Marshall: Lessons in Leadership (Great Generals)

General George C. Marshall was a skillful and compassionate leader with a unique legacy. He never fired a shot during WWII and led no troops into battle―his brilliance was purely strategic and diplomatic, and incredibly effective. He was responsible for the building, supplying, and, in part, the deployment of over eight million soldiers. In 1947, as Secretary of State, he created the Marshall Plan, a sweeping economic recovery effort that pulled the war-shattered European nations out of ruin, and gave impetus to NATO and the European Common Market. It was for the Marshall Plan that he won the Nobel Peace Prize―the only time in history a military commander has ever been awarded this honor.

Marshall's skilled combination of military strategy and politics, emphasis on planning as well as execution, and his expertise in nation-building holds lessons for military and civilian leaders today.

H. Paul Jeffers (1934-2009) was an established military historian and author of seventy books. He worked as an editor and producer at ABC, CBS and NBC, and was the news director at both of New York City's all-news radio stations. Marshall: Lesson in Leadership was his last book.

Alan Axelrod is the author of numerous popular history and historically rooted business and management books, including Bradley and Patton in The Great Generals Series, and the BusinessWeek bestsellers Patton on Leadership and Elizabeth I, CEO. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

General Wesley K. Clark was NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is the author of A Time to Lead, as well as the best selling books Waging Modern War and Winning Modern Wars.