CMSSF Leadership Library: February 2026

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America’s beloved and distinguished historian presents, in a book of breathtaking excitement, drama, and narrative force, the stirring story of the year of our nation’s birth, 1776, interweaving, on both sides of the Atlantic, the actions and decisions that led Great Britain to undertake a war against her rebellious colonial subjects and that placed America’s survival in the hands of George Washington.

In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with Gen. George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence — when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.

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2034 mixes enough plausibility with suspense to deliver a chilling play-by-play of the fall of the United States’ global hegemony at the hands of an ascendant and technically savvy China. Written by author Elliot Ackerman and retired U.S. Navy Adm. James Stavridis, the novel offers intrigue and action, but it bears a warning for today’s political leaders. 2034 posits that American hubris will spell disaster for the United States.

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A lone astronaut must save the Earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the No. 1 New York Times best-selling author of "The Martian." Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

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Experience “one of the best adventure books ever written” (Wall Street Journal) in this New York Times bestseller: the harrowing tale of British explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914 attempt to reach the South Pole. In Endurance, the definitive account of Ernest Shackleton's fateful trip, Alfred Lansing brilliantly narrates the harrowing and miraculous voyage that has defined heroism for the modern age.

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Eli’s willing to admit it: he’s a little obsessed with the mysterious woman he met years ago. Okay, maybe a lot obsessed. But come on, how often do you meet someone who’s driving a hundred-year-old car, clad in Revolutionary-War-era clothes, wielding an oddly modified flintlock rifle — someone who pauses just long enough to reveal strange things about you and your world before disappearing in a cloud of gunfire and a squeal of tires?

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The most successful film franchise of all time, Star Wars thrillingly depicts an epic multigenerational conflict fought a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But the Star Wars saga has as much to say about successful strategies and real-life warfare waged in our own time and place. Strategy Strikes Back brings together over 30 of today’s top military and strategic experts, including generals, policy advisors, seasoned diplomats, counterinsurgency strategists, science fiction writers, war journalists, and ground‑level military officers, to explain the strategy and the art of war by way of the Star Wars films.

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The author of the classic bestseller Lincoln on Leadership answers the question: How would President Lincoln handle the pressing crises of our modern world?

Abraham Lincoln is recognized as one of history's finest leaders, a great president when the United States was under tremendous strain. But suppose he were alive today? How would Lincoln deal with today’s high-pressure issues, from politics to business?

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The author of the classic bestseller Lincoln on Leadership answers the question: How would President Lincoln handle the pressing crises of our modern world?
In its fight for global dominance, Communist China has thrown out the old rules of war. China expert Gen. Robert Spalding walks us through their new playbook. Many Americans are finally waking up to the alarming reality of China's stealth war on the United States and puzzling over how to push back against its insidious infiltration. What few realize is that we have one real advantage in this the Chinese Communist Party strategy for total war has been written out in Unrestricted Warfare, the Chinese book, well known there, that has become their new Art of War. In War Without Rules, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Rob Spalding takes Americans inside Unrestricted Warfare. He walks readers through the principles of this book, revealing the Chinese belief that there is no sector of life outside the realm of war. He shows how the CCP itself has promised to use corporate espionage, global pandemics, and trade violations to achieve dominance. Most importantly, he provides insight into how, once Americans are aware of the tactics, we can fight back against CCP’s creeping influence. More than a vital read for those interested in China, War Without Rules is essential reading for anyone — from policymakers and diplomats to businessmen and investors — finally waking up to the stealth war. Knowledge is power, and it’s time to arm yourself. 

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"David Marquet is the kind of leader who comes around only once in a generation ... his ideas and lessons are invaluable"
— Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why

U.S. Navy Capt. David Marquet was used to giving orders. In the high-stress environment of the USS Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered submarine, it was crucial his men did their job well. But the ship was dogged by poor morale, poor performance and the worst retention in the fleet.

One day, Marquet unknowingly gave an impossible order, and his crew tried to follow it anyway. He realized he was leading in a culture of followers, and they were all in danger unless they fundamentally changed the way they did things.

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If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.
On May 17, 2014, U.S. Navy Adm. William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university's slogan, "What starts here changes the world," he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better.

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Gallup presents the remarkable findings of its revolutionary study of more than 80,000 managers in First, Break All the Rules, revealing what the world’s greatest managers do differently. With vital performance and career lessons and ideas for how to apply them, it is a must-read for managers at every level.

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In finite games, like football or chess, the players are known, the rules are fixed, and the endpoint is clear. The winners and losers are easily identified.

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A fully revised and expanded edition of the runaway bestseller, Surrounded by Idiots — now with
Text • Charts • Examples • Snark!

Master the four basic behavior types and change the way you communicate!