James Carville, Newt Gingrich, and credit union strategic planning

James Carville and Paul Begala, two of the brightest brains behind President Bill Clinton’s administration, authored a book that has some great insights for all leaders.

Despite being political enemies in the 90’s, Buck Up, Suck Up… and Come Back When You Foul Up: 12 Winning Secrets from the War Room includes a story about Newt Gingrinch that every leader should read and heed—especially when it comes to credit union strategic planning.

Here’s the excerpt:

Newt Gingrich is one of the most successful political leaders of our time. Yes, we disagreed with virtually everything he did, but this is a book about strategy, not ideology. And we’ve got to give Newt his due. His strategic ability—his relentless focus on capturing the House of Representatives for the Republicans—led to one of the biggest political landslides in American history.

Now that he’s in the private sector, Newt uses a brilliant illustration to explain the need to focus on the big things and let the little stuff slide: the analogy of the field mice and the antelope.

 

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