Taking an engaging look at the keys to being an exemplary leader, this book illustrates the insights of a man who rose from a reluctant enlisted draftee to colonel—eventually being awarded the Bronze Star—in the United States Army. The study approaches how to be a commendable leader from a different angle, emphasizing how leaders need to trust their people and how that trust is achieved through assessing a simple set of five vital signs. Using short, anecdotal chapters to convey thoughtful lessons about what it takes to be a superior leader, this guide concludes by presenting the 19 tenets of the author's personal leadership philosophy.