I recently received a complimentary copy of Lead Like Ike to review from Thomas Nelson Publishing. It’s subtitle is “Ten Business Strategies from the CEO of D-Day”.
This book takes a look at the leadership qualities of Dwight D. Eisenhower as he planned and implemented the D-Day invasion that became the turning point of World War II. The interesting approach that Geoff Loftus uses to analyze Ike’s leadership is by looking at the Allied Forces as if they were a corporation competing against another corporation in the form of the German resistance. This analysis provides a unique perspective regarding the interactions and planning phases of the preparations for D-Day.
It is very interesting reading about all of the various strategies and obstacles that were encountered throughout the process. I greatly enjoyed reading about the successes and failures leading up to the invasion and all of the conditions that surrounded Ike as he tried to plan this monumental strike. The author provides a lot of insight into the personal interactions that Ike had with his superiors and his staff throughout the process. While the story was very informative and intriguing, I did feel that the metaphor of the Allied Forces being a corporation was sometimes stretched a little too far. Often it seemed as if it was being forced into the mold instead of being a natural extension. I do believe that the lessons drawn are very relavent to today’s business world however and corporations could learn a great deal from reading this book and following the strategies employed by Ike during this process.