[May 11, 2015] Combat is a crucible that leaves little room for making mistakes. Those who have engaged in combat with an enemy know that small unit leadership is what makes a difference because it’s about solving problems. Combat is chaos, some say “organized chaos” but nonetheless chaos, and thus it demands that decisions be made quickly with little… Read More »
[May 10, 2015] Just last night I completed reading E.B. Sledge’s book With the Old Breed about his service as a United States Marine Corps private during World War II. In his personal memoir, Private Sledge writes about the devastation of war on his Marine comrades and on the local civilian population. He notes in particular how important… Read More »
[May 09, 2015] Many years ago I learned a valuable lesson on improving clarity. As a graduate student I was responsible for teaching several classes. One day I asked my class a question, and wanting to encourage anonymity I directed them to write their answer on a scrap of paper and on the folded outside to write “male… Read More »
[May 08, 2015] “Just keep me informed so that I’m not surprised,” so said my commander during the early days in the Iraq War when our troops were in a running gun battle with insurgents. When it comes to bad news, I have found that keeping your boss informed of potential and actual bad news is important because… Read More »
[May 07, 2015] The good thing about educating ourselves on central events in history is that we can learn valuable lessons and not repeat those mistakes. It is important for leaders to learn about the Nazi Dachau Concentration Camp and its liberation in 1945; 70 years ago. It is also important that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was present… Read More »
[May 06, 2015] Our Drill Sergeants in Basic Combat Training took sadistic pleasure in screaming at us raw recruits … at least it seemed that way. After a long march or any similar difficult task they would say to us, “time for a gut check.” In other words, they wanted to know if we had the intestinal fortitude… Read More »
[May 05, 2015] A close friend of mine – intelligent and trustworthy – resigned as a commissioned officer in U.S. Army after being told he would never advance in rank. The reason was simple; he did not promote and was incapable of effective teamwork. It was a sad day for all of us Platoon Leaders (lieutenants in the… Read More »
[May 04, 2015] Up here in the Northeast we are finally getting some warm weather along with blooming flowers. This means that I’m moving my regular reading outside on the porch; harder to concentrate but worth it. I have a very special book for review today. U.S. Navy Captain (Retired) L. David Marequet’s book was a great pleasure… Read More »
[May 03, 2015] The famous Vince Lombardi once said that “winners never quit and quitters never win.” While there is hardly a more well-known quote about sports, we find that it’s the development of sportsmanship and teamwork that are the real successes behind any winning game. Yet for children, their development is much more precarious than for us… Read More »
[May 02, 2015] The greatness of Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, is difficult to imagine for those of us who live in a relatively safe, modern world. Charlemagne was both a King and a military leader; roles that we rarely see held simultaneously today. Yet Charlemagne did so and was loved by his people. Born sometime… Read More »