Essential: Five Principles That Make Good People Great Leaders

Leadership Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom

Taking on a leadership position is an honor, but all too often, well-intended high performers are thrust into leadership roles with little, if any, preparation. You were chosen for your excellent work, but this does not always guarantee excellent leadership. In the military, leaders are not put in front of their teams until they are well prepared to provide technically, tactically, and ethically sound leadership. Conversely, across the private sector, small- and medium-sized organizations suffer because they lack the resources to develop leaders before they are needed.

Three-star Lieutenant General William Troy bridges this gap by distilling his hard-earned wisdom on what it takes to be a great leader. Through riveting stories from the battlefield to the shop floor to the boardroom, busy leaders can quickly learn from his experiences and the examples of the best leaders he has known. Explore the essential traits of leadership: trust, communication, being a team player, developing your culture, and delivering results. This concise, pragmatic guide exemplifies the core qualities that will help you become the leader you want to be.

William (Bill) Troy is an independent consultant on leadership development and strategy. He teaches leadership and management at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in the Executive Master in Public Leadership program. He has served on the boards of the Old Soldiers Home Foundation, Washington, DC; Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, WI; the Baldrige Foundation, Washington, DC; A2LA, Frederick, MD; and SIMCO, Santa Clara, CA. He has been a commentator for ABC News Online and has given keynote addresses in the United States, China, Europe, and the Middle East. He served as the chief executive officer of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), an international professional society with 68,000 members, from 2014 to 2019. Before being named CEO of ASQ, Troy served for thirty-eight years in the US Army, retiring as a lieutenant general (three stars). His final assignment was as director of Army Staff at the Pentagon. Troy served in Europe, the United States, Asia, and the Middle East. Before his tour as director, he served as commanding general of US Army Alaska, overseeing the combat readiness of 12,000 soldiers and the welfare of 20,000 family members. He has held several significant general officer positions in the US military, including serving as chief of staff for III Corps in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Troy was commissioned in the Infantry from the US Military Academy, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree. He received master's degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School and the Naval War College and was a senior fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. He has been awarded the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Ranger Tab, Master Parachute Wings, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the French National Order of Merit.