John A. Allison - The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure

More Praise for The Leadership Crisis
and the Free Market Cure

Nobody better exemplifies a great leader than John Allisona brilliantly successful businessman and intellectual activist. In this book, John shares with the world the rational principles he implemented as leader of a highly regarded major corporation and as a person living a flourishing life. Anyone interested in both succeeding in business and living a productive and prosperous life should read this book.

Yaron Brook, President and Executive Director, Ayn Rand Institute

Very timely and very well written, this thoughtful book by highly successful entrepreneur and seminal thinker John Allison is a masterpiece. Our Founders would be impressed. And so would John Locke, intellectual godfather of the American Revolution.

Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Forbes Media

In his new book, The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure, John A. Allison aptly delivers thought provoking insights by applying libertarianism to leadership. He raises fundamental questions and provides concrete advice to help business and other leaders make better decisions. This book is an exemplary successor to his New York Times bestseller, The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure, and is a worthwhile addition to the literature on both leadership and free enterprise.

Charles Iacovou, Dean, Wake Forest University School of Business

John Allison understands business and what it takes to be successful. He also understands people and what makes them happy. He brings together this knowledge and insight to effectively argue that we should return to the principles that made America greatLife, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

James M. Kilts, Partner, Centerview Capital Holdings;
former CEO, The Gillette Company

Weaving together personal stories and theoretical insights in his timely book The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure, John Allison makes a compelling case for the values necessary for individuals, leaders, and societies to achieve real human happiness. These include honesty, integrity, justice, and independent thinkingall key principles for a thriving company and a humane society. It is particularly refreshing to see a businessman like Allison as comfortable discussing the Aristotelian concept of eudaimonia as he is talking about business management. However, it is even more exciting to see one of our countrys leaders stand up unequivocally for the principles, freedoms, and markets that were critical to his own success and that are absolutely necessary for the future well-being of our country. This is a book that aspiring entrepreneurs, established businessmen, and even politicians will benefit from reading if they care about the pursuit of personal and societal flourishing.

Charles Koch, Chairman and CEO, Koch Industries, Inc.

The best leaders inspire the people around them to reach their highest potential, and by doing so, they make the world a better place. John Allison is such a leader, and this book is an invaluable guide for all those who believe that the surest path to happiness is following your own vision.

John Mackey, Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market
and coauthor of Conscious Capitalism

Every serious thinker about the future of America will benefit by reading The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure! I witnessed John Allisons philosophy at work and watched it better the lives of thousands in the BB&T organization. This is a valuable and needed work.

James Maynard, Chairman, Golden Corral Corporation

Libertarianism has a reputation for being coldly rational. John Allison heats things up. The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure approaches reason not with chilly abstraction but with 98.6 degrees of human warmth. John gives us principles of logical thinking that take emotion, psychology, and virtue into full account. And he gives us charming personal anecdotes showing how logical thinking turns us into leadersof businesses, institutions, and, most important, our own lives. Not reading The Leadership Crisis would be irrational.

P. J. ORourke, author, political satirist, and correspondent
for The Weekly Standard and The Daily Beast

I have observed firsthand John Allisons successful application of the values and principles covered in this book in real-life business settings. What he writes isnt theoretical. He has done it with influence and impact and received much admiration and appreciation from so many. This is a substantive and stimulating read.

Nido Qubein, President, High Point University;
Chairman, Great Harvest Bread; author; and motivational speaker

Compelling and proven ethical leadership principles that should provide the foundation for dealing with the economic challenges of our society presented by one of the most successful business leaders of our time.

Steve Reinemund, retired Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo

Blending philosophy and business acumen, John Allison details how the values and principles he used to lead BB&T have wide applicability for individuals, organizations, and society.

Douglas A. Shackelford, Dean and Meade H. Willis Distinguished
Professor of Taxation, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

Have you ever wondered what abstract philosophical principles have to do with business practices and living your life day to day? Have you ever wondered what morality has to do with profit, success, and happiness? According to bestselling author John Allison, the answer is clear: everything. The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure provides a compelling case for why success in business (and life) requires men and women to conduct their professional and private lives according to a rational moral code that will lead to increased profits, success, and personal happiness. If you want to succeed in running a Fortune 500 company, a small mom-and-pop store, or a lemonade stand, then you must read this book. It will help you to develop a code of moral leadership that is sorely lacking in American business today. Dozens of books are published every year on how to succeed in business, but this is by far the best.

Brad Thompson, Executive Director,
Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism

Copyright 2015 by John A. Allison. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-183112-3

MHID: 0-07-183112-6

The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-183111-6, MHID: 0-07-183111-8.

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