9. Reaching Closure

“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.”

—Henry Ford

During World War II, General Dwight Eisenhower commanded one of the most powerful military forces that had ever been assembled in human history. Under his skilled leadership, the Allied Forces stormed the beaches of France, defeated Hitler’s army, and liberated Europe. Several years later, the American people elected the popular war hero as their president. Naturally, not everyone believed that the retired general would make a smooth transition to the Oval Office. During Harry Truman’s final months in the White House, he reflected on the challenges awaiting his successor: “He’ll sit here, and he’ll say, ‘Do this! Do that!’ And nothing will happen. ...

Get Why Great Leaders Don’t Take Yes for an Answer: Managing for Conflict and Consensus, Second Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.