The Power of Four: Leadership Lessons of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III (Sterling, $17.95, 9781402748813/1402748817, January 2009)

The Power of Four could not arrive at a more opportune time. As the White House changes hands, leadership styles and the effectiveness of our elected chief executives are foremost in our minds. Marshall's analysis of Crazy Horse as a leader of the Lakota tribe is not only interesting in itself but also instructive on such issues as selecting a President and our support of those we have elected.

Crazy Horse's popular image has long been dominated by his role at the Battle of Little Bighorn, but Marshall paints a richer, fuller portrait of the man. He rose to a position of leadership among the Lakota, a tribe in which everyone knew everyone else's history, character, wisdom and bravery; his record of accomplishments was well-known and questions of authenticity never arose. Crazy Horse epitomized all that the Lakota expected in their chief: a leader reflecting the values and the will of the people (not imposing his own) and showing that quiet fortitude can be more powerful than fear.

Full knowledge of the qualities of a prospective leader is one thing the Lakota had that we don't. Another difference is that we conflate leadership with authority/title--Marshall points out that since no word for "authority" exists in the Lakota language, a leader's power derives only from the tribe's trust in his character, experience and effectiveness. With all tribal members retaining free will, individuals could decide, if a current leader was not honoring his role, to stop following him at any time. That realization was a constant reminder to Crazy Horse and others, if they ever needed it.

Marshall reflects on the fact that contemporary election campaigns focus almost entirely on winning the contest, with voters casting ballots based on vague promises. Too often, he states, we are disappointed to find those promises unkept. Marshall joins many others, including Joseph Boyett in Won't Be Fooled Again and John MacArthur in You Can't Be President, in calling for the electorate to take back control of the election process, design a means objectively to authenticate candidates' backgrounds and hold politicians accountable to their constituents. As he says so eloquently here: "Leaders of organizations, companies, and corporations should realize that their basic ethical responsibility is to reflect the values of the people they lead, and hold themselves to a higher standard in regards to value and character."--John McFarland

Shelf Talker: A zesty review of the leadership qualities of Crazy Horse, The Power of Four is thought-provoking about the process by which we select our own leaders today.