A Passion for Leadership; Lessons on Change and Reform from Fifty Years of Public Service

New York: Vintage Books, 2017. First Vintage Books Edition [stated]. First printing [printing]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. [14], 239, [5] pages. Index. Signed by author on second front end paper. A characteristically direct and informed assessment of why big institutions are failing us and how smart, committed leadership can effect real improvement. Across the realms of civic and private enterprise alike, bureaucracies vitally impact our security, freedoms, and everyday life. With so much at stake, competence, efficiency, and fiscal prudence are essential, yet Americans know these institutions fall short. Robert Gates having led change successfully at three monumental organizations-the CIA, Texas A&M University, and the Department of Defense-offers the ultimate insider's look at how major bureaus, organizations, and companies can be transformed, which is by turns heartening and inspiring and always instructive. With practical advice on tailoring reform to the culture; effecting change within committees; engaging the power of compromise; and listening and responding to your team, Gates brings the full weight of his wisdom, candor, and devotion to civic duty to inspire others to lead desperately needed change. Robert Michael "Bob" Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American statesman, scholar and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and was Director of Central Intelligence under President George H. W. Bush. After leaving the CIA, Gates became president of Texas A&M University and was a member of several corporate boards. Gates served as a member of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan commission co-chaired by James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton, that studied the lessons of the Iraq War. Gates was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush as Secretary of Defense after the 2006 election, replacing Donald Rumsfeld. He was confirmed with bipartisan support. He continued to serve as Secretary of Defense in President Barack Obama's administration. He retired in 2011. Gates was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, by President Obama during his retirement ceremony. Gates has been elected President of the Boy Scouts of America.