Book Review — LEAD by Dana R. Gordon
Leading, Empowering, and Developing
The Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Communication, character, care, and effort drive success in high-stakes environments.
Executive summary
LEAD is a practical and insightful guide to leadership, empowerment, and personal development, built on real-world experience and clear, actionable principles. In Part One: Leading, the focus is on foundational leadership skills — making a difference, developing others, and understanding your team’s strengths, limitations, and context. It emphasizes the importance of trust, character, communication, and the responsibility of preparing successors. Part Two: Empowering shifts to enabling others through accountability, clear expectations, and effective communication, encouraging problem-solving mindsets and fostering a shared sense of purpose. Through themes of perspective, passion, and cultural relevance, this section highlights how strong leaders motivate and mobilize their teams. Part Three: Developing centers on growth through change, honest feedback, emotional intelligence, and the enduring impact of character. It stresses that leadership is not just about performance, but also about how people are treated and inspired. Across all three parts, the book weaves together leadership lessons with personal anecdotes and cultural references, making it both relatable and memorable.
The content
LEAD is a three-part book consisting of 27 chapters that presents a comprehensive and experience-based approach to leadership, empowerment, and professional development. It guides readers through practical lessons on effectively leading, inspiring others, and continually growing. Each chapter is rooted in principles that apply across various industries and roles, blending the author’s military and aviation leadership experience with everyday leadership wisdom.
Part One: Leading focuses on the foundational mindset and behaviors of strong leaders. It begins with the idea that leadership should always aim to make a difference, both in outcomes and in people’s lives. The concept of “iron sharpens iron” underscores the importance of mutual growth — great leaders grow through collaboration and by surrounding themselves with excellence. Leaders must also take the 30,000-foot view, seeing beyond daily issues to understand the bigger picture and long-term objectives.
Effective leadership also requires understanding the keys to leadership, such as communication, accountability, and authenticity, as well as knowing your team’s capabilities and limitations. Delegation and succession planning are vital, which is why leaders are encouraged to teach their relief — passing on knowledge to ensure continuity. Context is emphasized as critical; what you say and how you say it matters because communication without clarity can lead to confusion. Finally, leaders must model trust, character, and standards, cultivating a culture where everyone has a job to do and contributes meaningfully to the team’s success.
Part Two: Empowering shifts the focus from the leader to those they lead, emphasizing the power of trust and autonomy. Empowerment starts with patience without procrastination — being deliberate without becoming passive. Recognizing effort, such as naming a hard charger of the day, builds morale and motivation. A key theme is the importance of explaining the “why,” which increases buy-in and understanding. Leaders should encourage a mindset of ownership by asking for solutions, not problems, and aligning teams around clear goals.
Real-world leadership involves tough choices, so understanding consequences and repercussions is necessary. This section also explores identity and growth, highlighting that “it ain’t where ya’ from, it’s where ya’ at,” reminding readers that progress matters more than background. Concepts like perspective, passion, and communication are vital for unifying teams, while building consensus — whether in a cockpit or corporate boardroom — is framed as essential to shared success.
Part Three: Developing centers on continuous improvement and resilience. It starts with embracing that change is never bad if it’s needed, encouraging leaders to be adaptive. To maintain high standards, leaders must expect what they inspect — holding people accountable through consistent follow-up. Emotional intelligence is woven throughout, especially in the reminder that they never forget how you make them feel. Skill may get you far, but character always matters more.
Leaders must also be prepared to face and accept challenges head-on and speak with respectful truth rather than opting for superficial harmony. Importantly, leadership should be fulfilling; if you’re not enjoying yourself, you’re doing something wrong. Finally, through competition, effort, and winning, the book celebrates hard work and tenacity, while CRS (Can’t Remember Sh*t) humorously reminds leaders to reflect on their longevity, energy, and ongoing purpose.
In summary, the author delivers a grounded and motivational blueprint for anyone striving to lead with integrity, empower effectively, and grow continuously.
Ten insightful quotes from the book
1. “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” — Page 86
Change requires deliberate action — without it, progress is impossible.
2. “No matter where you are or what you are doing, always set goals for yourself and your organization.” — Page 62
Setting goals fuels momentum and ensures growth for both individuals and teams.
3. “You must learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable.” — Page 72
True growth begins at the edge of your comfort zone.
4. “Never hesitate to ask questions, as ‘the why’ is always the most important thing to get answered if you ever want to learn anything.” — Page 50
Understanding the reason behind actions is key to meaningful learning.
5. “If you sweat the small stuff, the big stuff is never an issue.” — Page 54
Attention to detail prevents larger problems down the road.
6. “Great leaders eliminate the outside noise and make life simple for those who work for them.” — Page 108
Strong leadership brings clarity and focus to teams amid complexity.
7. “If you manage expectations and desired outcomes, managing people…is a piece of cake.” — Page 8
Clarity around expectations makes team dynamics smoother and more effective.
8. “Every single person has a different life experience, and…will often times react differently and provide a different solution based on their previous life-shaping events.” — Page 47
Valuing diverse experiences leads to more thoughtful solutions.
9. “What you say and how you say it when in charge of a group can be interpreted by various people in many different ways, unless you are clear in your delivery, thoughts, and intentions.” — Page 25
Clear communication prevents misunderstandings and keeps teams aligned.
10. “Don’t be afraid to have people in your network who can openly, honestly, and respectfully bring you thoughts, ideas, and options.” — Page 7
Welcoming honest feedback strengthens both personal and professional growth.
The wrap-up: why you should read LEAD
Author Dana Gordon is an accomplished naval officer whose career flying helicopters and commanding one of the Navy’s largest amphibious carriers places him in rare company. Furthering his post-military career at Jacksonville, Florida-based Fanatics, he has led in capacities and at levels that most will never achieve, yet he boils these experiences down to simple learning concepts that are easy to comprehend, digest, and learn from.
If you’re curious about the experiences of senior naval officers, this book is for you. His perspective on extraordinary challenges is unique, and his ability to articulate even the simplest of lessons is noteworthy. If you’re curious about what it means to command a massive warship, LEAD will give you an idea. And if you’re seeking small nuggets of wisdom that resonate, this book is filled with them.
What I most enjoyed about LEAD was how I envision myself on the canvas. Even by separating myself from my experiences as a fellow naval officer, I often asked myself, can I relate to this content, and will others who haven’t served find it understandable? The answer is “yes.” It is absolutely understandable, and if you can think of how you’d apply the countless lessons contained in its pages to your own life’s journey and work, you’ll find the book to be as fulfilling as I did.
About the book’s author
Dana R. Gordon, the author of LEAD, is a former U.S. Navy pilot, ship’s captain, and process improvement engineer, and is a seasoned expert in leadership development. With a multifaceted background in training, mentorship, corporate management, and governmental roles, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his readers. Gordon’s passion for mentoring and leadership shines through his work, making his book a valuable resource for coaches, teachers, executives, and military leaders alike. His unique insights into leadership are universally applicable, making LEAD a must-read for anyone seeking to enhance their personal and professional leadership skills. Regardless of age or education level, readers will find Gordon’s teachings invaluable in their journey to become better leaders.
Follow Dana R. Gordon on LinkedIn
Book details:
Publisher: Dana Gordon (October 8, 2024)
ISBN-13: 979–8822951655
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Reading is one of my passions, and I hope you find this book review insightful! As a leader and educator, I love learning and sharing. With each book I read and summarize, I consider how its content can be applied to teams and organizations, searching for resonant elements such as impactful quotes while discerning who the ideal readers are. I seek opportunities to implement what I’ve learned from each book and share that knowledge to improve myself, my teams, colleagues, peers, and those pursuing personal and professional growth alongside me. I write these reviews partly because I love to read and write, but also to share leadership lessons.
While I often either know the authors personally or have developed a relationship with them post-review, nothing about this process is sponsored or previewed. As the book reviewer, I am not paid to write reviews nor influenced in how I write them. The process requires hours of reading and reflection, making it a significant undertaking, so I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to like my content and subscribe to follow it.
