The Devine Way

Set in the middle of New York City, this book follows a Marine Corps recruiting station and the officer who takes charge of it. Its new leader is a tank officer who never volunteered for recruiting and has no experience in it. He arrives to find a place in disarray: a depleted staff, a weak pool of prospects, and far too few recruiters. Every day, the station stays in contact with its targets across all 365 days of the year as it fights for enlistments, and many who came before him have been broken by the work.

Jim Devine is almost overwhelmed from the start. He has to grasp the size and complexity of a job he never trained for while fighting to stay afloat. The city's quirks teach him the hard way, and he finds no backup, no support, and little sympathy. Constant interruptions pull at his attention, but he cannot lose sight of the monthly goal that looms over everything. He must bring order and drive to his command, and to himself.

Day after day, Devine moves through the obstacles of a harsh urban environment in search of qualified candidates to meet each month's target. That target can be measured precisely. In the end, a tour is judged a success or a failure by its numbers, and a run of failed months can end a career. Recruiting is driven entirely by results, and the pressure never lets up.

Buried at first under a flood of paperwork and discharges, Devine finds his way to the streets and starts leading in the way he knows best, by working alongside his Marines. Early setbacks force him to find unconventional solutions, and when the situation demands it, he is ready to fix bayonets.

On the surface this is a story about recruiting in New York, but its scope is wider. It examines leadership, management, goal setting, and the pursuit of a mission. The experiences of Major Jim Devine offer many lessons, and the book presents principles that apply to any pursuit, whether personal or professional.