Hal Moore on Leadership: Winning When Outgunned and Outmanned

by Harold G. Moore

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...