How to Think Like a General: Ulysses S. Grant

Discover how a shy, seemingly average young man from Ohio rose to the highest levels of military and political leadership. Overview Course No. 90173

No one who examined the early life of Ulysses S. Grant could have predicted his rise to the pinnacle of the United States army and, ultimately, to the highest office in the land. So, what is it about Grant that led him from an unremarkable youth in Ohio to Commander in Chief of the United States?

In How to Think Like a General: Ulysses S. Grant, you’ll join Dr. Harry S. Laver of the US Army Command and General Staff College to examine the life and career of Ulysses S. Grant and uncover how an ordinary young man became the leader of a nation ravaged by war. As you trace the story of Grant’s early education, military experience, and political ambitions, you’ll understand how thinking like a general can help you develop the core principles that fueled an astonishing rise to leadership and influence.

Video Lectures

01: How to Think Like a General: Ulysses S. Grant

From small-town Ohio to the battlefield of the Civil War to the highest political office in the United States, the surprising life of Ulysses S. Grant provides a unique examination of what it means to develop the skills of true leadership. Join Dr. Harry S. Laver of the US Army Command and General Staff College to reveal what fueled Grant’s meteoric rise to the peak of military and political power.

• Duration: 31 min