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The Power of the Commonplace |
Posted: 05/30/2008 |
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One of the aspects of my book that I'm most pleased with is the emphasis on and use of the commonplace. Readers will quickly begin to recognize places, items, and situations that are common to their lives. I want this commonplace feel of my book to accomplish a couple of things. The reader will likely feel more pulled into the flow of the narrative, and will also perceive the ordinary with a greater sense of appreciation and understanding. If these two goals can be achieved, I will be quite satisfied.
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Early Feedback from Readers |
Posted: 05/29/2008 |
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Emails have been arriving at a steady pace since the book's release. I'm grateful--and relieved--to report that readers agree the book flows and moves well in the narrative. I was hopeful that people could read it during a long plane ride or over a couple of afternoons. It looks like I've hit the target, at least in this case.
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It will drive the academic historians crazy |
Posted: 05/15/2008 |
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Here's something you might not know. Academic historians--those who teach in colleges and universities--tend to think that history must be approached strictly on the terms and merits of whatever past time you're studying. They are horrified when someone tries to link the current day to the historical day. Up to a point, I can agree with them. You can't judge a man or woman of the past according to standards, customs, and habits of a completely different culture and society. Notice my words--up to a point. Beyond that point, I probably drive most of the academic historians crazy with my belief that it's fitting, proper, and necessary (vital!) to try to learn from the past. Learning from history is at the heart of my belief in historical applications. This attitude permeates my book, A Tragic Turn.
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The most important lesson in the book |
Posted: 05/14/2008 |
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I'll be interested in learning what you think is the most important point in the book. I wrote it with the hope that you'll find ideas and techniques which you can use in your own leadership. Most of us would agree, I think, that leadership in a crisis setting is unique. It's doubly so when the crisis occurs far from your reach as a leader and you are essentially reduced to passive reaction at a distance. You'll likely see some familiar ground between yourself and the experiences of the six leaders in A Tragic Turn.
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The genesis of the book |
Posted: 05/13/2008 |
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<In my work at Historical Solutions LLC, I feature several leadership sessions using aspects of Martin Luther King's life. One of my standard tools in them is to conclude the sessions with a reply of Robert Kennedy's speech of April 4, 1968. Invariably, I stand back and watch the reactions of my participants. Nine times out of ten they are gripped with the drama of that historic moment.
I gradually began to reflect on that night in Indianapolis. I became especially fond of what I'll call the "miniaturist" trend in history writing and thought I could apply the same thing here. I needed a different angle and when Carol Olson, one of my alumni, approached me with the story of her memories of that night, I knew I had found it. It struck me that her recollections touched on a leadership moment every bit as profound (in a personal way) as what Kennedy said and did. After researching and writing A Tragic Turn, I'm even more convinced of that point.
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