Where Have All the Leaders Gone - Book Report/Review Example

Where Have All the Leaders Gone Having worked in the automobile industry for a period of forty-five years, Lee Iacocca presents his sentiments concerning the state of leadership in America. The business mogul and author of the book, Where have all Leaders Gone, expresses a lot concerning the mess that America was into during the moment of writing his book and gives hints on the probable solutions. The legendary auto executive asks tough questions that the Americans must address effectively. He asks what every citizen gives back to the nation and why they sincerely love democracy. Are the citizens too satisfied and fat for their sake? Why is the U.S addicted to oil? Do the Americans care for the future of children? Who will rescue the middle class from the looming trouble? These are the hard-hitting questions that the author seeks their answers from the citizens and the leaders of America. Iacocca’s mode of delivering his message was through sharing of his stories with the prominent people whom he met and knew during his lifetime. The stories he shares include the moment he smoked cigarette with Fidel Castro, what lady Sarah said to him when they danced, what Roberts McNamara said to him about success and many more. While confessing that he has flunked retirement, Iacocca calls every citizen to vote, participate actively and choose leaders carefully. With an excellent reputation as a direct shooter, he hopes to provide inspiration to young individuals to take part in the voting process. The approach he takes is surprisingly outspoken on the pressing need to have effective leadership in America. Lee Iacocca angrily writes about the politics and leadership of America. According to him, America lacks proper leadership in the political arena and the field of business. He realizes the fact that America is not reasonably keeping up with the world even in the area of technology that they pioneered. As a former Chief Executive of Chrysler Corporation and Ford Motor Company, he comprehends the elements of good leadership and their significance in building successful business entities in the country. The author recalls some of the leaderships styles of the great presidents and leaders of United States. He reflects on the type of leadership that could inspire people in the past and which could make citizens stand taller. Lincoln does not miss in his discussion as he recalls his resolute and active party. Lee recognizes the loss of Truman and the courageous Populist Party of FDR. At a given instance in the past, the voices of the great leaders revived and lifted citizens up. These voices made people want to perform better. He questioned where such moments went to and doubted the availability of such leaders in the contemporary world. He is quite skeptical about finding such exceptional leaders in the modern America. In Lee’s mind, the test of leadership is to fulfill nine C’s of leadership which he specifies. According to him, a leader must be curious, creative, competent, charismatic, and courageous, have common sense, conviction, be of good character and must be able to communicate effectively. Using his criterion, he evaluates the nature of all the presidential hopefuls including Mitt Romney, John McCain, Joe Biden, John Edwards and Barrack Obama. He has some interesting insights about every candidate both on the negative and positive sides. The author never shies from criticizing the dwindling leadership position of America as a nation. Iacocca perceives America’s role as an international leader is on the weakening trend. According to him American leadership has failed miserably, and he offers a few suggestions for its revival. He advocates that leaders embrace creativity and start thinking about how they can reduce the menace of energy that haunts the nation. Specifically, leaders need to be innovative and should display signs of strong leadership in resolving the issues of power. In addition, Iacocca talks about the future and the current trends in the automotive industry. He notices the enormous problems facing the industry especially the trade imbalance that have adverse impacts on the auto industry. It is agreeable that the days when UAW triumphed are gone, and this applies to most unions. The basic foundation of doing business applies to all unions. Over time, the unions have not changed their strategy, and they no longer serve the interest of the customers. They have failed to revolutionize themselves to meet the prime challenges in the contemporary global marketplace and workforce market. Lessons Learnt Iacocca enlightens everyone about the flaws existing in the American leadership system and politics. It is reasonable to initiate changes in the American systems owing to the changes that the world market is undergoing. The marketplace of the world is too competitive and American traders must consider initiating appropriate change in a quick manner to keep up with the alarming pace. From the negatives noticed by Lee, decisive leadership can be drawn. America must get back to the basics as advised by Lee so that they can get the opportunity to concentrate on the significant factors in re-inventing the role of leaders in the economy of the world. I think that common sense, self-discipline, and honesty can be the most helpful leadership tools for use by the American leaders. Mentors must use these tools to initiate the changes in the contemporary leadership. Additionally, the role of mentors in the political and business arena is significant and should never be undermined. In conclusion, to ensure proper management of the operations of the country, all Americans must take up their roles. The book ends with a mass call to the citizens to take up their arms in the upcoming elections. The meaningful act of taking prompt action is the preservation of democracy and the evaluation of qualities of leadership. The book finally urges everyone to support the course that they believe in to make a difference in the society. We ought to listen, learn and initiate change in ones’ life. Therefore, as people cast their votes, they must take time to examine all the available options and vote wisely! Work Cited Iacocca, Lee A, and Catherine Whitney. Where Have All The Leaders Gone? New York: Scribner, 2007. Print. Read More