{"product_id":"9780743219495","title":"Eyewitness To Power: The Essence of Leadership Nixon to Clinton","description":"From Nixon to Clinton, Watergate to Whitewater, few Americans have observed the ups and downs of presidential leadership more closely over the past thirty years than David Gergen. A White House adviser to four presidents, both Republican and Democrat, he offers a vivid, behind-the-scenes account of their struggles to exercise power and draws from them key lessons for leaders of the future. \u003cbr\u003e Gergen begins \u003ci\u003eEyewitness to Power\u003c\/i\u003e with his reminiscence of being the thirty-year-old chief of the White House speechwriting team under Richard Nixon, a young man at the center of the Watergate storm. He analyzes what made Nixon strong -- and then brought him crashing down: \u003cbr\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eWhy Nixon was the best global strategist among recent presidents. How others may gain his strategic sense. \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow Nixon allowed his presidency to spin out of control. Why the demons within destroyed him. What lessons there are in Nixon's disaster. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Gergen recounts how President Ford recruited him to help shore up his White House as special counsel. Here Gergen considers: \u003cbr\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eWhy Ford is one of our most underrated presidents. \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy his pardon of Nixon was right on the merits but was so mishandled that it cost him his presidency. Even in his brief tenure, Ford offers lessons of leadership for others, as Gergen explains. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Though Gergen had worked in two campaigns against him, Ronald Reagan called him back to the White House again, where he served as the Gipper's first director of communications. Here he describes: \u003cbr\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eHow Reagan succeeded where others have failed. Why his temperament was more important than his intelligence. How he mastered relations with Congress and the press. \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe secrets of \"the Great Communicator\" and why his speeches were the most effective since those of John Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In 1993, Bill Clinton surprised Gergen -- and the political world -- when he recruited the veteran of Republican White Houses to join him as counselor after his early stumbles. Gergen reveals: \u003cbr\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eWhy Clinton could have been one of our best presidents but fell short. How the Bill-and-Hillary seesaw rocked the White House. How failures to understand the past brought Ken Starr to the door. \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy the new ways in which leadership was developed by the Clinton White House hold out hope, and what dangers they threaten. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cbr\u003e As the twenty-first century opens, Gergen argues, a new golden age may be dawning in America, but its realization will depend heavily upon the success of a new generation at the top. Drawing upon all his many experiences in the White House, he offers seven key lessons for leaders of the future. What they must have, he says, are: inner mastery; a central, compelling purpose rooted in moral values; a capacity to persuade; skills in working within the system; a fast start; a strong, effective team; and a passion that inspires others to keep the flame alive. \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eEyewitness to Power\u003c\/i\u003e is a down-to-earth, authoritative guide to leadership in the tradition of Richard Neustadt's \u003ci\u003ePresidential Power and the Modern Presidents.\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47127050354928,"sku":"9780743219495","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780743219495_p0.jpg?v=1763638810","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780743219495","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}