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May 27 - May 30, 2018
On leading troops in combat, Moore commented that the leader “must be visible on the battlefield; he must be in the battle, battalion commander on down—brigade and division commander on occasion. He must exhibit his determination to prevail no matter what the odds or
how desperate the situation. He must have and display the will to win by his actions, his words, the tone of his voice on the radio and face-to-face, his appearance, his demeanor, his countenance, the look in his eyes. He must remain calm and cool—no fear. He must ignore the dust, the noise, the smoke, the explosions, the screams of the wounded, the yells, or the dead lying around him—that is all normal. He must never give off any hint or evidence that he is uncertain about a positive outcome, even in the most desperate situations.” Crisis management is not unique to the military and civilian
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As Moore recalled, these mentoring sessions were helpful because: “A leader must realize his subordinate leaders will be killed or wounded. He must prepare and train other leaders to step up and take over. He, himself, must train his next-in-line to take command in event he is killed, wounded, or evacuated.”
learned that I could keep calm and functional in the bedlam, stress, noise, blood, and killings of a fierce battle. I had no choice but to remain calm.
This remains true in the corporate world.
Stay in shape. When we were not in a battle or other operation, I took a run in the late afternoon for an hour or so.
Also something that should be true in the corporate world.
The first reports from the battlefield are usually exaggerated for good or bad, and are not entirely accurate. This is normal, since they are sent back by leaders in a moving battle and are
Operations journals must be meticulously kept. Entries must be accurate as reported. An entry, once made, can never be changed.
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.
Never give up ground. It will cost more casualties to take it back than holding on to it in the first place.
Moore had identified the situational “center of gravity” of the enemy. Think of this example when confronted with a competitive challenge. Ask yourself, “What’s the toilet paper?” Crude, but easy to understand. In mid-January, the unit moved back to the front.
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.
I failed miserably at this at Sephora primarily because I didn’t have control of my own team.
When everything’s quiet on the line and nothing’s going wrong, tighten up the security and be sure the listening posts and outposts are alert; especially at night and particularly if it’s raining or snowing. That’s the most opportune time for the enemy to close in.
This is incredibly important for the corporate environment as well I feel like there is many a time where I felt comfortable and secure only to find out later that an actual storm is brewing underneath me that I was too complacent to realize
Be sure that deserving men are decorated with the appropriate awards for valor or meritorious action. Fewer things will impact a team’s morale than a leader who does not recognize their accomplishments and hard work.
VERY IMPORTANT: When you draw up a plan of attack or defense, you must have information on weather, terrain, and enemy capabilities but you cannot coordinate your plan with the enemy. Therefore, think through all the “what if’s”—what if the enemy does this; what if this
Rehearse your talk; orally if possible. If not, read it to yourself as if you were speaking. Get the time down.
Unless the speaker is a stand-up comic and is speaking as such, I’m not impressed with those who start out with a joke or the ones who waste my time telling me how happy he is to be here.
Probably the best lesson I learned is that a speaker must be carefully prepared.
Don’t complain to your boss. He wants solutions; not just problems.
If you want to learn fast, if you want to “get ahead,” and be advanced up the ladder, it helps to work for sharp bosses and good leaders.
From then on, if time permitted, when I was called to a meeting, I would prepare several copies of an agenda which were related to the issue but simultaneously constructed to advance my boss’s position. You can control any meeting with a carefully-designed agenda.
When you’re an action officer in the Pentagon, you are in a “testing out” job, a learning job. It’s a great opportunity to enhance your reputation or damage it. In a civilian corporation, it would be the equivalent of a mid-level management position or
Get to know the local people, study the language and culture, and take the opportunity to see the country and neighboring countries.
A leader should surround himself with persons who fit his requirements and standards—and then turn them loose to do their jobs.
do. I am convinced my trust and loyalty downward resulted in better work habits and higher unit efficiency. That policy kept a hell of a lot of paperwork off my desk and gave me more time to think; to plan ahead, and to create the future. In the field, in battle, or training, that policy developed aggressiveness and took advantage of fast-moving openings to defeat the enemy. But most importantly, with such a policy, subordinates must be carefully informed by the boss regarding his views and guidance on what’s going on, what are the priorities, policies, and principles in various situations.
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This concept is what Moore’s sons named the “Rule of Doubts.” Here is the full process: Every job has an implied or specified level of authority and responsibility. Use formally written job descriptions and personal counseling when on boarding to ensure each individual understands the scope. When confronted with a decision, the individual asks themselves, “Does making this decision fall within my level of authority?” If so, the individual makes the decision. If not, he passes it up the chain of command. The next person in the chain
of command reviews the issue and, if the decision should have been made at the lower level, he passes it back without action; forcing power down. Likewise, if the lower level decision should have been made at a higher level, the superior explains the reasons why to the subordinate to refine the subordinate’s understanding of the scope of his authority.
It’s a key responsibility of the leader, in any field of endeavor (athletic team, military, or business) to assure the successful continuity or ability of his organization to carry on should he die or become incapacitated. It’s his duty to plan for such a contingency out of loyalty to his people and, if in a business endeavor, loyalty to his customers and, clients.
Strive for excellence, do not be content just to “get by.”
When confronted with a challenging problem, take a positive attitude. Face up to the facts and deal with them. Figure out a way to solve
Place emphasis on the importance physical exercise plays in improving mental acuity.
Conduct fun, family-oriented events to enhance unit cohesion.
When you identify a toxic subordinate leader, remove them. If you cannot remove
them, reassign them to a role where their toxicity can be minimized.
During the X-Ray battle, my great troopers and I never quit. The extension of that lesson is that a unit—be it military, an athletic team, a business organization, or a political organization—takes on and reflects the personality of the boss, the commander, the coach…the leader.
Every instinct I had told me to send Edward’s men where I did. In a fast-moving situation, the leader must trust his instincts.
“My experience during the military and afterwards in business showed me there are at least two categories of ‘what ifs’ in any endeavor: those that you can do something about and those you cannot. Either way, it is a rave mistake not to plan for them. Be ready. “I was never comfortable taking a lot of risks that were out of my control or could have disastrous consequences if a situation went sour. On the battlefield, when taking a bold
“Despite detailed preparation, when events do not go as planned, when you are sideswiped by adversity, face up to the facts and deal with them. No whining; no ‘if only.’ You can’t change the facts, but there is always one more thing you can do to influence any situation in your favor. There’s always a way!
“Any of these ills—incomplete or wrong information, stress, a tired mind, a weary body, poor advice, ignoring sound advice, personal ego or pride, or a poor analysis of the situation—can push a leader of character and integrity over the line into bad judgment.
I learned early in my career to have a trusted confidant with broad experience, sagacity, and wisdom close at hand. As I moved up, I always tried to find such a person and put him directly under me as my operations officer, chief of staff, or special assistant. I wanted someone who was loyal enough
Their duty at their level was just as important as my duty at my level.
This is true in any organization. The grunts who do the dog work are absolutely essential to success.” On November 23, 1965,
Leaders lead from the front; managers lead from the rear.
Surprise Aggressiveness
Deception The leader’s personal presence in the battle.
When the battle is over, there must be plans (made in advance) for follow-on actions.
A leader must have clearly defined objectives. He must ensure that these objectives are clearly understood by his subordinate leaders.
There are at least five activities that must be kept in balance through proper time management. This is not easy for a busy executive with significant responsibilities, especially in this world of “information overload.” These five activities are: the job, physical fitness, personal time alone, recreation, and social relationships. Also, if they apply, two others—religion
religion and family. If any of these get out of balance, then life gets out of balance. From my own personal experience and observation of others, being a workaholic is the most common area of imbalance.
A leader should never tell an outfit that it’s screwed up. If he does, then it will be screwed up. Why? Because the boss said so.
