Hal Moore on Leadership: Winning When Outgunned and Outmanned

by Harold G. Moore

If you seek to correct a subordinate’s overall behavior or performance, start by telling them what they do well, then tell them where they need to improve.

The boss in any organization needs one or two trusted, proven advisors.

A leader, after taking over an organization and setting his standards, must do a thorough “Estimate of the Situation” in his organization. The purpose is to reveal problem areas, opportunities, and areas of excellence.

The Fort Ord Leadership Academy was critical to ensuring his subordinates’ success because, as Moore stated, “the grunts on the front lines, or in the business cubicles, and the middle managers must be continually developed to be good at their jobs. Periodic critiques, required reading, special schooling, and one-on-one mentoring programs

are helpful. In any successful activity, you need to have smart people who are motivated and dedicated. In athletics, the teams with the best players almost always win. And so it is in all endeavors. The leader has to keep his people learning, improving their capabilities, and create new imaginative ways to increase their perceptiveness and their efficiency.

A man who has more self-discipline has more confidence in his ability to do the job.

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.”

For example, in garrison, and to some extent even in a combat area, most disciplinary problems stem from women, alcohol,

firearms control, money, and vehicles. Knowing this, a leader can perform a lot of preventive maintenance. As an isolated, but not a sole example, pay problems often arise for separated families living on a limited income. Many of these can be eliminated in advance by real leadership.