Hal Moore on Leadership: Winning When Outgunned and Outmanned

by Harold G. Moore

Principle #1: Three strikes and you’re not out. Principle #2: There’s always one more thing you can do to influence any situation in your favor. And after that, there’s one more thing. Principle #3: “When nothing is wrong, there’s nothing wrong - EXCEPT there’s nothing wrong. That’s when a leader has to be the most alert.” Principle #4: “Trust Your Instincts.”

No job is ever “beneath” you. In whatever you do, do it to the best of your abilities.

The best leaders strive to create a “family environment” within their organization.

To be a leader, you must be willing to be a lifelong learner.

a good leader is also a good listener. “I like to do a lot of listening,” he said, “that

When you listen, you know twice as much as the other guy: what he knows and what you know.

You’ve got to have a dream to move towards, or you’re dead in the water. Once you’ve realized that dream and accomplished that goal—get another! I could create the future. I could make my dream happen. Never say “No” to yourself when you need to ask for something. Make the other guy say “No.”

Never quit! When you take a big hit, get back up. It’s a lot easier to go down than to crawl back up when your morale is down. JUST DO IT! You can control your will to win. Find a way to turn every “minus” into a “plus”—like that Annapolis appointment; to me it was a “minus” I turned into a “plus.” There is a solution to every problem; some are more complex than others. There’s always a way. I could handle all my expenses on a small amount of money without outside help. Leaders are often faced with the arduous task of “doing more with less.”

toxic leaders include: Bully Leaders – those who inflict emotional pain, deliver threats and ultimatums, hurl insults, and invalidate the opinions of others.

Narcissistic Leaders – those who are arrogant and self-congratulatory. This brand of toxic leader will often contrast his own abilities against a subordinate’s shortcomings. “Look at me, I can do this so easily. Why can’t you?” The Narcissistic Leader overbearingly forces himself and his personality onto the organization. He also presumes that he is the standard they should all strive to emulate. However, his tactics are so heavy-handed and self-aggrandizing that he inevitably earns the contempt of his subordinates.

Divisive Leaders – He has many of the same qualities as the Narcissistic Leader, but he channels his wrath and arrogance towards one person (or a group of people) whom he perceives as weak or otherwise unfit to be a member(s) of the team. The Divisive Leader often resorts to public humiliation of the targeted individual(s) and builds a network of resentment and ridicule against that individual(s) until they leave the organization or are ousted by other means. Insular Leaders – This brand of leader forms cliques and goes to great lengths to ensure that his “followers” are shielded and enjoy special privileges. Meanwhile, those outside the leader’s circle become targets for ridicule and derision. The “outsiders” are held to rigidly high standards, while those inside the clique are held to lower standards and given “free passes” for any infractions. Hypocritical Leaders – These leaders live by the mantra: “Do as I say, not as I do”—and rarely practice what they preach.

Enforcement Leaders – This mid-level leader seeks the approval of his superiors without regard to his subordinate’s welfare. He will consciously follow orders that are bad, unsafe, or illegal only to stay in the good graces of the organizational culture.

Callous Leader – in a similar vein to the Enforcement Leader, the Callous Leader has a blatant disregard for his subordinates’ welfare or desires. This disregard may not stem from a desire to please the boss, but it definitely stems from a lack of empathy. The Callous Leader, much like the Bully Leader, exhibits sociopathic behavior.

Seniority Preference Leader – Unlike the Insular Leader, this leader may not form cliques but he will always give preferential treatment to those who have served the longest time within the organization. Seniority ought to be rewarded in some respects, but the Seniority Preference Leader will defer to the “old guard” even at the peril of the organization.

Credit-hog Leaders – These leaders show their toxicity by taking credit for an employee’s success or contribution. They resent the notion of giving credit where it’s due.

Blame-shifting Leaders – The mirror image of the “Credit-hog” is the blame-shifter. This leader is quick to point the finger for anything that goes wrong and, many times, he actively looks for someone to whom he can assign the blame. The blame-shifter will often maliciously accuse someone of wrongdoing without evidence or probable cause. For example, if the computer network goes down while you were using it, the blame-shifter says: “You must have broken it.” If your car gets a flat tire, the blame-shifter says it must be your fault. According to the blame-shifter, there is no such thing as an accident or bad coincidence—everything is somebody’s fault.

Leaders stay informed of current events, and they should anticipate challenges based on those events.

A good leader never discriminates or alienates based on race, color, or other genetic factors.

Even in the midst of defeat, carry yourself professionally and maintain your discipline. That is the quickest way towards recovery.

A good leader studies the culture of any location where he is planning to go—and he ensures his subordinates are properly educated on the same.

When in charge, take charge, but treat your subordinates with respect, dignity, and common courtesy.

everyone deserves respect until they did something to lose it.

Good leaders don’t wait for official permission to try out a new idea. In any organization, if you go looking for permission, you will inevitably find the one person who thinks his job is to say “No!” It’s easier to get forgiveness than permission. Put the welfare of your troops above your own. They eat before you eat; they sleep before you sleep. Simple acts of courtesy and graciousness have a profound impact on a subordinate’s morale, self-perception, and performance. This is particularly the case if a leader takes over an organization that has previously suffered from toxic leadership. Conversely, toxic behavior will destroy morale and lead to subordinates seeing themselves as subpar or defective. Subordinates want to feel that the leader “has their back” and is looking out for them. They cannot perform well for a leader who treats them as an inconvenience or who targets them with spiteful vendettas. Commanders are not always leaders. Commanders are appointed. Leaders are unofficially “elected” by the troops in the unit. Likewise in other fields of endeavor. Every leader is put through an informal process in the first few weeks wherein his people judge him and decide whether or not he is worthy of their trust. He must earn that trust. How? A leader must prove himself by his actions, appearance, demeanor, attitude, and decisions. Most importantly, a leader proves himself by demonstrating his concern for and relationship with the people under him. The old adage: “Take car...

Subordinates will respect a leader who admits his errors and says “I was wrong,” rather than a leader who makes excuses and looks for something to blame.

Before going into battle (or while you’re in a battle), or undertaking a tough project or competition, if you, the leader, think you might lose, then you have already lost.

Be ready, so you don’t have to get ready. A good leader will pre-position as many assets and people as he can before an event, or as a contingency in case of disaster. Thus, when the alert and/or emergency inevitably comes, you will be better prepared to respond to it.

By the time our counter-fire batteries could fix the location, and our artillery could shoot back at the mouth of the cave, the enemy gun was safe, and its crew back inside sucking down their rice.”

Soldiers in battle fight, kill, and die primarily for each other.

It’s a crapshoot.” After the battle, he maintained that only the grace of God had saved him.

The first impression a speaker makes on his audience is by his appearance and demeanor. Well-groomed or not? Self-Confident or not? Nervous or not? Paper-shuffler or not? All this and more before he says a word. The next impression is how the speaker talks. Forceful or not? Correct diction or not? Too much use of hands? Walking around? If so, too much? Any distracting mannerisms (such as always shoving his spectacles back up his nose)? Speaks too loud? Too soft? “Talks down” to the audience?The next impression is about what he says—the content of his talk. Are the thoughts well-organized? Or is he just “winging it?”

I’m a firm believer that physical fitness aids mental fitness. My wife got used to me coming home after a tough day and telling her I was so tired I was going out for a run. It always refreshed me and cleared my mind to deal with the two briefcases of work I brought home with me.

Don’t complain to your boss. He wants solutions; not just problems.

Decision-making will be decentralized. It pays off on the battlefield. No fat troops or officers. In the military, physical fitness is paramount.

Strive for excellence, do not be content just to “get by.”

A man who has more self-discipline has more confidence in his ability to do the job. “There is a close connection between discipline and confidence. I am not talking about discipline as in remedial measures to rectify improper behavior. Training and discipline are mutually supportive and lead to confidence. Proper training prepares persons for all types of endeavors. Discipline, however, adds to training and natural ability; it develops self-control and team control. Discipline requires dedication and firm commitment.

Self-discipline (study, self-improvement) leads to self-confidence. Disciplined use of technical equipment such as various software programs, charts, records, and comparative study analyses leads to confidence in those tools. Organizational discipline and smooth teamwork leads to unit confidence. When you put these all together, the result is disciplined, confident efficiency and professionalism.

A good leader trains his people to adapt to changes in the environment or the marketplace.

Don’t overreact. And never overreact to an overreaction.

Stand up for principles; choose the “harder right” over the “easier wrong.”