Sailing True North

Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character

By: Admiral James Stavridis USN

Narrated by: Marc Cashman, Admiral 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.

©2019 Admiral James Stavridis (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The author brings these admirals to life, creating a flesh-and-blood portrayal of each and calling things as he sees them in terms of both their strengths and their flaws . . . Along the way, readers also are treated to the personal insights of the author, one of the most successful maritime leaders of our time . . . For readers who learn history through personal stories, this book will resonate as both a superb popular history and a nautical exploration of leadership virtues reminiscent of David Brooks’ The Road to Character. As someone who also believes there is much to learn from our seagoing history, I’m grateful for this book, particularly one written by a skilled writer whose own leadership journey likely still has a number of its own chapters yet to be written.”—Proceedings Magazine

“James Stavridis’ new book, Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character, comes along at such a propitious moment and should be required reading for all young people looking forward to a career in public life . . . Stavridis is perfectly placed to discuss the virtues and questions of leadership.”—Cipher Brief

“[An] earnest mixture of biography, memoir, and pop psychology . . . readers will absorb some significant naval history . . . Stavridis, the former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and current chairman of the U.S. Naval Institute, has done his research in the works of popular historians . . . [These] biographies make good reading.”—Kirkus

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.

Sailing True North is the correct course.

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

Great Read!

Thought it was a great review of character qualities that I hadn't thought about. Definitely going to get my list together and see where I can find room for improvement.

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

Impressive

This book is a combination of biography, memoir and naval history. Admiral Stavridis starts with the first great sea commander, Themistocles, who led the ancient Greeks to victory over the Persians. Also discussed were 15th century Chinese Admiral Zheng, Sir Francis Drake, Horatio Nelson, John A. Fisher, Alfred T. Mahan, Chester Nimitz, Hyman Rickover, and Elmo Zumwalt. The author ends with a famous woman, Admiral Grace Hopper.

The book is well written and researched. Primarily the book is about leadership and integrity. The author emphasizes the difference between character, reputation and leadership. In between discussing these famous people, Stavridis provides information about his own life in the Navy. The book is informative and uplifting and, considering today’s world, a much need discussion about integrity.

The book is eight hours and fifty-five minutes. Marc Cashman does an excellent job narrating the book. Cashman is an actor and was Audiofile Magazine’s “Best Voice of the Year Award”.

Excellent account of a 2-Star General!!

A well written book about 10 Prior Generals that shaped the American Seas! Astounding account of each one and how they provided our Naval Military!

An Important book

It is not surprising that a book about character and leadership is not particularly a page turner, this though is a well written and important book to read

Great stories of real people

I enjoyed the stories of the people I knew some but not all of the Admiral