The DNA of Leadership
Leadership is All About People
by Dick Abel

Brigadier General Dick Abel, USAF (Retired), is an internationally known speaker on family values, military affairs, and moral leadership. During his 30 year career he served three 4-star admirals and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Dick has served on U.S. Olympic committee, was the National President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Executive Director of the Military Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. He has spent a lifetime serving service members and their families who are focused on protecting the freedoms and way of life we enjoy in America.

Foreword by Richard B. Myers, General, U.S. Airforce, Retired

The leadership environment of today is as challenging and demanding as it's ever been. The margin for error is narrow and the world unforgiving of poor performance. Whether it's national security concerns, economic worries, or the environment, we have many difficult issues and decisions ahead. Some of the most critical issues won't wait as time, in many cases, isn't on our side. In the beginning of the 21st Century we need one thing for sure if we are to succeed--and that's strong leadership. And strong leadership means leaders with great character.

Great character can be defined in many ways. I think most people agree that it means leaders with great integrity. Men and women who do what they say they'll do and have the courage to always do what they think is right. It also means we need leaders who are serving selflessly, serving something bigger than themselves. In addition, our rapidly changing environment means our leaders must be able to think agilely and flexibly about new ideas.

Dick Abel does a beautiful job of talking about "strong" leadership--leadership that emphasizes character as the basis of motivating people to get things done. He also does a wonderful job talking about eighteen principles of successful leaders and makes these principles come alive so you can learn and measure yourself against them. There isn't such a thing as a cookbook on how to be a good leader, but The DNA of Leadership comes as close as anything I've read.

If you are leading people today or have the aspiration to lead people in the future, this book is a must for you. It does not matter what your previous leadership experience has been, the fact is you will gain insight and confidence from reading The DNA of Leadership. If current and future leaders embrace the concepts outlined in Dick Abel's work, we'll be empowering and treating people in a way that will make us more productive and happy. And in the end the world will be a better place.

By Richard B. Myers
General, US Air Force, Ret.
Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

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