Leadership and Innovation: A Biographical Perspective on Entrepreneurs in Government

Jameson W. Doig and Erwin C. Hargrove outline a perspective on leadership in government that emphasizes entrepreneurship. They show how government executives' ability to set goals, generate support inside and outside the bureaucracy, and implement innovative ideas-- even at risk to their own careers-- can have a significant impact on their organizations and on society. In this abridged edition, biographical studies of David Lilienthal, Hyman Rickover, James Webb, Nancy Hanks, Robert McNamara, Wilbur Cohen, Robert Ball, and Austin Tobin illustrate a variety of skills and strategies used by effective executives. Doig and Hargrove describe their styles as ranging from "rhetorical leaders" to "entrepreneurial administrators". Yet these diverse leaders share some important traits, including a capacity to see historical opportunity, the ability to mobilize constituencies, and a desire to "make a difference".