Memo to a New President The Art and Science of Presidential Leadership

by Genovese, Michael A.

• ISBN13: 9780195332452
• ISBN10: 0195332458
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-03-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

So you've gotten yourself elected president--now what? Help is here in the form of an imaginary memo from your former professor, who integrates the works of the great thinkers (Aristotle, Plato, Machiavelli, etc.) with contemporary scholarship to address the strengths, limitations, and possibilities of presidential leadership. Michael A. Genovese, a highly esteemed presidential scholar, culls numerous nuggets of wisdom about presidential leadership, including past presidents, condensing detailed and academically grounded insights into an engaging and entertaining read. All essential topics are covered, including: presidential character and personality; political institutions and opportunities; power versus leadership; and sources of and limits to presidential power. In-depth coverage of crisis management and wartime decision-making are unique strengths of the book. Chapters are brief and concise, making Memo to a New President far more interesting than supplements such as case studies or documents. Genovese's presentation allows readers to identify with the various constraints on America's chief executive and gives them an opportunity to apply their knowledge and preconceptions (often misconceptions) to the political realities that presidents routinely face. Students are left to grapple with a central question of the book: Is an effective presidency possible without undermining the essence of a democratic republic?

Table of Contents

Introduction

To the New President

The World's Most Exclusive Club: The Modern Presidents

Defining Leadership

Power and Leadership

Presidential Greatness

Self-Knowledge

The Skilled Leader

The Personality and Character of the Leader

The Uses of Emotion

The Moral Universe of Leaders

Mistakes Happen and Happen and Happen

Vision

The Presidential Voice

Your Family

System Knowledge

The Paradoxes of the American Presidency

Levels of Political Opportunity

The Importance of the Transition

Political Timing and the Honeymoon

You and the People

Shaman and Symbol

Management

Dealing With the Pesky Congress

Facing the Courts and the Rule of Law

The Media and You

Party Leadership

World Knowledge

Dealing With an Interdependent World

Crisis Management

War

Going Beyond the Law in a Dangerous World

Conclusion: The Purposive Leader

Leading Change

The Ends of Good Governance

Phronesis

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.