Aug 20, 2021
West Point Woman is a book by Sara Potecha about leadership and character development that was instilled in her during her time at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Sara was admitted to West Point in 1979 just a few years after the Academy was forced to admit women. While resentment to this coerced integration was still high, the author does not make this tension the exclusive focus of the book. Instead, she talks about the character-building principles she learned based on the culture of West Point.
Sara discusses camaraderie, problem solving, ethics, encouragement,
feedback and more. She uses relatable examples from her time
at the acclaimed Academy and in her career after her time at West
Point ended. West Point is a top-notch institution
academically and culturally as it is designed to create leaders who
will always do the right thing to protect our country. My
admiration for Sara increased substantially as I learned what she
physically and emotionally endured as a cadet. After reading
Sara’s experiences at West Point and beyond, you’ll catch and stop
yourself when you start to whine about something that you realize
is trivial.
West Point Woman is a true leadership book that shows us how we are shaped by adversity, failure, kindness and loyalty even if we don’t realize it in the moment. This is a good book not just for those that want to be good leaders, but also for those of us who are humbled by the sacrifices of others. I am honored to know and have worked with Sara.