Читать книгу The Art of the Possible: Create an Organization With No Limitations - Daniel M. Jacobs - Страница 5

I cherished the privilege of serving our Country as a member of the United States Air Force for thirty-five years. It’s hard to explain why I had this passion for the Air Force to those who did not have the same opportunity. I often try to use a sports analogy and reference the great years of the Boston Celtics and their legendary coach Arnold “Red” Auerbach. Coach Auerbach made individual stars play as a team. In one eulogy, he was described as “a master tactician, amateur psychologists, and a shrewd judge of talent, whose intelligence and strong acerbic personality kept him in complete control of his team and usually two or three steps ahead of the opposition.”

Upon reaching military retirement, I was led to a magnificent employee-owned company, DynCorp, who had as one of their business consultants, Dan Jacobs. Dan was teaching a course in program management which I decided to monitor. It only took me a few minutes to exclaim to myself that Dan Jacobs was using Red Auerbach’s play book. He wasn’t just preaching the fundamentals of program management; he was teaching this class how to be a team. I knew immediately that a company that recognized the talents of a master teacher like Dan Jacobs was a company that I could unequivocally support.

Like everything else he touches, Dan Jacobs helped DynCorp achieve a remarkable record of employee satisfaction and enviable business growth. The readers of this book will get the benefit of his expertise and should come away with a renewed sense of self focus if they follow these seven principles of leadership. Dan makes these seven “best practices” plain because he is a life- long practitioner of the art of leadership. Those of us who have been in the military and have had the experience of being part of the “profession of arms” know that leadership is expected, found and nurtured at all ranks.

In this brilliantly simple book, Dan integrates these seven best practices into a cohesive pattern that will support the beginning employee and refine the talents of the seasoned executive if carefully followed.

I had the privilege of working and traveling with Dan on important business opportunities during which we challenged our audiences with thinking out of the box to get to their objectives. During these engagements, I saw Dan’s leadership in action. As a leader, Dan does three things extremely well, he TRUSTS, he LISTENS, he THANKS. As you read this book, you’ll find these and other qualities threaded into a very cohesive web of excellence.

Thank you, Dan, for writing this down and sharing what you know with others. This book puts a little science into the art of the possible!

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Author’s Note:

Lt. General John J. Fairfield, a legendary leader, is rated as a pilot, navigator and bombardier. Included in his many decorations and awards is the “Order of the Sword” from Air Force Non- commissioned Officers which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the enlisted corps. Other recipients include Bob Hope, Gen. Curtis LeMay and Casper Weinberger. John practices The Art of the Possible.