February is Black History Month and is also President’s Day. This month we look at some great resources from Pubic Sector leaders to honor both. Why not take the time to learn from a new resource this winter or start a book discussion with colleagues? Looking at different perspectives on leadership is a valuable tool for teams.
Black History Month and Public Sector Leaders
“Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.” ~Colin Powell
Can you name fifteen Black civil servants and their contributions to our democracy? Click here to take a look at this curated list from the University of North Carolina’s School of Government. Their list spans party affiliations and includes those in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government as well as key leadership lessons from each individuals career and life path.
President’s Day and Presidential Autobiographies
“The best leader is the one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what they want done, and self restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
Many presidents have put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboards to offer their insights and lessons as a public servant. A few of their works are what we are reading this month. In total 16 presidents have written about their lives and leadership from their own unique perspectives as commander in chief. Recent Presidential autobiographies include works from: Jimmy Carter, A Full Life, Reflections at Ninety; Ronald Reagan, An American Life; Harry Truman, The Autobiography of Harry S. Truman; and Barack Obama, Dreams from my Father a Story of Race and Inheritance.
What We’re Reading:
In honor of President’s Day we are adding several books to the bibliography on our our resources page about presidential leadership. These resources are free to access and we hope you’ll visit our page often when you are searching for books on a variety of public sector leadership topics it can be found here http://www.public-sector.org/publications-and-resources/.