Counterinsurgency is a situation with the most complex human dynamics imaginable. This makes it a great backdrop against which to study the utility of leadership. In A Question of Command, Mr. Moyar explores each of the counterinsurgencies the United States has encountered, from the Civil War to the present, and makes a compelling argument that the greatest decisive factor in each was leadership. He analizes leadership in terms of 10 attributes, which are fundamental to counterinsurgency leadership. We recommend this book as the #1 book we have encountered in our study of values based leadership. Its content provides perspective and teaches the reader to view circumstances clearly in terms of leadership.

This classic leadership book written in 1921 remains a potent lesson in leadership. Its message is undiminished by the passage of time. At its core, it teaches that in order to have "go-getter" employees, it is necessary to frequently, aggressively, and progressively try to test the extent of an employee’s capacity. Once an employee is measured and quantified, it is imperative to invest in targeted development to magnify that capacity.  In order to be a “go-getter” employee, it is necessary to be loyal and to plan, prepare for, and accept only success. The book is short enough to read in one sitting, with impact bound to endure. "You get nothing for nothing."

John Adams was unique among the foundering fathers. Born to a cobbler, he did not come from money or property, and therefore llacked the social connections many of his peers enjoyed. He was not charismatic or physically impressive. In these and all other ways, his position in life gave no hint of the contributions he would make in wisdom, diplomacy, and political action to the American Revolution. In this biography, David McCullough does a great job of capturing the principled, disciplined, and patriotic drive by which John Adams gained his education, found success as an attorney, gained influence as a representative in the Continental Congress, negotiated for foreign aid as a diplomat, became the first Vice-President of the United States of America, and finally the second President of the United States of America. Every page is rich with inspiring detail that expands the reader's understanding of what it means to be a values based leader.

A quote from this dual biography, in the words of John Adams: “Oh! Heaven grant us one great soul! One leading mind would extricate the best cause; from the ruin which seems to await it…One active, masterly capacity would bring order out of this confusion and save this country.” This statement is as true today as it was then, and the “great soul” that, more than any other, extricated America from the disaster of the Revolutionary War was George Washington. George Washington was also both mentor to, and beneficiary of, the greatest soul of the French Revolution, Lafayette. Mr. Gaines writes a history of both of these great lives, as well as both of these revolutions. He deals particularly well with the motivations that drove these men to greatness and the attributes that made them great. This work also includes a section on the origin of U.S. Military doctrine and its founder, Friedrich von Steuben. His insight into the motivation of the American Soldier led him pioneer a unique philosophy of military leadership that is the foundation of the U.S. Military’s strength to this day. In his own words, “Citizen-Soldiers are motivated most powerfully not by fear but by love and confidence—love of their cause, confidence in their officers and in themselves.” This book is an epic of great leadership that cannot fail to benefit any study of the topic.

Captain D. Michael Abrashoff took command of the USS Benfold in June 1997 and commanded it for 20 months, which included train-up, deployment to the First Gulf War, and redeployment. When Captain Abrashoff took command of the USS Benfold, which was commissioned a year previous, it was suffering the impact of a poor command climate. This Captain transformed his ship into the “Best Damn Ship in the Navy” by giving ownership to and empowering his crew. He tells the story of his ship’s triumph through a series of short antidotes about applied leadership, and assessment of its results. The product is a book about leadership that reads like a history. Captain Abrashoff realized his people’s unlimited capacity for achievement by investing in them.  We recommend this book as an entertaining means to improving the way one works with people in all capacities: family, church, social, and professional.

Harry S. Truman inherited the presidency upon the death of one of the most popular presidents in history, Franklin D. Roosevelt, during the climax of one of America’s greatest struggles. He made the difficult decisions that brought World War II to a close with the bang of nuclear power. He propelled George C. Marshall, the nation’s best, but least known, General, to the success that won him a Nobel Peace Prize and fired the nation’s best known general, Douglas MacArthur, for the insubordination that nearly brought on World War III. These and other big decisions were unpopular when made, but indisputably correct in hindsight. He was the man for the moment, and he was a values based leader. It was against his principles that he measured his actions, and not against popular opinion. He was a leader that gained his perspective by a lifetime of studying finliterature and serving the public he loved. David McCullough did a spectacular job in this biography of providing insight into the life experiences that shaped President Truman. This read is another must in a study to understand what it means to be a values based leader.

A remote, illiterate village in South Africa is seldom the Mount Vernon of enlightened world leaders. Nelson Mandela is the exception. He rose by determined, resolute effort and adherence to principles, to lead his people from a state of awful oppression to forgiving partnership with their former oppressors. In doing so he spent nearly two decades in a brutal prison, saw his family destroyed, and even risked his unity with the other leaders of his cause, yet when he reached the panicle of this “long walk to freedom,” he held no malice. He led South Africa as President, uniting both white and black citizens in national pride. His Autobiography is extremely powerful and compelling, a testimony of the true power of loving values based leadership. In his own words, his frame of mind when he closed this work was, “I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk in not yet ended.”

No study of values based leadership in literature would be complete without a work on Abraham Lincoln. This biography by Ronald C. White, Jr. is a great choice of texts with which to start. He writes a very respectful, honest, and complete record. President Lincoln also rose from humble beginnings to take his place in history. He loved literature and writing and grew to become, arguably, the best writer and orator of all the American Presidents.  He led his nation through great tumult and was the fiber that preserved it, united.  He was the quintessential values based leader. In his own words, “Do they really think the right ought to yield to the wrong? Are they afraid to stand by the right? Do they fear that the Constitution is too weak to sustain them in the right? Do they really think that by right surrendering to wrong, the hopes of our Constitutions, our Union, and our liberties, can possibly be bettered?" This plea of values based leadership could not be stated more clearly. “Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.”

Theodore Roosevelt wrote his autobiography after his service as President of the United States. It is very much a public relations piece. It was intended to benefit his Progressive Party and help him realize his dream of a second tenure as President. It is his story as he wanted the world to see it. He leaves out all semblance of weakness and presents himself as the man’s man. He includes explanations of some of his past actions that he felt were misunderstood. He makes detailed statements of the Progressive Party Line. In the end, the strongest and most valuable content he provides in his autobiography is a statement of what a values based public servant should be. Theodore Roosevelt’s prose is bold and elegant, providing a very readable text. This autobiography is a must in any study of Theodore Roosevelt. How better to get to know him than to read his story in his words?

- Neal A. Maxwell was a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, better known as the Mormons. He served in this capacity from 1981 until his death in 2004. He was well known in the Church for his clarity and depth of expression as an orator and writer. In A More Excellent Way, Elder Maxwell shares a series of essays on leadership that focuses on love as the key ingredient of values based leadership. His insights have amazing breadth and depth. Some notable highlights are a section on leadership lessons that can be learned from Christ’s actions in scripture, and another section on leadership traits taught by scripture. He includes a valuable section on things that block change and improvement and things that spur change and improvement. A collection of insights on values based leadership as potent and well-written as this should not be overlooked by any student of the topic.