I thought that was very good thing t was very much in our countrys interest. I think it has worked out well. But i think we have to wait and see what the president comes up with. And you know i dont know what that is going to be. I know at the moment the ayatollah and u. S. Congress are not making his life and that effort any easier. But, i i just urge you once again, weve had many estimates of iranian capabilities. Im not persuaded given what i saw in iraq that we know much more about iran than we knew about iraq. I hope we do but i couldnt count on it and im not actively reporting that right now anyway. There is plenty more material in the book. So we hope you buy the book and buy it here in support of the wonderful work that brad and elissa do at politics prose. Thank you all for coming. [applause] booktv is on twitter. Follow us to get publishing news scheduling updates author information and to talk directly with authors during our live programs. Twitter. Com slash booktv. Next on booktv, dunwoody, the first female fourstar general remembers her life and military career. Our guest today, general ann unwoody scored a number of first the first woman in u. S. Military history to achieve the fourstar rank. She was thehe first woman to command a battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division. Fort braggs first female general officer. The first person to command the combined officers support command. Headed u. S. Army material command. Nowa retired, she was in charge of the Largest GlobalLogistics Command in the army, comprising of 69,000 military and civilians located in all 50 states and more than 140 countries. She manage ad budget of 60 billion. Im jealous. And was responsible for oversight ofht approximately 70 billion in service contracts. Army chief of staff general ray odierno called ann quite simply the best logistician the army has ever had. She passed on some strategies to earnhe this praise in her nee book. Walter isaacson, president andt ceo of the Aspen Institute and author of, the innovators says anns book shows the the the generals commitment and zeal for service ha not ended with her military retirement. Retired army general Stanley Mcchrystal author of my share of the task and team of teamste calls the book an inspirationalan guidebook anyone trying to make their team or organization better. Bless welcome ann dunwoody. [applause] oh. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. I want to start by saying thanks for theth invitation. I know this Great Institution is such an integral part of our free society. P a place where ideas and of every have right. Variety and expression from Historical Documents from our Founding Fathers to my humble presentation today find a home. In the military i spent my fair share of time in the city, albeit most of it in that less impressive building on the other side of the river known to all of us as the pentagon. David, thank you for that kind introduction. If my mom was here, she would have believed every word of it. [laughter] my brothers and sisters, on the other hand, would be wondering who the heck youre talking about. [laughter] now, i really appreciate the opportunity to be here today to introduce my new book, a higher standard. Over two years in the making, over 40 years of living. But im just curious to know how many of you have written a book. How many are you are thinking of writing a book . These words are for you. For the ones that have completed a book, congratulations because i now know how hard that is. But for those who are thinking about it, you might want to talk to those who have before you dig in. Because quite frankly, i never thought i was going to write a book. And when i was selected to promotion for general, writing a book almost seemed to be a foregone conclusion. Because everywhere i went people said when are you going to tell your story when are you going to write your book . And over time this reluctant author had to admit that i did have a unique Vantage Point and also had a great story to tell. But writing a book is no cake walk. Its no easy task. It takes a serious commitment a personal investment of time your heart and your soul. And without that personal investment, you may have a book. Its just a book. You might have your name on it, but it wont be yours. And shortly after i retired, i was approached by a very successful writer from los angeles who was very enthusiastic about telling my story and helped me write the book. And hed helped one of my friends write his biography and his memoirs. And so when we talked, he was so enthusiastic and so excited about helping me tell my story. And as he described it to my husband and i, it would take about 80 hours, 100 hours of interviews, and then hed tape those interviews, and that would be our source document. And from there hed create chapters and then a proposal. And once the proposal was completed wed do the editing and send it out to prospective literary agents, select an agent and, ultimately maybe i should say hopefully sell book to a publisher. Well, after that he said writing the book, thatd be relatively easy and wed be done in no time. And since i really didnt want to write a book and he really did want to tell my story, i fell for it hook line and sinker. And you want to guess how that story ends . [laughter] well the first draft and the outline comes in, and it was a proposal of a version of my life seen through someone elses eyes, someone elses voice and i barely recognized myself as the main character. We tried again, same different approach, same result. And so the calendar pages kept turning, deadlines approached and i never thought we were any closer to writing the book. So my husband and i finally decided that there would be no book unless we wrote it. So we set out on our own personal journey, joining hands with a different writer and different editor to produce this book. A book in our own words recounting our own experiences and drawing our own conclusions. But i didnt want to write a biography or a memoir per se because this book really isnt about me. The story i wanted to share was about leadership. And today i want to talk a little bit about my journey and share some of the few leadership strategies that i believe contributed in some measure to my success and spurred organizational change and improvement. And i want to share those experiences, obviously truncated from the book, that helped define those leadership lessons. And in the book i tried to choose leadership lessons that were not only fundamental to my success, but had the broadest applications to larger organizations large, small battlefields or boardrooms, lessons for leaders who never wanted to stop learning. In a higher standard, i tried to capture what i learned, how i learned it and how these things made me a better leader. Now, this is not a book on how to become a general. Im not sure i could write that book. Nor is it a book on the ten steps to being a good leader. Because i dont think theres any magic recipe for leadership. If there were everyone would buy the recipe, and that would be it. What i tried to do is share the leadership strategies supported by stories in my life that worked for me with hopes that the others might find them useful in their lives and in their careers. Its based on things i learned as a killed, as an athlete as a kid, as an athlete, as a sibling as a daughter as a wife, as a soldier, as a business person and as a leader. And my hope is that my remarks and this book will challenge people to dream big and find ways to make a difference. Even in spite of obstacles, imperfect bosses or traditions that have outlived their usefulness. Now, i chose a higher standard as a title because less than 1 of the American Population will ever serve in the military. I think most citizens dont realize that men and women in uniform are held to a higher standard. In our profession we take an oath to support and defend the constitution. Were held to a strict code of conduct that governs our behavior in and out of uniform. And we have to meet certain standards in just about everything we do. And these standards range anywhere from adherence to stringent codes of ethic, adherence to the uniform code of military justice respect for authority and the chain of command to how fast you run, how many pushups you can do and how you wear your uniform including your hair, and how many times you can hit a target with variety of weapons. But most importantly, the reason i chose a higher standard is because good leaders that i served with held themselves to higher standards. When i joined the army, i just assumed that i was going to have to prove myself and exceed the standards to be accepted, and and i strove to do just that. But what i realized during my journey is that all the good leaders i served with held themselves to a higher standard, and they consistently applied Leadership Principles meant to improve, not degrade or debase. In the army we call that leading from the front. In the book i spend some time talking about the difference between leaders and soldiers who just met the standards and those who always tried to exceed the standards. And its kind of like the difference between being an a student and a c student. Except in the early lives fend on our performance and our leadership. The leader whos satisfied with just meeting the standard never striving to a higher standard, will probably never lead a high performing organization. Now, when i joined the army back in 1975, i joined the Womens Army Corps. It was kind of like a separate branch for women who desired to serve. And to be honest i never dreamed about joining the army. I always knew from the time i was in Elementary School that i was going to be a coach and a physical education teacher. As a kid i was a tomboy. I dont even know if they use that word anymore. But i loved sports, and i went to one of the top physical education colleges in the country courtland in upstate new york. Now, during my junior year in college the army offered high potential women 500 a month during their senior year in return for a twoyear commitment and a commission as a second lieutenant. Well 500 was a lot of money back then. And even with four generations of west pointers in my family the thought of joining the army had never crossed my mind. But it was an offer i couldnt refuse. So i joined and began my twoyear journey in the army, a twoyear journey that turned into five years ten years twenty years and, yes, 38 years. So when people ask me if i always knew i was going to be a general, i tell them not in my wildest dreamings. When it happened, there was no one more surprised than i was. Except, of course my husband. [laughter] and now you know why they say behind every successful woman this is an astonished man. [laughter] in 2008 when the president of the United States nominated me for my fourth star, i was not prepared for the enormity of the event. It was a first but id been blessed with a lot of firsts in my life. But being nominated for a fourstar general was a different kind of first. And i didnt appreciate the significance of the promotion until the tidal wave of cards and letters and emails started coming my way. I heard from moms and dads who saw this promotion as a beacon of hope for their own daughters an affirmation that in america anything is possible with hard work and commitment. And when i was nominated i heard from Women Veterans of all wars many who just wanted to say congratulations, some just wanted to say thanks, and still others just wanted to say how happy they were this day had finally arrived. It was a humbling experience, to say the least. When the promotion ceremony finally happened, i said i might be the first but i certainly wont be the last. And today im happy to report there are three other female fourstar officers, two in the air force and one in the navy, with more in the making. But this is not just about more promotions. Whats really exciting is women are flying jet fighters in combat, women are commanding ships in the navy, and now the first group of women highly qualified women are starting Ranger School. As readers will see in my book, the leadership journey begins with an introduction by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of facebook. Shes author of the National Bestseller lean in, and a true champion of womens equality. Now, you might think that we sound a bit like the odd couple two people from entirely different worlds sheryl a west coast hightech social media superstar and me, an east coast, low tech muddy boots soldier. The reality is that we had more that the things we had in common way outweighed anything we didnt. And the principal thing among those things we had in common was the desire to make a difference in organizations and the lives of people. And im glad to call her my friend and kindred spirit. Sheryl sandberg has championed several National Campaigns from getting women to achieve greater positions in the workplace and getting men to recognize the support, to support these talented women. And ive been in support of both campaigns. And ive a been fortunate that i have such a supportive husband whos a hero in his own right with 26 years in the air force as a combat controller. Hes been a linchpin in my journey. I can assure you its a lot easier to lean in when you have someone to lean on. On my toughest days, my husband was right there kind of like a coach in the corner of a boxing ring. He would pick me up, dust me off push me back in the ring and say go give em hell. And when my when craigs mother finished reading the book a higher standard, she told craig i yet the impression that ann i get the impression that ann really likes you. [laughter] now, the number one question i always get is why you . Why were you the first female to attain the rank of fourstar general . And the second question i get is how did you succeed in this maledominated profession . How did you manage to claw your way to the top in this mans army . And i try to answer both of these questions in the book and i think most of you would be surprised by the answers. My journey to the top was far more interesting than a career of struggling and fighting my way through the ranks. It would have been easy and probably expected by some that i would write a book on how i, like wonder woman kicked my way to the top shattered glass ceilings and broke down doors. But the reality is my journey was more about leadership than gender. Not just leadership for people in the army, not just leadership for women, but leadership for people period. I didnt just skip along the yellow brick road in the land of oz and find myself at the end of the journey, at the end of the rainbow as a fourstar general. There are bumps in the road there are obstacles in the road, but there are people all along the road that wanted to help, and many of these were men. But i think these bumps, these obstacles and these people that are willing to help can be found in all walks of life and in any profession. Now, like many of you my leadership skills initially came from my family my education and from fitness. When i say fitness, i mean mental fitness, physical fitness, emotional fitness and spiritual fitness. These form the foundation that allowed me to achieve things i never thought possible. I came from a valuesbased family. I had best mom and dad a kid could ever ask for. In fact, i know much who i am today is based on what i learned from them. My decide, proud soldier my dad, proud soldier, father, patriot who served his country for 31 years and fought in three wars. We just celebrated his 96th birthday. Mom is the unsung hero in our family. She pretty much raised six kids on her own while dad was serving our country. Mom was a devout catholic, she was the most selfless, gracious and caring person i ever knew. And no matter what the forecast she said its never going to rain on our parade. My participation in sports was character building, to say the least. I keeped in gymnastics and tennis in college, and i learned as much from losing as i did from winning, and i learned that Team Performance was far more important than individual performance. And i learned that performing in front of large crowds can be scary and intimidating. But competing in sports taught me priceless lessons and how to turn surprises into experiences and challenges into opportunities. And my education gave me the intellectual skills to be technically competent and credible. A bachelors degree and two masters degrees only sharpened my creative and Strategic Thinking skills. Family fitness and education the cornerstones of who i am. In the book i tried to be as honest and candid about the challenges that i faced as well as the opportunities i was given. I tried to put a human face on leadership. I remember back in the 80s or i think in 1984 i was stationed in germany, and i had just been selected to command, parachute rigor detachment. I was a young captain, and this was my dream job. But since the primary function of a parachute detachment was to pack parachutes and rig loads of supplies and equipment for air drop, one of the requirements of the commander was to be certified jump master. Now, jump master is the person whos responsible to check equipment, check parachutes and make sure that there are no malfunctions during a drop. Well at the time i only had 12 parachute jumps, and im not sure if there were any fall jump masters in the army at the time or not. But my boss said, hey youre the best qualified and as long as i passed Jump Master School, the job was mine. As it turned out the only place to go to Jump Master School in europe was with special forces in germany. When i received my orders, i was so excited. Germany is a beautiful place, southern germany south of munich surrounded by mountains, and i was going to get to go to Jump Master School. It used to be the fortress that was built in world war ii time frame and was the Training Center for hitlers ss officer corps the most trusted and ruthless of the third reich. But in 1984 it was the american headquarters for the First Battalion tenth special forces group. And i showed up on a sunday afternoon ready for training on a monday morning, for monday morning. And when i reported in, i handed my orders to the duty office