Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet
This is a great leadership book which discusses how great leaders follow a “Leader-Leader” structure instead of a “Leader-Follower” structure. What does a “Leader-Leader” structure entail? First, it requires leaders to give up control. Competent leaders are comfortable pushing decision-making down to the lower levels of the organization. Additionally, these leaders must be adept at providing clarity of purpose, which serves as the basis for subordinate decision-making. Check out this great video for a brief summary of the book.
On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis
John Lewis Gaddis believes that strategic thinking requires an understanding of the interplay of history, literature, and philosophy over 2,500 years of Western civilization. The author also believes that honing strategic thinking is not just about mastering the advice of Machiavelli or Clausewitz. Gaddis contextualizes the last two and a half millennia through case studies and also provides readers with occasional insights from Sun Tzu and other non-Western thinkers. For readers who are interested in grand strategy or those who want to hone their strategic thinking, this book is a great place to start your journey.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. John Lytle March 13, 2018.
What do you think of when you imagine what an ideal leader should act like or be? Most people think of movie examples in which a commanding officer or noncommissioned officer of some sort gives a command, and it is, blindly or not, followed by his or her subordinates. This is top-down leadership. Now, most movies and novels portray extreme or once in a lifetime heroic decision making, which in some cases is fictionalized and sometimes is actually real-life events. However, how often is the day to day top-down approach leadership modeling needing to be like this? I argue, not very often. We need to use the bottom-up approach.
Most military leadership models are constructed around old, archaic, top-down leadership approaches. In a vacuum, this model works because it is easily conveyed on paper and has worked in years past. However, war and leadership tactics change. Technology has changed, war tactics have changed, even how we run the office environment too has changed drastically. Sometimes at too fast of a pace. It is impossible for one individual, let’s say for example a commander of a boat, squadron, or a battalion, to know everything of what is going on at every given second; whether on the battlefield or in the office environment. The commander has his intentions and those intentions are expected to be followed.
Team of Teams by Stanley McCrystal
A rigid hierarchy often hinders an organization’s adaptability. General McChrystal witnessed this first hand while leading the Joint Special Operations Command in the fight against Al Qaeda. McChrystal’s solution was to foster an environment conducive to shared consciousness and empowered execution. Teams are effective because they trust each other and have a shared purpose. This is what McChrystal refers to as a shared consciousness. Once a shared consciousness gives a team the knowledge to do what is right, the team must also be empowered with the authority to act. McChrystal argues that these elements are required if you want to build a “Team of Teams.”
Though we’ve discussed the power of handwritten notes in the past, President George H.W. Bush’s passing gives us good reason to revisit the topic. I don’t know about you, but I am often challenged in communicating praise and gratitude as a military professional. Though I don’t do it enough, writing a simple note to someone who has made a positive impact or contribution is a great method to bridge this gap. Here are a couple of thoughts, embracing the example President Bush set, to help you employ handwritten notes as a military professional.
Successful officers are good listeners. They use effective listening skills to gain perspective from their subordinates and listen to their Soldiers to build a foundation of trust. Officers who do this are more effective in leading their teams than those who do not. This essay will enable better understanding by discussing three topics: listening to gain perspective on assigned missions or tasks; listening to build trust in the team and; some tips for improving listening skills.
June 24, 2015 – Photo by U.S. Army Maj. Randy Stillinger
U.S. Army Sgt. Troy Lord, a CH-47 Flight Engineer with the Texas National Guard’s 2-149th General Support Aviation Battalion, guides a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, as Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 133rd Field Artillery, hook up a 105mm Howitzer during an air assault exercise on Fort Hood.
U.S. Army Soldiers eat their Thanksgiving meal on Combat Outpost Cherkatah, Khowst province, Afghanistan, Nov. 26, 2009. The Soldiers are deployed with Company D, 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment.U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith
Each Thanksgiving, our Nation pauses to give thanks for all of our blessings. For most Americans, this holiday is about enjoying friends and family, celebrating, and sharing a meal together. But beyond Thanksgiving, how do we express gratitude as military leaders? We are trained to be ruthless skeptics, hunting through our daily duties in search of poor planning, flawed logic, or lack of grammatical aptitude. Often, we fail to express gratitude and recognize how fortunate we are to serve our country. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, consider expanding your gratitude by actively seeking a positive perspective. Take a look at all of the positive things in your life and make gratitude a part of your daily routine.
In memory of Dwight Davis, who passed away 01 November 2018
The memory is clear in comparison to others that have faded over the years. The early morning Ohio air seemed crisp even though it was the middle of summer, somewhere around the end of July I suppose. I stood by, waiting for Grandpa as I did every morning and evening, during every visit to Ohio throughout my childhood. Grandpa emerged from the garage with his American flag, rolled neatly from the previous evening. The flag was slightly weathered from daily use, but still in good condition. Every so often, during road trips, Grandpa would stop and complain to a business owner who flew a tattered flag. Each morning he carried the colors at a modified port arms, calling me to attention and then present arms, singing a fine rendition of To The Colors while unrolling his flag. I’d watch the flag sway in the breeze, maintaining the best salute a seven-year-old could render until Grandpa completed the tune and slid the staff into the bracket on the garage. My Grandpa taught me what it means to be an American. He taught me about ideals and traits that I now observe in our Army’s Soldiers, and that I hope I embody through service to our Nation and these Soldiers.
US Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Marcus Fichtl
By presidential appointment and congressional approval, the commissioned officer corps of the United States military serves as the principal leadership cadre of the armed forces. The duties of small unit leaders are often delegated to non-commissioned officers, but the ultimate responsibility of mission accomplishment or failure always rests with the commissioned commander.
October 30, 2013 – Photo by Staff Sgt.Tim Chacon
“…the expectations of a Major are very different than those of a captain, and not everyone knows what these expectations are or the impact they have on personal and professional success.”
-MG(R) Tony Cucolo, “In Case You Didn’t Know It, Things Are Very Different Now: Part 1”
While attending the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), instructors and mentors constantly drove two points home. First, transitioning to the rank of Major and the expectations of a Field Grade Officer is a difficult and steep learning curve. Second, what made an officer successful at the company grade level does not necessarily translate to success as a Major. I have been a combined arms battalion S3 for ten months now and during this period I’ve planned, resourced, and executed field training exercises, live fire events, gunneries, an NTC rotation, and spent enough hours on my Blackberry that I never want to see one again. However, I can definitively say two things about my instructors’ advice: They weren’t kidding about either point … and they vastly downplayed both.