Author’s Corner

Featured Book


Buy This Book Now +
Finding Waypoints: A Warrior's Journey Towards Peace and Purpose
COL. (Ret.) Greg Gadson and Terese Schlachter
In military jargon, the word “waypoints” refers to guideposts on a map used to direct soldiers in or out of a location like a rendezvous point. For Colonel Greg Gadson― a battalion commander and former West Point football player― who lost both legs as a result of an IED attack in Iraq in 2007, these waypoints were to change drastically, and inform his future life through his long, painful recovery and emergence as a spiritual guide and assistant coach to the NY Giants during their own trials of fire in the 2007 season that took them from last place to a Super Bowl championship in 2008. Soon after, Gadson also starred in a major motion...

Walk in My Combat Boots: True Stories from America's Bravest Warriors
Walk in my Combat Boots is a powerful collection crafted from hundreds of original interviews by James Patterson, the world’s number one best-selling writer, and First Sergeant US Army (Ret.) Matt Eversmann, part of the Ranger unit portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down.

Leadership: 50 Points of Wisdom for Today's Leaders
GEN (Ret.) Rick Hiller
General Rick Hillier’s views on leadership evolved over his three decades as a soldier. Early in his career he watched as many of his superiors made bad decisions. Later he learned at the school of hard knocks as the head of emergency rescue operations in Canada and international task forces in eastern Europe and Afghanistan. Never one to be shy with his opinions, Hillier is as frank and straightforward in Leadership as he is in his #1 bestselling memoir, A Soldier First. For Hillier, leadership is all about people—embracing those you are in charge of and winning over those you need to work with—not about risk aversion or management fads. Leaders think long and have a plan. Their actions speak, not their words, and they make their own luck. But leaders also act out of moral courage, take advantage of crises, accept failure and remain perpetually optimistic. Whether on the front lines of a business or in any situation that requires strong communication and vision, leaders go with their gut and make the tough decisions look easy. Leadership is an inspirational, easy-to-read and, in true Hillier fashion, often humorous collection of fifty principles that will challenge the way you run your business, start a project or take that next step in life.

Athena’s Bridge: Essays on Strategy and Leadership
Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Michael Hennelly, Ph.D.
What do the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and the Disney-Pixar relationship have in common? There are two worlds of strategy and leadership, but most people are only aware of one. This book is designed to be a bridge between these two worlds. As a retired Army officer with a doctorate in strategic management, Michael Hennelly has seen leadership and strategy in military, corporate, and academic environments. In his military career, he qualified as an Army Ranger and served as an Army Strategist. He has worked with four-star generals and Fortune 500 CEOs. The genesis of this book was the seven years he spent teaching strategy and leadership to cadets at West Point - the next generation of Army leaders.

Accomplishing the Impossible: Leadership that Launched Revolutionary Change
Major General (Retired) William Rapp
Accomplishing the Impossible draws contemporary leadership lessons from the events and people that were central to the beginning of the American Revolution. Retired general, scholar, educator, and Thayer faculty, Major General (Retired) William E. Rapp, applies the historical lessons from the American Revolution to the unique challenges faced by today's business and public sector leaders and, in turn, inspires today's leaders to view contemporary leadership and change management through a fresh lens. The compelling stories in Accomplishing the Impossible teach readers not only how to identify and grow effective leaders to maximize the potential of their organizations, but also how to become better leaders themselves.

No Greater Honor: Lessons From My Life As A Soldier
Major General (Retired) N. Lee S. Price
No Greater Honor is a fascinating look at leadership principles from the perspective of a retired Major General in the US Army, one of the few women to have achieved that rank. The advice she offers is based on her own experience but is also applicable to other industries. She shares the lessons she learned from almost 40 years uniform. Her stories capture the opportunities she seized and the struggles she faced as she rose through the ranks from Private First Class to Major General.

The "X" Factor: Sustaining Personal and Organizational Xcellence
Major General (Retired) Keith Thurgood, Ph.D.
Leadership: /ˈlēdərˌSHip/ noun , the action of leading a group of people or an organization: different styles of leadership; the state or position of being a leader: the leadership of the party. A “noun”, really? For a word or idea that has had more written about it than virtually any other subject, it’s puzzling to understand why the world is full of leaders, but few are leading. I'll be the first to admit that what the world probably doesn't need is another book about leadership and change management. In fact, if you do a search on the internet using “leadership” or “leadership related” words, the search results in excess of 166 million sources of leadership and millions more references about leadership ideas, definitions and constructs. Warren Bennis stated the most important single underlying issue that we face today is a crisis in leadership. We write about it because we need it. Because leaders are critically important in sustaining excellence, it has a multiplicative impact on Xcellence or the X Factor. The X Factor is the combination of effective leadership, performance and organizational or personal health. All three of these capabilities are needed and must be developed and balanced to sustain Xcellence. It is the right combination of these three concepts that drive results, improve performance and grow leaders…in short, it is how individuals and organizations sustain Xcellence.

Leadership Xcellence: The Heart of Leadership Is Not Business, It's Personal
Major General (Retired) Keith Thurgood, Ph.D.
To make significant progress, you must be willing to make changes and move forward on your personal path to "becoming" a great leader. Yes, leadership is about influence and bringing others along with you, but you will discover that the heart of great leadership is not necessarily about activity. It is about "becoming" the kind of leader that you know you should be. Leadership Xcellence is a tool that provides the right direction and azimuth regardless of where you are today.

Two Wars: One Hero's Fight on Two Fronts-Abroad and Within
Nate Self
Former army ranger Nate Self, a hero from the Robert’s Ridge rescue in Afghanistan, tells his whole story―from the pulse-pounding battle in the mountains of Afghanistan to the high-stakes battle he has waged against post traumatic stress disorder. This book will become a go-to book for understanding the long-term effects of the war on terror. Thousands of families are fighting this battle, and Nate opens up his life―including his successes, tragedies, struggles with thoughts of suicide―to show how his faith and his family pulled him through. Includes 8 pages of color photos.

Leading with Character Vol. 2, Lessons in Leadership - George Washington and the Newburgh Conspiracy
Colonel (Retired) Sean Hannah, Ph.D.
In 1782-1783 at the end of the Revolutionary War, a series of little known but highly significant events occurred at the Continental Army’s final winter campsite near Newburgh, New York.  The cantonment itself, located slightly inland from the Hudson River in an area called New Windsor, was some fifty miles north of New York City, the main base of British operations and forces, as the war was coming to an end. 

Leadership: Taking the High Road
Brigadier General (Retired) Jack H. Grubbs, Ph.D.
Leadership: Taking the High Road looks at good leadership and poor leadership, emphasizing those principles and actions needed for success at any level of leadership. Whether you are a CEO of a multibillion dollar corporation or working in the mailroom, read this book. It should end up with penciled notes in the margins and often used, smudged pages.

The Strong Leader's Hand: 6 Essential Elements Every Leader Must Master
Major General Dan York, U.S. Army Reserves
A must read volume on the qualities and characteristics that make leaders great, and how to maximize these essential elements in your life.

Conversations With Major Dick Winters (Life Lessons From The Commander Of The Band Of Brothers)
Colonel (Ret.) Cole Kingseed
On the hellish battlefields of World War II Europe, Major Dick Winters led his Easy Company—the now-legendary Band of Brothers—from the confusion and chaos of the D-Day invasion to the final capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest.  But Winters’s story didn’t end there.  It was only the beginning.

Leadership in Dangerous Situations
By Colonel (Retired) Pat Sweeney, Ph.D.
Whether a young soldier, seasoned combat commander, SWAT team leader, EMT supervisor, law enforcement patrol unit leader, or fire department lieutenant, those involved in life-and-death situations face common challenges, and the authors draw on their own experiences and that of others to help first responders effectively function in dangerous environments. Offering the wisdom of practitioners from the military, law enforcement, fire and rescue, as well as prominent scholars, this guide integrates theory and research with practical experience to help the reader prepare for the unique psychological, social, and physical challenges of leading in dangerous contexts. 

Hope Unseen: The Story of the U.S. Army’s First Blind Active-Duty Officer
By Captain Scotty Smiley
Captain Scotty Smiley, TLDG Keynote Speaker and Author, Hope Unseen: The Story of the U.S. Army’s First Blind Active-Duty Officer, where Scotty chronicles his challenges and triumphs.

Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam
By Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) John Nagl
Invariably, armies are accused of preparing to fight the previous war. In Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife, Lieutenant Colonel John A. Nagl—a veteran of both Operation Desert Storm and the current conflict in Iraq—considers the now-crucial question of how armies adapt to changing circumstances during the course of conflicts for which they are initially unprepared.

To Lead Is To Serve - A Practitioner's Handbook on Servant Leadership
By Len Marrella (USMA '57)
A Practitioner's Handbook on Servant Leadership TO LEAD IS TO SERVE is a practical and “user-friendly” discussion of the key concepts and principles that guide the decisions and actions of successful servant leaders. It addresses the essential elements of effective, transformational, and inspirational servant leadership.

Basic - Surviving Boot Camp and Basic Training
By Colonel (Retired) Jack Jacobs
In addition to his Medal of Honor, Colonel Jack Jacobs (Ret.) is the recipient of three Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars, and two Purple Hearts. He is the Vice Chairman of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, holds the McDermott Chair of Humanities and Public Affairs at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and is an on-air analyst for NBC News. Colonel Jacobs is also the author of the Colby Award–winning memoir If Not Now, When? He lives in New Jersey.

Building Leaders the West Point Way
By Major General (Retired) Joe Franklin
General Joseph P. Franklin (Ret.) believes almost everything that he is as an adult can be traced back to his days at West Point, where he was not only a cadet but an instructor, football coach, and eventually Commandant of Cadets.

If Not Now, When? Duty and Sacrifice in America’s Time of Need
By Colonel (Retired) Jack Jacobs
With candor, humor, and quiet modesty, COL Jack Jacobs tells his stirring story of heroism, honor, and the personal code by which he has lived his life, and expounds with blunt honesty and insight his views on our contemporary world, and the nature and necessity of sacrifice.

Key To The Northern Country: The Hudson River Valley in the American Revolution
Edited By Colonel (Retired) James M. Johnson, Ph.D.
Offers nearly forty years of interdisciplinary scholarship on the Hudson River Valley’s role in the American Revolution.The Hudson River Valley, which George Washington referred to as the “Key to the Northern Country,” played a central role in the American Revolution. From 1776 to 1780, with major battles fought at Saratoga, Fort Montgomery, and Stony Point, the region was a central battleground of the Revolution.

24/7: The First Person You Must Lead Is You
By Brigadier General (Retired) Becky Halstead
The real-life experiences portrayed in 24/7: The First Person You Must Lead is YOU are told with a combination of introspective humor and heart-wrenching candor that will inspire you to consider your approach to leadership from a new perspective-you. The stories shared in this book illustrate leadership principles that transcend age, gender, race, and profession. Whether a corporate CEO or a high school student, Becky’s personal leadership journey will capture your attention and cause you to re-evaluate how you define leadership.

On the Edge: The Art of High-Impact Leadership
By Alison Levine
On the Edge is an engaging leadership manual that provides concrete insights garnered from various extreme environments ranging from Mt Everest to the South Pole. By reflecting on the lessons learned from her various expeditions, author Alison Levine makes the case that the leadership principles that apply in extreme adventure sport also apply in today's extreme business environments.

In Search of Ethics: Conversations with Men and Women of Character
By Len Marrella, Ph.D.
The third edition of this best-selling book provides additional material that has made it so popular: additional new interviews, updated data and statistics, and new chapters dealing with character building.

West Point Leadership: Profiles of Courage
By Daniel Rice (USMA '88) & LTC John A. Vigna (USA, Ret.)
The most unique book ever published highlighting West Point graduates who have shaped our world. This book has over 200 biographies and over 2,000 unique photos from history highlighting heads of state, generals, Medal of Honor recipients, astronauts, politicians, captains of industry, scholars and other leaders.

Developing Your Philosophy of Living & Leading: One Moment at a Time
Brigadier General (Retired) Maureen LeBoeuf, Ed.D.
BG (Ret.) Maureen K. LeBoeuf shares the stories that have affected not only how she lives her life, but also how she overcame obstacles, broke through barriers, and grew to become an unexpected yet outstanding leader starting at a very early age. The stories told are of success, failure, almost quitting, leading, sadness, regrets, pride, following, fear, sexual harassment, tough love, and setting standards. Using all of these moments that mattered, Maureen developed and wrote a leadership philosophy used when she became the Director and Head of the Department of Physical Education (DPE) at the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point. She was the first woman to chair a department in the history at USMA, bestowing her the historic title, The Master of the Sword. Her leadership philosophy is shared and brought to life with stories about the way in which it was lived.

Thayer + YOU

To learn more about our programs contact us at 845.385.5300, ext. 1200