
workplaceallies.com

Reviews

[Ella Bobbick]

This book is built from the leadership curriculum at the United States Naval Academy. I wanted to know what the schools actually mean by leadership instead of guessing from movies.
What I learned
The first surprise was that Annapolis does not start with “be in charge.” It starts with follow first. You learn to take orders well, keep commitments, and put shipmates first before anyone hands you a title. The book also says leadership is taught on purpose. The school of hard knocks is not enough. If you want good leaders, you prepare them: oaths, honor, drill, stress in small doses, and more responsibility over time. Character is a crucible, not a speech. Honor is not a poster on the wall. It is what you do when a shortcut would be easy. Success is in the drill. That is Atomic Habits in a uniform. You do the small correct thing so many times that it is there when you are tired or scared. Lead by example, because people copy what you do, not what you announce. IQ is not enough. You also need emotional control, loyalty, and the ability to care about the people next to you. The three D’s of empowerment were practical: decide, delegate, and then get out of the way so other people can grow. Vision has levels: what I want for myself, what the team needs, and what the mission is for. Stress inoculation means I should practice hard things now so I do not meet pressure for the first time at an academy or in a cockpit.