Donovan Campbell has built upon the success of his first book, "Joker One," and has turned his focus to examining the nature of effective leadership. "The Leader's Code - Mission, Character, Service and Getting the Job Done" is all about developing a mindset and a heart for servant leadership.
The author uses stories from his own experience in the Marines Corps and in the world of business - sometimes to point to success and at other times to confess to failure on his part to always act like the kind of ideal leader he is advocating for in this book. Campbell's transparency is one of the great strengths of this work.
The organization of the subject matter is logical and helpful. Campbell breaks down effective leadership into its component parts - Mission, Humility, Excellence, Kindness, Discipline, Courage, Wisdom, Virtue. Within each chapter he shares vignettes from the lives of leaders - either as examples to emulate or to avoid. He then offers questions that encourage the reader to engage in personal reflection on t he topic covered in the chapter, and then he caps off the chapter with a succinct summary.
This book is a much-needed addition to the growing stack of books that purport to teach leadership. This author has lived and continues to live what he preaches in the book, which sets it apart from many of the other volumes in this genre.
I recommend this book strongly to anyone who aspires to lead others with integrity and effectiveness. I have been privileged to have known Donovan Campbell since his days as an MBA student at Harvard Business School, from which he graduated with top honors as a Baker Scholar. I have seen him wrestle with both the theory and the execution of the principles outlined in this book. This is not ivory tower theorizing, but real leadership lessons refined in the cauldron of the battlefields of war and of business.
Enjoy
Al
