• A Higher Standard

  • Leadership Strategies from America's First Female Four-Star General
  • By: Ann Dunwoody
  • Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso
  • Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (98 ratings)

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A Higher Standard  By  cover art

A Higher Standard

By: Ann Dunwoody
Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso
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Publisher's summary

A Higher Standard takes a candid look at the exciting military career of US Army General Ann Dunwoody, who received her fourth star - a rank never before reached by a woman - in her fourth decade of service. From her first command leading 200 soldiers to her final one leading 69,000, Dunwoody reveals the challenges she faced and the changes she initiated by sharing both the smallest moments and the most pivotal events in her career.

With a foreword by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, author of the bestseller Lean In, this book offers sound leadership principles, insight into critical issues facing our nation, and applicable lessons for achieving success in any field.

©2015 Ann Dunwoody (P)2015 Gildan Media LLC

What listeners say about A Higher Standard

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outstanding general, less than great author

With respect to General Dunwoody, she might have been a fantastic army general, but a good author, she is not. This book reads like she wrote down her chapter tiles and then woke up every morning and wrote down all the things that came to her mind that were loosely related to the topic. It's not really a book about leadership principles. It's more of a disorganized memoir that jumps all around her career and uses management key words to support very generic "leadership" ideas. All of the "leadership" content could be condensed into about 15 minutes. I wish she would have just written a memoir that followed her life and accomplishments sequentially. It would have been a MUCH better book. She had such an amazing career; it too bad it's all jumbled up. It was difficult to finish.

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2 people found this helpful

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Amazing

Great book
I am a parachute rigger female and I was told by my superiors that they worked with our retired General and made me feel proud to know she shared my same love for the field❤️🇺🇸
Thank you for making the road easy for females in the military.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Interesting, Meandering

While this was an interesting book about a fascinating, accomplished leader, it did not feel well organized, which was ironic, since organizing complex moving parts is what Anne Dunwoody's career was all about. It might have made more sense if it was structured chronologically, but it was, instead, structured by theme. Unfortunately, each chapter seemed only loudly linked by their respective themes, to the point where I found myself going back and re-listening to try to find the throughline.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

This is one of the best leadership books I've read. She not only talks about her life and the military but she gives excellent leadership strategies.

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Amazing

I knew part of her story, now I know a lot more. Truly an inspiration. Thanks for paving the way for those that are coming behind you.

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great lessons to be learned.

relative to my experience in the military. so many things I wish I could have applied what I learned in this book to the difficulties I never overcame. *slams phone on floor* SO MUCH BULL$@#&!!!

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A must read for rising leaders

This book is filled with mentorship for anyone who wants to lead at a higher level of excellence.

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Amazing! Great leadership even if not military

This book is an amazing story about a strong woman who identifies advocates and others that just saw here potential and helped her move her career in a promising direction. while also identifying others who stood in her way including herself at times. I read this book after I read Lean In; it is the perfect follow up. Sheryl Sandberg even writes the forward! this is a great book even for those who are not in the military! Loved it!!

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Still looking for the strategy lesson...

I came across the book when looking for a leadership book from the point of view of a female. I will say that she does address  her leadership lessons learned, however falls short of leadership strategies. The book starts off saying this is not a memior,  but it really is just that. GEN Dunwoody had an impressive career,  but seems to have an unrealistic view of ordinary Soldier life.  Like thinking that EO wasn't an issue for over 20 years of her career- maybe not for a high-ranking officer. Also, you think that everyone was excited to trade in their unit logo for an AMC logo? No, they were told what the GEN. expected and complied. I would love to hear her real leadership lessons, but didn't find them here.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Book about the one part of the Army

This was a Great book about part of the Army we do not alway think about, without supply nothing happen. Gen Ann Dunwoody story was a good, she talk about all the good and problem she had. I have read a lot of books by General and this was a very good talking about her and US Army. It was not all about she a woman. She did talk how worked her way up and about the poeple that help her. In most of the book that I have readed by General they never thought they make it to the top. She worked very hard like all General and she made to the top.

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