Cigars, Whiskey and Winning: Leadership Lessons from General Ulysses S. Grant

Long before leadership became identified as the catalyst for corporate success, the Civil War's winning general was showing the world how dynamic leadership is the crucial determinant of victory or defeat.Ulysses S. Grant never sought fame of glory, nor did he try to tie his performance to personal reward. Instead, he concentrated on contribution and service. He looked upon being given increased responsibility not as increasing his power, but as increasing his ability to get the job done. "The great thing about Grant...is his perfect correctness and persistency of purpose." (Abraham Lincoln)

In this masterful retelling of Grant's story, Al Kaltman draws on Grant's writings and life experiences to present a series of practical lessons on how to get superior performance from the troops.

Going beyond mere "how-to's", Cigars, Whiskey & Winning deals with character traits, core beliefs, and fundamental values to reveal the secrets to becoming a winning leader that are as much about "who to be" as "what to do". And there isn't a chart, table, or checklist in sight-just a handy index of lessons for ready inspiration on demand.

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.