Out of all the books you've read, which one shaped your leadership philosophy or decision making the most?

Actually mine was "The Long Pursuit" by Richard Haugh.

It was a very well-researched non-fiction account of German Admiral Graf Von Spee in the opening months of World War One.

While it was meant as an exciting story (which it was), it also showed great examples of both good (Von Spee, Craddock) and bad (Sturdee) leadership that really made an impression on me when I first read the book at age 17 and when I read it again 30 years later.

The book was first published in 1969 and is currently out of print, but can occasionally be found on Amazon and elsewhere (link below).

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Pursuit-Richard-Alexander-Hough/dp/B0006BVZJS/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid= [login to see] &sr=1-1-spell&keywords=the+long+pursuit+richard+haugh

I would have to say "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.

"Those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle.They are not brought by him." ~Sun Tzu

Be proactive and get out in front of any situation that has the potential to benefit or harm your team.

I was going to say Maxhiavelli's "The Prince" . . . but truth be told I was far more pervasively influenced by Max Weber's "On Authority" which speaks to four kinds of authority / legitimacy derived political / institutional power . . . (1) charismatic . . . (2) traditional . . . (3) legal-rational bureaucratic . . . and (4) expert authority . . . each of which fits particular source of power / authority specifically characteristic of each leader. Warmest Regards, Sandy :)

I read it quite late in my career, but one that made me think a lot was Starship Troopers (the BOOK, not the pathetic movie).

As a Military Science Instructor, I had my cadets read it and do a book review. It generated some very interesting discussions!

Being a voracious reader, there are many books that influenced my leadership, though. I couldn't begin to list them all here! Starship Troopers by Heinlein was the first that came to mind as being a thought provoking book, considering when it was written.

THE 50TH LAW

Thank you for all the recommendations. I've written them down for future reading.

FM 6-22 Army Leadership... That counts right?

Art of War

Modern Bushido