Sailing True North

Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character

By: James Stavridis USN

Narrated by: Marc Cashman, James Stavridis USN

From one of the most distinguished admirals of our time and a former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, a meditation on leadership and character refracted through the lives of ten of the most illustrious naval commanders in history

In Sailing True North, Admiral Stavridis offers lessons of leadership and character from the lives and careers of history's most significant naval commanders. He also brings a lifetime of reflection to bear on the subjects of his study--naval history, the vocation of the admiral, and global geopolitics. Above all, this is a book that will help you navigate your own life's voyage: the voyage of leadership of course, but more important, the voyage of character. Sailing True North helps us find the right course to chart.

Simply as epic lives, the tales of these ten admirals offer up a collection of the greatest imaginable sea stories. Moreover, spanning 2,500 years from ancient Greece to the twenty-first century, Sailing True North is a book that offers a history of the world through the prism of our greatest naval leaders. None of the admirals in this volume were perfect, and some were deeply flawed. But from Themistocles, Drake, and Nelson to Nimitz, Rickover, and Hopper, important themes emerge, not least that serving your reputation is a poor substitute for serving your character; and that taking time to read and reflect is not a luxury, it's a necessity.

By putting us on personal terms with historic leaders in the maritime sphere he knows so well, James Stavridis gives us a compass that can help us navigate the story of our own lives, wherever that voyage takes us.

Recommended reading for ALL leaders!

ADM Stavridis continues to be a role model leader at all levels. His adroit use of the character strengths and flaws of Ten Admirals is both innovative and impactful. Additionally, his transparent discussions of his personal successes and failures make this book relevant reading for ALL leaders! - Cedric Pringle, RDML USN

Honest evaluation of self character

Only in unabridged honesty with your thoughts and actions, to yourself and all others, can you continue to evolve.

Adm. Jim Stavridis should have read the whole thing!!

The narrators voice is fine. But Stavridis’s voice is perfect. I struggle to imagine anyone but the man himself conveying the nuanced passions of this piece. At the end of the opening (which Stavridis read) I was ready to listen the whole night. As soon as the narrator changed I remembered i had errands to do. If Stavridis releases his own narration I will buy the book again.

this book should be in everyones life

as a blackbelt the voyage of character is at the forefront of my thoughts. it is my governing process in life to be of good character. this book and the admirals examined are worth readingvand listening to again and again

Sailing True North is the correct course.

The Admiral covers all the fundamentals with examples good & bad through historic examples. Excellent !