Power Ambition Glory

Based on an extraordinary collaboration between Steve Forbes, chairman, CEO, and editor in chief of Forbes Media, and classics professor John Prevas, Power Ambition Glory provides intriguing comparisons between six great leaders of the ancient world and contemporary business leaders. • Great leaders not only have vision but know how to build structures to effect it. Cyrus the Great did so in creating an empire based on tolerance and inclusion, an approach highly unusual for his or any age. Jack Welch and John Chambers built their business empires using a similar approach, and like Cyrus, they remain the exceptions rather than the rule. • Great leaders know how to build consensus and motivate by doing what is right rather than what is in their self-interest. Xenophon put personal gain aside to lead his fellow Greeks out of a perilous situation in Persia–something very similar to what Lou Gerstner and Anne Mulcahy did in rescuing IBM and Xerox. • Character matters in leadership. Alexander the Great had exceptional leadership skills that enabled him to conquer the eastern half of the ancient world, but he was ultimately destroyed by his inability to manage his phenomenal success. The corporate world is full of similar examples, such as the now incarcerated Dennis Kozlowski, who, flush with success at the head of his empire, was driven down the highway of self-destruction by an out-of-control ego. • A great leader is one who challenges the conventional wisdom of the day and is able to think out of the box to pull off amazing feats. Hannibal did something no one in the ancient world thought possible; he crossed the Alps in winter to challenge Rome for control of the ancient world. That same innovative way of thinking enabled Serge Brin and Larry Page of Google to challenge and best two formidable competitors, Microsoft and Yahoo! • A leader must have ambition to succeed, and Julius Caesar had plenty of it. He set Rome on the path to empire, but his success made him believe he was a living god and blinded him to the dangers that eventually did him in. The parallels with corporate leaders and Wall Street master-of-the-universe types are numerous, but none more salient than Hank Greenberg, who built the AIG insurance empire only to be struck down at the height of his success by the corporate daggers of his directors. • And finally, leadership is about keeping a sane and modest perspective in the face of success and remaining focused on the fundamentals–the nuts and bolts of making an organization work day in and day out. Augustus saved Rome from dissolution after the assassination of Julius Caesar and ruled it for more than forty years, bringing the empire to the height of its power. What made him successful were personal humility, attention to the mundane details of building and maintaining an infrastructure, and the understanding of limits. Augustus set Rome on a course of prosperity and stability that lasted for centuries, just as Alfred Sloan, using many of the same approaches, built GM into the leviathan that until recently dominated the automotive business.

Ambition needs to be rescued and put to work for God's glory. This book will encourage and embolden believers to pursue their dreams with a godly ambition that seeks more for God and from God.

'A book that analyzes what leadership really means and how it relates to power. It will be invaluable for both political and business leaders alike. Nye developed the concept of hard and soft power, and now he shows how best leaders use both in a smart way'. Walter Isaacson, President, The Aspen Institute

Biblical personalities examined include Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Saul, David, Solomon, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jesus, Peter, Paul, and many others.

A woman faces danger on the high seas of another planet—and a mystery that will change her world—in this adventure by the bestselling author of Startide Rising. On Planet Stratos, clans of genetically identical females dominate society. Natural conceptions are permitted, but only in summertime. Girls born this way—known for their despised uniqueness as ‘vars’—must leave their clan homes to pursue their own distinct and hazardous fortunes in this world owned by clones. That time has come for Maia and her sister, Leie, but as variants, they have limited prospects. Worse, when the sisters do find work on trading vessels, Leie is lost at sea. And hence, Maia’s arduous journey commences, accompanied by rumors that something . . . someone . . . has arrived from across the stars, perhaps ending the isolation of Stratos from the rest of humanity. Who would predict that a lonely var might stumble into a powerful secret? One that will challenge everything Maia knows about her society—and threatens the scientifically-engineered balance that holds it all together. “One of the most important SF novels of the year.” —The Washington Post Book World “A rousing adventure story . . . brimming with surprises both wonderful and harrowing.” —The San Diego Union-Tribune “Glory Season offers thrills, chills, political intrigue, and other good scientifictional fun, along with yet another round in the battle of the sexes.” —Locus “Brin’s prose echoes the influence of Asimov, Frank Herbert, and Aldous Huxley. . . . His world is so painstakingly drawn and is splashed with such radiant and varied hues.” —The Christian Science Monitor

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY IAN RANKIN ‘In a class by himself...the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man’s consciousness and anxiety’ William Golding In a small continental country civil war is raging. Once a lecturer in medieval French, now a government agent, D is a scarred stranger in England, sent on a mission to buy coal at any price. Initially, this seems to be a matter of straightforward negotiation, but soon, implicated in murder, accused of possessing false documents and theft, held responsible for the death of a young woman, D becomes a hunted man, tormented by allegiances, doubts and love.

Set amid the glamour and bravado of 1980s Formula 1, The Power and the Glory tells the story of a rivalry unsurpassed in motor-racing history. By the mid-80s Alain Prost had firmly established himself as leader of the F1 pack. Winning Grands Prix almost at will, the French ace radiated invincibility. But then came the emergence of Ayrton Senna, sparking a decade-long battle for supremacy out on the track. Although completely at odds in terms of character and background, the two men were driven by the same burning desire: to become Formula 1's heavyweight champion of the world, its undisputed king. Senna and Prost would both go on to win multiple world championships in what was a golden era for F1 racing. Their Suzuka showdowns of 1988-90 attracted record worldwide audiences and popularized the sport as never before. An intimate portrait of two unique competitors, The Power and the Glory is a supercharged story of acrimony and sheer ambition.