Genovese, Michael A. Memo to a New President: The Art and Science of Presidential Leadership.

• Author: Hoff, Samuel B.
• Position: Book review

Genovese, Michael A. Memo to a New President: The Art and Science of Presidential Leadership. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 252 pages. Paper, $29.99.

Political scientist and presidential scholar Michael A. Genovese has written a book in the form of a memo to an incoming president. Divided into five parts and containing thirty-two chapters, the text taps classical philosophical works, the words of chief executives themselves, and studies of leadership, among other sources. The book covers most pertinent topics about which a new president would want advice.

Part I, "Introduction," contains five chapters that are more academically oriented than the remaining sections. For instance, Chapter 2 ("The World's Most Exclusive Club: The Modern Presidents") offers a table depicting six different views of the presidency since 1933. Genovese claims that no person serving in the office from Lyndon B. Johnson through George W. Bush "had been a truly successful president," but rather these presidents have "clearly and repeatedly disappointed us" (p. 30). Chapter 5 covers the topic of presidential greatness. It depicts the diversity in rankings of chief executives over time and by different constituencies.

Part II, "Self-Knowledge," encompasses eight chapters. It advances guidance on the importance of skills (political, personality, people, and managerial), character, emotions, vision, and the moral position of leaders. In Chapter 10, Genovese notes that the best way for a president to react to a mistake is "to admit it, and admit it fully and immediately" (p. 94). Here, he differentiates the responses of John E Kennedy and George W. Bush to the Bay of Pigs fiasco and Hurricane Katrina, respectively. In Chapter 12, Genovese counsels the incoming chief executive to "develop an integrated strategy that brings message, image, rhetoric, and vision together--you need the whole package" (p. 101).

Part III, "System Knowledge," encompasses the most chapters in the book (eleven). After noting the importance of the transition and honeymoon periods of a president's tenure, Genovese offers recommendations for interacting with the public, other branches of government, the news media, and the political parties, among other entities. He observes that, while the public is suspicious of strong leadership, "we also admire and sometimes even hunger for it" (p. 133). Factors that are related to success with Congress include crises, an electoral mandate, a high level...