Synopsis
Drawing on Grant's writings and life experiences during his meteoric rise from tannery clerk to commanding general of over one million men, "Cigars, Whiskey & Winning" presents 250 concise, practical lessons for getting superior performance from the troops, whether military or corporate. An inspiring management treatise torn from the pages of Civil War history, this unique book goes beyond mere 'how-to's' to reveal the character traits, core beliefs, and fundamental values that turn a manager into a leader, whether on the battlefield or in the boardroom. "Cigars, Whiskey & Winning" is a savvy blend of biography, history, and leadership wisdom that will appeal to aspiring business leaders and Civil War buffs alike.
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From the Author
Author's Comments
Cigars, Whiskey and Winning is a different kind of management book. There are no chapters on communication, discipline, empowerment, etc., no lists of management dictums, no acronyms and no jargon. The lessons are short (about a page) and easy reading. I followed Grant’s footsteps from boyhood through the end of the Civil War, and for each incident in his life I developed a practical modern management lesson. Cigars, Whiskey and Winning is also a Civil War source book. We see the war unfold through Grant’s eyes, and we learn the lessons in the sequence that he learned them.
While the lessons are serious stuff, many of them are based on humorous incidents, which keeps the book bright and lively. The first lesson, Bureaucrats Do The Dumbest Things, tells the story of how young Hiram Ulysses Grant arrives at West Point and discovers that he has been registered under the wrong name. The army bureaucrats don’t care what he, his parents, family or friends think his name is, the official government form has his name as Ulysses S. Grant and only if he changes his name to that will he be able to attend.
What makes Grant so fascinating is that he is the embodiment of the American dream. When the Civil War starts, he has known failure and poverty and is living in obscurity. If all he had done was to come out from behind the counter in his father’s leather goods store to lead the Union armies to victory, that would be a great story. But he did more than that, he set a standard for integrity, personal honesty and ethical conduct that deserve to be studied.
Leadership is achieving extraordinary results with ordinary people. I hope that this book helps leaders at all levels to do just that.
About the Author
Al Kaltman has more than thirty years of practical management experience, gained after earning his Ph.D. in political science from George Washington University. He has managed systems departments for two major U.S. companies and one state government, been a group vice president of GEICO Corporation and president and CEO of two companies. He is currently a senior executive vice president of MBNA. Kaltman and his wife of 35 years live in Vienna, VA.
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