The Touchstones of Leadership: Essential Principles for Business Leaders

5 Star Review

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Editorial Book Review:

By Henry Penshorn

Joseph Carleone’s The Touchstones of Leadership opens with the kind of clarity that makes you sit up a little straighter. From the first pages, he signals that leadership is not a lofty abstraction but a lived experience shaped by character, awareness, and relentless honesty. What makes the book stand out is the quiet confidence behind it. Carleone writes like someone who has actually been in the fire and is willing to hand you the lessons he earned there.

Reading this book feels both grounding and energizing. There is a steady rhythm to the short touchstones, each one carrying a sense of calm authority. Some spark immediate introspection. Others linger until you notice them surfacing hours later while making a decision or handling a difficult conversation. It is the kind of book that makes you feel seen as a leader and also gently challenged to do better.

At its core, the book explores responsibility, emotional steadiness, trust, and the alignment between who a leader is and what a leader does. These ideas reach far beyond any particular industry. Carleone reminds us that leadership is essentially human, that strategy and culture are inseparable, that the inner life of a leader eventually shapes the outer life of the organization.

Carleone’s writing style is clean and approachable. The structure makes it easy to dip in and out without losing depth. A few lines are especially striking. One example is his reflection that a leader must “listen with the intent to understand rather than reply,” a simple idea that shifts entire conversations. Another memorable moment is his reminder that teams “follow consistency more than charisma,” a truth that carries real weight.

In the end, The Touchstones of Leadership offers guidance that lasts. Anyone who leads people or hopes to lead well will find something here that stays with them long after the last page.

About the Author 

Joseph Carleone

Joseph “Joe” Carleone was born in Philadelphia, PA where he attended Father Judge High School. After receiving his PhD from Drexel University, Joe helped start a company in the Aerospace and Defense industry, conducting R&D for the Department of Defense. He managed this business for nine years before being recruited to the West Coast by Aerojet.

For nearly twenty-five years, Joe held various leadership positions at Aerojet, including vice president of Tactical and Defense Missile Programs. He and his team developed military products that are still being produced today. Joe subsequently served as the vice president for Operations and also led the Remote Sensing Systems product sector, which marketed and delivered satellite sensors for surveillance, meteorological, and earth-sensing systems. 

In 2000, Joe was appointed president of Aerojet Fine Chemicals which developed, scaled, and produced Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) for the pharmaceutical industry. Joe led the sale of Aerojet Fine Chemicals to American Pacific Corporation (AMPAC), thereafter serving as Chairman and CEO. He subsequently led the take-private of AMPAC with H.I.G. Capital and remained on as CEO. 

Over the course of his career, Joe has served as a Member of the International Ballistics Committee and the National Defense Industrial Association, Chairman of the Ballistics Division of the National Defense Industrial Association, and an Executive Board Member of the Insensitive Munitions & Energetic Materials Division. He has been a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Chemical Society, and the Board of Governors of the Aerospace Industries Association. He was also a board member of the Arthritis Foundation. 

At Drexel University, the Joseph and Shirley Carleone Endowed Fellowship Fund was established to provide assistance to PhD students. Joe was inducted into the Drexel 100 and named to Drexel’s College of Engineering Alumni Circle of Distinction. He currently serves on the Dean of Engineering’s Advisory Council.

Joe has also been named to the World Association Co-op Hall of Fame and the Father Judge High School Hall of Fame. He received the Firepower Award from the Picatinny Chapter of the NDIA. Joe has published over forty-five articles and a book entitled Tactical Missile Warheads. Joe also developed a course on business leadership, presented to senior executives, which led to The Touchstones of Leadership.

He is currently Chairman of Avid Bioservices and Lead Director of Sensient Technologies, and further serves as a senior advisor to OES Europe, specializing in trans-Atlantic M&A. 

Joe and his wife Shirley have two daughters and four grandchildren, and call southern Nevada home.