Lead Yourself First

Solitude, the authors argue, is a state of mind that leaders throughout history have relied on, and one that handheld devices and constant media are quietly eroding. Raymond M. Kethledge, a judge on a federal appeals court, and Michael S. Erwin, a West Point graduate who served three combat tours, combine historical accounts with firsthand interviews with contemporary leaders. Examples include Martin Luther King finding moral courage alone at his kitchen table during the Montgomery bus boycott, and Jane Goodall using intuition in central Africa as she learned to approach chimps. The book shows how solitude can sharpen clarity, spur creativity, keep emotions balanced and build moral courage, and how to make room for it. Jim Collins wrote the foreword.

Brene Brown endorsed it, writing that she has felt its value as a leader and, as a researcher, seen the power it brings to leaders, and that the authors show how to turn it into a practice.