The Power Of Four

What makes a good and true leader—brute power and force? The ability to persuade? Simply holding an influential position? Joseph M. Marshall III, the renowned author of the bestselling The Lakota Way , says no . Reminding us that those who hold public office are first and foremost politicians, and that corporate bigwigs serve the bottom line, Marshall presents us with a different idea of leadership, one drawn from his own Lakota Sioux culture. "True leadership," he informs us, "is only possible when character is more important than authority."
Marshall III draws inspiration from three names that have resonated powerfully throughout history to develop his unique concept of leadership: Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and, especially Crazy Horse, whose fascinating life Marshall already chronicled in a biography that Publishers Weekly praised as "vivid and haunting." Crazy Horse did not teach leadership; he simply demonstrated it, effectively and with compassion. Four factors stand out when looking at him as a leader, and they were the basis of his success:
Know yourself. Know your friends. Know the enemy. Lead the way.
The Power of Four shows how and why these maxims—and this Native American philosophy of leadership—is not only applicable to today's world, but desperately needed: why leadership by example is more powerful than authority; and why the selection of leaders also becomes one way of controlling those very same leaders. Marshall will open readers' eyes and help them discover how to apply a new set of principles and actions to their own lives.




Joseph M. Marshall III was born on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He is a historian, motivational speaker, and Lakota storyteller, and has worked as both technical adviser and actor in television movies, including Return to Lonesome Dove . He is a consultant and lecturer on leadership skills, and he has developed a leadership seminar program based on the philosophies of Crazy Horse. He is also a recipient of the Wyoming Humanities Award. In 2002, he was a finalist for the PEN Center USA West Literary Award for Creative Nonfiction. Marshall's books have been translated into seven languages; they include Keep Going: The Art of Perseverance (Sterling, 2006) and The Journey of Crazy Horse (Viking, 2004), as well as the highly-acclaimed The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for Living (Viking, 2001) .

Praise for Joseph M. Marshall III's The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History :

"Those wishing to understand Crazy Horse as the Lakota know him won't find a better account than Marshall's."— San Francisco Chronicle

"The legendary Lakota leader receives due honor in this searching biography…a fine and necessary work."— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)