David Gergen worked for four American presidents — Richard M. Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton — and he witnessed their struggles with leadership up close...In his remarkable new book, Hearts Touched With Fire: How Great Leaders Are Made, he rejects universal models for leadership...Individuals make themselves into leaders, as Gergen describes, by finding their passions and nurturing an 'integrated life' that allows consistent pursuit of purpose within a sustainable setting...He showcases James Baker’s time as President Ronald Reagan’s chief of staff (and Gergen’s boss)...Baker quietly and consistently cultivated strong ties with members of Congress, especially powerful figures across the aisle...Gergen recounts Baker’s intense preparation, careful thinking and unbending determination to get the job done for the president and the country...Gergen wrote Hearts Touched With Fire to bring figures like Baker to life for young men and women concerned about the future of the United States and the world...They will obviously need new leaders, with different experiences and outlooks from their predecessors...That is the main point of this inspiring and useful book — to help a new generation reimagine leadership for our troubled times.

Gergen, a CNN analyst and former White House adviser to four presidents, has read everything on the subject, so this is as much a review of the literature as a survey of his personal advice, but there is a great deal of overlap...In three sections, the author describes the qualities of a leader, how a leader deals with others, and examples of leaders in action...Gergen fills his text with real-world examples, most of them involving largely well-respected public figures...Particularly insightful is Gergen’s analysis of how effective leaders are able to manage across a hierarchy, including colleagues, superiors, and those who report directly to them...Like many other guidebooks, Gergen closes with key takeaways that vary from useful ('try hard things, fail, move on') to questionable ('give 150 percent of yourself')...Lessons on leadership that check all the boxes.

Gergen, a former White House adviser for four administrations, delivers a scattershot collection of leadership advice...Gergen offers brief biographies of dozens of historical and contemporary leaders, each paired with key characteristics for success: Ronald Reagan is a paragon of positivity, Ida B. Wells is offered up a beacon of flexibility, Ruth Bader Ginsburg showed grit and ambition, and John Lewis is an example of conviction and humility...Gergen finishes with a list of takeaways that amount to limp aphorisms ('leadership starts from within,' 'give 150 percent'), leaving the book feeling like something of a hodgepodge...This one isn’t worth the price of admission.