Managing Leadership^®

I was recently tagged by Michael Wade, the Execupundit, to provide a report of the books I’m currently reading or have on my shelf to be taken up in turn. Also, it seems that one of the elements of this assignment is to excerpt the sixth through eighth sentences on page 123 of the currently read book, so I’ll do that also.

Right now I’m reading the rather remarkable Liberal Fascism, by Jonah Goldberg. There certainly is no mistaking his thesis. I am enjoying the book so far, but I must say that while it is fascinating in its own right, it also offers strong evidence for the wisdom of reading widely. In the case of this book, doing so provides one some independent means for assessing his tightly and energetically argued point of view.

Here is the excerpt:

How could it be otherwise, given Wilson’s own warnings about the enemy within? In 1915, in his third annual message to Congress, he declared, “The gravest threats against our national peace and safety have been uttered within our own borders. There are citizens of the United States, I blush to admit, born under other flags . . . who have poured the poison of disloyalty into the very arteries of our national life; who have sought to bring the authority and good name of our Government into contempt, to destroy our industries wherever they thought it effective for their vindictive purposes to strike at them, and to debase our politics to the uses of foreign intrigue.”

There’s a pattern, for you, that keeps reappearing in the fabric of national discourse.

Some of the other books waiting in line (not necessarily in order) are:

• The Logic of Life, by Tim Harford
• Hadji Murad, by Leo Tolstoy
• Retribution, by Max Hastings
• Economic Sophisms, by Frederic Bastiat
• The Great Transformation, by Karen Armstrong

How’s that? Any suggestions?

The next step is to pass the tag along. And here it goes:

• Steve Roesler, at All Things Workplace
• Joe Raasch, of The Happy Burro
• Eric Brown, author of Aligning Technology, Strategy, People & Projects
• Rob Jacobs, of Education Innovation
• Michelle Malay Carter, at Mission Minded Management
• Cam Beck, of ChaosScenario
• Gannon Beck, at The Art of the Three Disciplines

I look forward to discovering new selections!

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Today’s tip: Speaking of intriguing reading, please see this post – entitled Executive Leadership: What is it good for? – from The Word on Employment Law with John Phillips; it uses an interesting context to touch on some topics we concern ourselves with often here.

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Technorati Tags: Michael Wade, Execupundit, book, Jonah Goldberg, wisdom, reading, United States, Tim Harford, Leo Tolstoy, Max Hastings, Frederic Bastiat, Karen Armstrong, Steve Roesler, Joe Raasch, Eric Brown, Rob Jacobs, Michelle Malay Carter, Cam Beck, Gannon Beck, John Phillips