LEARN HOW TO LEAD TO WIN

A retired U.S. Navy admiral shares dozens of leadership stories in this debut self-help manual.

In a nonfiction work aimed at helping readers reach their full potential, Manazir first assures them that they’re likely already involved in leadership: “If you have one employee relying on your lead, you are a leader,” he writes. “If you are a grandparent and you have grandchildren observing your every move, you are a leader.” The author relates several stories about times in his own career in which he confronted leadership challenges, and then he draws lessons from them. “I want to inspire you to get back up from your defeats,” he writes, “mark the moment, learn a valuable and life-changing lesson, and then continue on your quest to lead and win.” Manazir relates anecdotes from many periods of his long career, including his nervousness over being admitted to the Naval Academy in the 1970s and his bruising experiences during SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training, and he threads in specific pieces of advice along the way: “You cannot always control the outcome, but you can always control your attitude,” “learn to be a team player,” or “be clear on the why of the vision and the why of the mission,” are just a few terse examples. Overall, Manazir’s writing is vigorous and passionate. However, experienced readers of motivational literature will find this book’s bromides to be very familiar. There’s also a frustrating sense that these yarns from the author’s 36 years of service could have yielded more pointed advice than, for instance, “think ahead.” Nevertheless, his strong reminder to readers—that if they have any kind of influence, they’re a leader—will have value to those who may feel powerless.

A generally engaging, if overly pat, leadership guide from an experienced commander.