I became the 72nd Secretary of the Navy on May 24, 2001. A little more than three months later, I was thrust into the middle of a terrifying situation where I needed to bring to bear every leadership principle I had ever learned.

Like many Americans, I watched in horror on the morning of 9/11 as terrorists crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center. Our entire military force went on high alert. We didn't yet know who was responsible for this heinous act or where they might be, or if they'd attack us again within hours or days. Tens of thousands of people working for the Navy all around the world wanted answers. Until we could learn more, we had none to give them.

Thousands of enlisted personnel, commissioned officers, and civilian employees stepped forward for their country and shouldered their burdens side by side to ensure that our bases, ships, and personnel were safe, secure, and vigilant. These dedicated men and women, many with different cultural backgrounds and belief systems, exhibited team leadership at every level and exemplified what retired four‐star Air Force General John Michael Loh once told me when he said: “No one is more important than anyone else.” I often tell people that I was not the Deputy Secretary of Defense or Secretary of the Navy. I served in those roles, but only on a temporary basis. The titles defined what I did; they did not define who I was.

One of the greatest leaders of our time, who I believe personified this philosophy, was President Dwight D. Eisenhower. When he was a young man, he loved history and spent a great deal of time reading stories about the ancient Greeks. Many historians have commented that Eisenhower gained much of his leadership wisdom from his study of the ancients.

Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe, a famous German writer and statesman, once said: “He who cannot draw upon 3,000 years is living from hand to mouth.” Like Eisenhower, great leaders often draw upon the wisdom of the ancients, including Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato. This book uniquely unearths interesting and inspirational enlightenment offered by these sages and others to illustrate what separates great and revered leaders from the rest of the pack.

Two additional leaders that I admire and respect are President George W. Bush and his father, President George H.W. Bush. When George W. Bush asked me to be the first Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, I readily accepted even though I had to reluctantly leave my position as secretary of the Navy. Serving with Homeland Security afforded me the opportunity to leverage and hone my experience and leadership skills in an entirely new organization to protect our citizens from attacks at home.

When George H.W. Bush was only 19 years old, he earned his wings as a Navy pilot during World War II. He was shot down on a bombing run over a Pacific Island and, through excellent Navy teamwork, survived the ordeal. That experience served as a valuable lesson in military team leadership that Bush relied upon throughout his career.

This book contains interviews from dozens of respected military commanders, war heroes, and world leaders, many of whom have achieved great success in civilian roles as CEOs or executives of multibillion‐dollar firms. They impart harrowing, fascinating, and informative stories and team leadership strategies that clarify and exemplify the seven secrets revealed in this book.

President John F. Kennedy once said that “man is still the most extraordinary computer of all” and “the human mind is our fundamental resource.” He believed that “leadership and learning are indispensable,” and understood the critical need for leaders to expand their thinking and inspire others to do the same. On May 21, 1962, he demonstrated his commitment to this goal by articulating his “commander's intent” to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. While serving as an engineer at Honeywell, helping with the design of the Gemini spacecraft, I believed in Kennedy's vision and agreed with his statement that “science contributes to our culture in many ways, as a creative intellectual activity in its own right, as the light which has served to illuminate man's place in the universe, and as the source of understanding man's own nature.”

This book reveals the latest scientific research into the human mind conducted by some of the world's most respected neuroscientists and psychologists. Within these pages we can discover why some leaders succeed while others fail, why some employees are fully engaged while others are not, and why it's important for leaders to transform hearts and minds.

Our world is in desperate need of leaders with the desire, courage, and vision to chart a new course toward a future where individual talents and initiatives are respected and teams are empowered, engaged, and effective. It is my sincere hope that as a current or aspiring leader, you will look in the mirror and deep inside your heart, for that is where leadership begins. Books, seminars, and coaches can help us improve our knowledge, our tactics, and our skills. They cannot fundamentally change who we are as human beings. We must first learn how to lead ourselves with courage, integrity, and a heart filled with love. For without these defining virtues, our leadership efforts will ring hollow and few will be inspired to follow us anywhere.

—Gordon R. England, former Deputy Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, 72nd and 73rd Secretary of the Navy