Call Sign Chaos

Learning to Lead

By: Jim Mattis, Bing West

Narrated by: Danny Campbell

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Number one New York Times best seller

A clear-eyed account of learning how to lead in a chaotic world, by General Jim Mattis - the former Secretary of Defense and one of the most formidable strategic thinkers of our time - and Bing West, a former assistant secretary of defense and combat Marine.

“A four-star general’s five-star memoir.” (The Wall Street Journal)

Call Sign Chaos is the account of Jim Mattis’ storied career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, Mattis recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas - and short-sighted thinking - now facing our nation. He makes it clear why America must return to a strategic footing so as not to continue winning battles but fighting inconclusive wars.

Mattis divides his audiobook into three parts: Direct Leadership, Executive Leadership, and Strategic Leadership. In the first part, Mattis recalls his early experiences leading Marines into battle, when he knew his troops as well as his own brothers. In the second part, he explores what it means to command thousands of troops, and how to adapt your leadership style to ensure your intent is understood by your most junior troops so that they can own their mission. In the third part, Mattis describes the challenges and techniques of leadership at the strategic level, where military leaders reconcile war’s grim realities with political leaders’ human aspirations, where complexity reigns and the consequences of imprudence are severe, even catastrophic.

Call Sign Chaos is a memoir of a life of war-fighting and lifelong learning, following along as Mattis rises from Marine recruit to four-star general. It is a journey about learning to lead and a story about how he, through constant study and action, developed a unique leadership philosophy, one relevant to us all.

©2019 Jim Mattis and Bing West (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Combining simplicity and thoughtfulness, Jim Mattis has produced a classic account of a lifetime of service. Call Sign Chaos is a lesson in leadership and an evocation of humanity in the cause of peace.” (Henry Kissinger)

“In this magnificent memoir, Jim Mattis details many important events in his career, but he also does much more: He explains how he is informed by his experiences in a way that teaches you how to learn from your own. Read, enjoy, and learn.” (George Shultz)

This is a MUST read. Stop whatever you’re reading and go get this!

I have never pre-ordered a book before this, but General and former Secretary of Defense James Mattis is a personal hero of mine. I named my son after him... But why? Because he embodies values that I long to embody, and hope is passed to that son: nobility, servant leadership, humility while being self confident, intelligence & wisdom, pure heart and motives, decisiveness and being willing to act aggressively and boldly in a cause he believes in with all his heart, patriotic without being nationalist. That’s my assessment, based on what I’ve read and seen... but I believe I’m right. Therefore, I was very excited about this book, and stopped reading two other books to get to this. It did not disappoint. His discussion of military history, doctrine, strategy, and even organization management make this book required reading. Stop whatever book you’re reading and go get this.

A REAL AMERICAN HERO

Mattis is a true American hero. Duty, honor, country. Read it and understand why I have that opinion. You'll time will be well spent.

The Warrior Monk

Mattis was not only incredibly well read, but had a leadership philosophy that more leaders in the military should adopt. Allowing your troops to execute their mission and giving them room to operate is essential. This man will be missed and hopefully his lessons carry on.

Good Book, Interesting Perspective

This is a good book. Clearly this man is a patriot and an expert at his craft. He is, ironically, occasionally (correctly) critical of the perspective of others either because of their rank or politics without seeing his own flaws in those regards. Still, this is a valuable perspective on modern problems by a man who has made genuine sacrifices for our nation.

One thing I don't necessarily get... he pretty much gives Donald Trump a free pass. He's overtly critical of the Bush and Obama administrations, but mentions Trump only obliquely. My only explanation is he does not want to publicly criticize a sitting president.

If that's his reasoning, I believe he's doing his readers a disservice.

Powerful Words

good book
good Intelligence
read it
take notes
Test the info in real world scenarios.

#wwg1wga

Great Book!!!

He does a great job laying out his criticisms is a in a professional manner. Had to listen to a few pets a couple times to really soak in how blistering some of his comments were to certain parties involved with major decisions. I actually learned how much politicians could bungle the decision making process of our troops. Worth every penny.

Crises Response Handbook

Secretary Mattis highlights and brings to life the fundamentals of leadership and empowering team members to act. From Commander's Intent to Trust, he brings the concepts to life.

Awesome

amazing to have the opportunity to learn from one of the great generals! Great bunch of knowledge and teaching applicable in a range of real world scenarios.

Eye opening, point blank view and something we need.

I have many options with a limited knowledge of the real facts. I need to be aware of this when I talk to anyone politically. This book helps me realize nothing happens in a vacuum. We need to first stick to our rule of law and our constitution. We need to value our institutions.
I thank the authors for sharing this.

Clear the record

It sounds like Jim wanted to clear the record. Very little is on his time in the Trump White House. Which I wish he would have addressed. I now have the utmost repect for the General. I thank him for is service.