The Emporer's COG Analysis..

We know they were evil… but the Empire didn't almost conquer the universe without doing a few things right.   Like it or not, the Emperor was a big picture strategic thinker who got it right most of the time (for what he wanted to do)..   He didn't whimsically attack his enemies..  He conducted careful planning that included some kind of decision making process.  Inside this process there were likely Center of Gravity (COG) analysis' which assisted him in determining where to focus his efforts.  His COG analysis would have shaped his grand strategy as it revealed the key weaknesses of his enemies.   

Clausewitz identified the COG as, "the hub of all power and movement, on which everything depends... and the point at which all our energies should be directed".  In the Emperor's case the Jedi may have not been the initial choice.  To the untrained eye, perhaps the Senate or Trade Federation would have seemed like better candidates.  In my attempt to understand the thinking I have build a COG analysis to walk you through what his staff may have done to ensure they got it right.  After all, the COG analysis is so important that if the staff gets it wrong and the leader doesn't catch it - he/she almost always loses.

So lets take a quick look...  The Emperor's staff likely undertook the following steps:

1.  Executed some kind of brainstorming session with a highly qualified group with diverse experience and opinions.  Darth Vader would not have been welcome in this group because of his dogmatic tendencies.. ie.. choke his critics.  The discussion would have been robust and the session would have produced a tight list of about 4 possible COGs.

2.  The group leader would have then embarked on a great effort to screen out the faux COGs.  This would have been tricky as the proposals could have had "defenders" who were emotionally attached and ready to defend theirs to the end.  The group leader would have also fought tenaciously against "Group think".. Group think occurs when too many like minded people rally around their leader and try to force their idea as truth. often the idea is flawed and, if accepted, negatively impacts the mission..  The Emperor was obviously too clever to allow this so he probably put together an A-List team that looked and behaved more like the Jedi Council. 

So, they would have had to rule out the Senate, Trade Federation, and perhaps a few more.  The Senate could have been eliminated because it was indecisive - it had no real ability to push back and therefore wasn't "the hub of all power".  The Trade Federation at one point it may have been a COG because it was attacked (manipulated) by the Order of the Sith Lords.  His staff correctly identified The Jedi because they best met the criteria.. They were the hub of all power (guardians of the republic) and certainly had the ability to threaten the Emperor directly. 

3.  Their analysis of the Jedi COG was probably a little different than mine however it rendered what would be some solid Objectives. 

Critical Capabilities: (These are the crucial enablers that allow the power base to function) Expressed as verbs: Sense, Attack, Influence, Command, Control.

Critical Requirements: (These are components or resources that enable the capabilities to be functional) They are typically nouns but also conditions: Training Center, Legitimacy, Networks, Light Sabers, Command and Control Center.

Critical Vulnerabilities: (These are critical vulnerabilities of the components of the critical requirements that are vulnerable to direct or indirect attack) These are also nouns: Jedi Council Members-Mentors/Trainers, power grid, Light Saber Production and Supply.

Undoubtedly the Crucial Vulnerabilities would have became some of his Strategic Objectives.  Because of the unique powers of the Jedi, all would need to be destroyed but priority would be given to the council's senior members such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Whindu, Yoda, and the others who were not only senior adviser's but trainers and mentors.  The Emperor would need to attack the Jedi Temple either directly or indirectly..  In the case of the movie he chose to attack it both indirectly (seducing Anikin) and directly (Darth Vader and his Clone Army), but if he was interested in rendering it temporarily useless he could have achieved the same effect by targeting its power grid.  According to my COG analysis below he could have also pursued a simultaneous attack on Light Saber production and supply.  This would have been interesting because the Jedi are tied to their unique weapon - no Light Sabers = no Jedi..  

We know the Emperor failed... but was his strategic analysis wrong or did he fail in execution?  Did he fail because not everyone was on board with his plan - loose cannon "Vader"?  Or did he just bite off more than he could chew... I mean.. key figures such as Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi escaped and eventually defeated him.  Would it have been possible to further break down the Critical Vulnerabilities from Jedi Council Members to Yoda and Obi Wan Kanobi?  In this case, all the Emperor would have had to do was eliminate them and the galaxy would be his.. uncontested.  Correctly identifying a COG is a difficult task and then analyzing it for its vulnerabilities is even more difficult.  But if the staff gets it right and builds their plan around collapsing it, chances of success are greatly improved.

Command philosophy

We live on the lead edge of an era of fast moving globalized change, both technological and political.  As Americans and Army Soldiers we are directly effected by this.  The technological revolution enables both us and our adversaries while the political revolutions shape our operating environments.  The road ahead offers both opportunity and risk, as threats mask themselves in change.  Because the threats are real and potent, we must be ready to execute our mission in a full spectrum environment.  To achieve this we must develop a Full Spectrum mindset.  What does this mean?  Leaders must be ready to execute the core mission while simultaneously protecting the force, and positively engaging the local human landscape.  To achieve this dynamic challenge we will empower leaders at every level of organization and focus on the basics.  To do this successfully we need engaged leaders who exercise common sense. 

Execute the Mission
We will focus on our core mission - on the basics.  I will utilize standard Army systems to do this.  The key to successful operations is understanding the commanders intent.  The commander's intent is not static, it will change as we move forward.  I will express my commander's intent in terms of:

Purpose - not just the "why" in the mission statement
Key Tasks - if not accomplished bring mission failure
End State - define the end game. 

We will use the push pull method to ensure all leaders successfully negotiate this dynamic road.  Above all, the commander's intent provides the left and right limits to which subordinate leaders can make autonomous decisions.  This space belongs to my subordinate leaders.  It is where he/she plans the "how" of the mission statement.  There is no room for micro-managing here.  We will utilize the full range of army tools to include a few new technological instruments to ensure we are moving down the right path.  For example:

• Quarterly Training Guidance - what I owe you quarterly that tells you where to focus
• Quarterly Training Brief - Commanders quantify and qualify training
• Weekly Battalion Maintenance Meeting - How I track our equipment readiness
• Streamer/Awards Program - To recognize excellence (Engagements, Crews... etc)
• Family Readiness Program - Keep our families informed, empowered, and ready
• Morale and Welfare Program - Work hard/Play Hard
• Technological tools of the modern era - My Leader Blog/Twitter/Facebook for Families

I am a proponent of the 8-Step Training Model.  Use this for each event and you won't go wrong!

The Basics:

• Battalion, company, and platoon training will be planned using the 8 step training model
• Battalion, company, and platoon operations will be executed using the Warning Order (WARNO), 5 w's - What you know the truth to be at the that particular time 
• 5 paragraph Operations Order (OPORD) (60 - 70% solution gets you out the door)
• Briefed to the widest possible audience, followed by a Commander's Backbrief, followed by a rehearsal. Rehearsals are key to success. If a leader fails in every other area, he/she can still carry the day by rehearsing the critical points of a mission.
• Fragmentary Order (FRAGO)  Adjust your order as you go - send changes to subordinates
• Section size elements and below will utilize the Paralell Planning Process 

Protect the Force

We fight tonight
We must be the best we must be fully trained in our core competencies, physically, and mentally ready to dominate any environment.  This is what will ultimately bring us all home safely.  The we fight tonight mentality means just that.. we will be ready!  This mentality must become the cultural touchstone of our organization.  Our Soldiers, Army, and country deserve no less.

• 100% qualification on basic marksmanship
• 100% qualification on reflexive fire
• 100% stabilization of crew served weapons - that is the crews qualify together and are not whimsically broken up
• Cyber Security

Positively engaging the local human landscape

We are stakeholders wherever we are, especially when we are deployed.  When we are in garrison I expect a robust community outreach program.  When we are deployed I expect a robust partnership and an outreach program.  A robust partnership means we are actively mentoring the forces of our host nation.  An outreach program means we are engaging the civilian population, where we can, to promote a positive image of ourselves and our country.  We will actively utilize our intel assets to identify the hazards in this environment.  We will mitigate risk as much as possible.

The future of our country and army is bright, but that doesn't mean we can let our guard down.  We must understand that globalization quickly changes how we do business (the strategic Corporal).  We must be able to quickly and safely integrate new technologies.. this is a key advantage.  We must  understand the environment in which we traditionally operate.  This environment is currently dominated by three factors, the "Arab Spring", the "Nuclear Ambitions" of Iran, and the "ethno-religious political tension" that exists between them and other neighboring countries and regional powers.  This includes the situations taking shape in the countries bordering Isreal.  This is a complex environment that requires maximum situational awareness.  To flourish in this environment we must live the Army Values, be flexible, highly trained, and well organized.  We must have robust systems manned by certified and stabilized crews which have been certified, evaluated collectively, and validated by commanders.
I see organizations as series inter-related systems and sub-systems in constant interaction.  Under normal operational conditions these interact effectively and efficiently.  I will place these systems under stress continuously to ensure they are sound and flexible.  To achieve success leaders will use my commander's intent and their initiative to either develop or modify existing systems to support my vision.  If systems are in conflict then involved leaders fix them quickly.  Disfunctionality makes us vulnerable.  While we live an amazing technological age, we must remember that requires each of us to be better at almost everything.. to be the Pentathlete.

Our flag is to be respected Always and forever

"Operation Too Late"

In early January I was ordered to pull in my patrols and prepare to conduct a mission that would require all of my forces.  The mission was to guard a large Ammunition Dump to the northwest of the Forward Operating Base or FOB. I was given no amplifying information so I conducted a reconnaissance.. This revealed the ammunition dump was empty, not surprisingly, the enemy had cleaned it out!! When I returned, I showed the operations officer and battalion commander my reconnaissance pictures and recommended we don't waste our precious resources guarding an empty facility.

Me in early January 04 on a reconnaissance of the ammunition Dump. Visible in the background are the piles of packaging discarded by the enemy as they freely collected ordinance. I was unaware  that it was not guarded. It was initially not in my area of operations.

I was shocked when I was ordered to do the mission anyway. I strongly advised against this pointing out the folly of dedicating precious assets to guard an empty facility with an active enemy presence in our area.  In Army speak, I was ordered to "Shut up and color".

We arrived on January 4th and linked into a perimeter established by a sister unit. We executed a 24/7 guard of part of the facility that would continue for almost two weeks. It was uneventful since there was nothing left of value! We completed what became known to us as, "Operation Too Late" on January 16th. We resumed our patrols on January 17.

On that cool January morning the First Sergeant and I passed our morning patrol on the road as we headed to Tikrit to attend a staff meeting. When we arrived we were told to go to the "commanders hooch" - where the commander and command sergeant major lived. We were confused. The battalion commander pulled me aside and informed me that one of my Bradleys had just been destroyed by a massive IED and there were casualties. I looked at First Sergeant and said, "we need to get down there now". We sped back to Al Taji.

We could see the black smoke and helicopters circling over the site. The traffic was backed up for several miles.

The blast site was enormous. Big enough to hide a medium size pickup truck. I would find out from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team that the bomb was comprised of at least 2, 155mm South African artillery rounds and 200lbs of PE 4 (Warsaw Pact military grade explosives). It was dug into a culvert around a water pipe connecting two irrigation ditches. The EOD assessed that a bomb of this size took at least a week to build. The IED was hard wired across a field (300 meters) and up to the side of an abandoned farm house. The enemy had used a succession of trash bags tied to the tops of overgrown weeds as aiming posts.

The blast was so large that it shot the turret of the Bradley into an adjacent field and flipped the hull upside down 30ft from the blast site. The combustible metals were ignited and the hull burned down to nothing. The vapor was toxic and much heroism was demonstrated that day but especially by the crew of the trail Bradley as a soldier crawled past the exploding ammunition to rescue the gunner and commander who were in the turret during the explosion. One of the soldiers M16 rifles was later found blasted into hull so deep it couldn't be recovered. Three American soldiers were killed, two were seriously wounded, and two of our Iraqi allies were also killed.

SGT Edmond Randle, SPC Larry Polly Jr, and PFC Cody Orr (the Team Bulldog soldier) of Kerrville, Texas were killed. They are missed and not forgotten.

To our disgust, after the attack there was no operational change. Our leadership continued to send us on the same worthless missions as if nothing happened. It is an understatement to say that we were outraged. I demanded change and after a tense showdown, I was authorized to move in a different direction as long as I did the planning. The Bulldog leadership collectively built a viable plan that stopped the attacks for the remainder of the time we were in Al Taji. I will discuss the methodoloy in a future post. But I remain angry over the incompetence and lack of care demonstrated by elements of our leadership.

Military leaders are taught to lead under stress and follow orders.. but what do you do when the trust that glues this all together breaks down?  We are not taught how to handle situations in which the problem is our leadership - this needs to be discussed!

At some level I feel responsible for the death of the men who died on January 17, 2004. I wish I would have fought harder at higher levels to keep this mission from happening. I knew it was a bad move to place 100% of our assets in one location. It pains me that those men lost their lives. I think of them all the time, wondering what they would have done with the rest of their lives, what their childern would have become? I ended up staving off other senseless missions and brought night operations online that successfully targeted IED emplacement. In the almost three months that remained of our deployment we didn't have another Bradley attacked or have another Soldier killed. I attribute this success to the innovative nature and bravery of our men. God Bless the USA, and the citizenry who trust our Officer Corps with their most precious blessings - their children.

Iraq - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly!!

The Good:  I believe military leadership is based on a trust between leaders and subordinates. Subordinates rely on competent engaged leaders to do their best in building military missions. There exists a kind of implied trust between them. The leader trusts that the subordinate will do the assigned task to the best of his/her ability and the subordinate trusts that the leader has done his homework in creating a plan that will get the job done while managing risk. The good news is, it works! The vast majority of the soldiers under my command were fantastic.  They were mission focused professionals who were engaged 24/7.  They were flexible and did their best to accomplish the mission and take care of each other.  I am proud to have been their commander.  I worked hard to earn and keep their trust.  I felt they had my back and I had theirs.  I still keep in contact with most today and would do anything I can to help them.

 

The Bad: As a new commander I found myself in a hostile environment with higher command as well as the enemy.  I felt comfortable leading my men against the enemy.  But the fight against higher command was daunting and cost us big.  It was an uphill fight that I didn't want.  I was outnumbered and out ranked by a group that didn't have our best interests at heart - we were their cannon fodder!  My unit was known as "Team Bulldog".  At the high water mark, we had about 155 personnel.  We enjoyed a overwhelming advantage in capabilities since the beginning of the war in March 2003.  However in the fall of 2003 the enemy began to counter aggressively.  The weapon of choice was initially the AK-47, then the Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG), then the Improvised Explosive Device (IED).  Thereafter, the tactics morphed but the IED was always the centerpiece.

The Ugly: As an incoming commander in the fall of 2003, I arrived on the heels of the death of our battalion Command Sergeant Major - James Blankenbecler.  He was an inspirational leader that was ambushed with 6 Rocket Propelled Grenades as he slowed down around Samarra driving towards Al Taji.  He is missed by his family and military brothers.. he is not forgotten.

As I prepared to assume command the enemy shifted aggressively towards IED attacks.  The rapid proliferation of these attacks caught everyone off guard.  In the two months that I was preparing to assume command everyone witnessed an explosion in the numbers of IED attacks.  This tactic became active in Bulldog area quickly destroying two of our Bradley Linebackers.  Among the casualties was SPC Genaro Acosta, a well liked young soldier whose death shocked and saddened the men.

The second IED rendered a Bradley useless and caused some injuries but thankfully no one was killed.

   

The enemy get a vote...  They were successful in changing the game.  It made all of our jobs more difficult.  That didn't change our approach.  We reacted to this ugly development.  How we did so is another post.

 

I never met SPC Acosta, he as killed before I assumed command but he has become a small part of my life as I wonder how much better our country would be if he would have survived.  I guess I am kind of moved by that fact that this good man is not here.  This is what screams out to me.

 

I only briefly met CSM Blankenbecler, but as they say first impressions are everything and he made a great one on me.  I volunteered to be the escort officer (escort his coffin back to the USA) but one of his brothers in arms stepped up.  I still get teary eyed when I remember his daughter reading the last letter she would write to him at the funeral.

 

God Bless the USA and our fighting men and women! 

Steve Jobs: The A$$hole that Changed the World!!

Since this guy has passed away he has gone from inspirational leader to chief executive asshole..  I think much of this is due to Walter Isaccson's book which tells the good, the bad, and the ugly.  But I have to ask, it possible to revolutionize 6 industries and capture over 50% of the most competitive market in the world while being Mr. Nice guy?  Machiavelli may have had it right hundreds of years ago when he said.. "It is better for a leader to be feared than loved".  Machiavelli wisely inferred that optimal leadership achieves both, but if a leader can't achieve and must choose.. is infinitely better to be feared.  A leader who is loved and not feared (or at least respected) leaves him/herself open for people to find ways to excuse themselves from doing the hard work that moves the organization towards the objective.  Steve Jobs may have been a control freak, detail obsessed, both covertly and overtly aggressive, and possibly bi polar...  So what!! Execptional leaders are driven by passion and don't play by the rules.  In fact, they are on a mission to rewrite the rule books.

My thoughts:  I have read Isaacson's study on Jobs and believe he was probably obnoxious much of the time.  But I am surprised the conversation is dominated by his negatives.  What messages are being sent about the importance of leadership - don't be a leader, because they are assholes?  This is lame and counter to Jobs' inspirational nature.  Further, in a time where US competitiveness is being tested, we should be trying to produce more Steve Jobs'.  I think the discussion about the leadership style of Steve Jobs should be centered around these six discussion points:

Perseverance:  Even after Jobs left Apple in 1985 he never changed his vision - he stayed true to himself.  He brought his standards to NeXT and Pixar and then finally back to Apple - he lived to fight another day!  Being sacked at apple must have been a crushing blow and it would have been easy to drift into obscurity.  But he kept his eye on the prize and waited until Apple rendered itself impotent and then re-emerged like a Messiah to take command (in the right place, right time, with the right skill sets, with the right mental approach) and march on to greatness.  This never would have happened without tactical patience and perserverance.  

Think outside of the Box:  "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do".. this quote is closely associated with Jobs' 1997 return to Apple..  I believe the quote rings true.  Apple's, "Think Differently" campaign which inferred the genius of mankind is found in the rebels, bohemians, and misfits was masterful.  

I think Jobs was the quintessential "think outside the box" guy.  He was doing it in the early 80's by leading his teams to develop the means for the rest of the world to think outside the box in the 90's.  In the 2000's and beyond, "think outside the box" became a catch phrase in American society particularly in the US military.  In my opinion US Army didn't start thinking outside the box until MG Petreaus released "Full Spectrum Operations in 2008".  This finally tore the institutional Army away from it's love of Cold War doctrine and its associated mindsets...  We have only began to understand how to think outside the box - the important thing is we are trying to get there and it's leaders like Jobs who are out there getting after it every day.  I believe this is the future of the US: building highly diverse teams led by intuitive, adaptive, and innovative, think outside the box leaders who push the envelope.  I think what they will produce over the next three to four generations will be breathtaking.

Intuition:   Intuition is a knowing, a sensing beyond conventional understanding.  I believe at the heart of this is the ability to read situations and people.  Jobs credits his sojourns to Indian Gurus with the development of his intuition.  This is interesting, but certainly not the only way to develop a keen intuition.  I believe gaining experience in appraising situations beyond words (body language - non-verbal communication) empowers the leader to render a decision with less information... to go with his/her gut!!  This can be dicey, but its part of the real deal leader tool kit. 

Inspirational Leadership:  I think inspirational leaders inspire by motivating achievement of what is perceived as impossible.  They inspire by bringing out the talents of individuals and focusing it - then they do to the same for groups.  Perhaps the methodology is not as important as the result...  For example, Jobs used a different approach to motivate each individual - some were bullied, some had their egos stroked etc...  It was a custom fit... there was no cookie cutter approach.  Jobs also had a group approach - a kind of showmanship/dry erase board leadership style where he built synergy through 3hr + brainstorm sessions.  He bluntly states in interviews that he didn't use the committee system or powerpoint saying, "if you know what you are doing you don't need powerpoint".  He built teams with A team players, that he personally motivated and then he developed the group synergy (inspired them to work together) then sent them out to do great things. 

Warrior Ethos:  The US Army defines a warrior as a soldier who refuses to accept defeat and who is of the highest moral character.  Applied to the corporate paradigm, Jobs is the very essence of this.  He was obsessed with achieving his vision on his terms.  His relentless pursuit of excellence - demonstrated by pushing his people to the limit (within the bounds of the law) changed the world.  His moral character is beyond reproach he was a purist.  He was dedicated to providing the consumer with an excellent product believing the revenues would follow.. I think he was right.

Innovation:  You can't put a price on this.  Jobs pushed Apple to innovate itself out of a hole to become the gold standard of the new knowledge based economy.

So, why do we waste time talking about how much of an asshole/control freak he was?  Why don't we tell it how it is?  I think Jobs was a man obsessed with his vision of greatness and he was relentless in enforcing his vision on all - from his employees, to the US consumer market and finally to the world.  He believed in himself and what he was doing.  Look at the following video...  I am amazed by how much he believes his vision (I find the words he uses to define the environment Star Wars-esc.. good vs. evil).  The commercial at the end which portrays Apple as the savior who breaks the mind control (delivered by IBM I presume) is spectacular!

Those around him either bought into the vision or they went elsewhere.  He used all instruments at his disposal to achieve greatness.  In doing so he revolutionized the music industry, portable music devices, mobile phones, personal computing, created the tablet computer, and developed digital anamation industry.  These industries have developed several spin-off technologies that bounded Apple and Pixar well ahead of their peers.  Jobs created meaningful positions that will spawn innovation and new micro-industries for years to come.  These micro industries will help keep the USA out front in vital fields of technological development for the near term.  Do I care that he called a software engineer a "shithead" or offended people who thought they deserved bonus' by telling them NO!?  No, I don't and neither should you! I believe Jobs made the USA and the world a better place because he had the guts to be an asshole in pursuit of excellence!!  We need more of this in the USA. 

Rome... This is not what right looks like

 In this case I will share what I believe right doesn't look like.  In 2010 I attended the Italian Joint Services Staff College in Rome.  While the course had many admirable aspects I was amazed by the lack of institutionalized (systematized) leadership.  There were leaders present but they were the exception not the rule.  They were what we in the US. Army calls "emergent leaders".  These are leaders who, despite no formal training, institutionalized leader development, and institutional innovation develop and demonstrate leadership skill on their own.

I found it strange that the Italians have no word for leadership.  About the closest word is Capo (which means Captain), but they view a Capo as more of a manager in my opinion.  A Capo is not supposed to take initiative.  He is supposed to do only what he is told.  The Italians use the word "lider" which they took from the English word "leader" pronounced the same but written with the Latin i instead of e.  In my opinion institutional leadership is not well understood in the Italian officer corps.  That is to say, they don't devote any real resources to building leadership traits into their institutions nor do they systematically innovate leadership.  That is to say, I never witnessed any effort to redefine leadership paradigms to suite modern times.  So in the Italian military and I suspect the government and much of greater Italian society much the same way it did during the Cold War which ended almost 25 years ago.  To be fair we, in the US military suffered (and continue to some degree) from the same condition until 9/11/01.

I find it difficult to criticize my Italian friends' but strongly believe we, as brothers in arms, need to get at some of these underpinnings if we are going to move forward.

This is a video of a riot that occurred in Rome on 10 December 2010 in the vicinity of Piazza Venezia (incidentally where Mussolini delivered many of his famous speeches and where I walked daily on my way to the Colosseo Metro stop heading to and from school).  During the spring and summer there were weekly riots and it wasn't fun traversing them…

Back to the video..  We were in the school coffee bar when this (and several more videos) aired.  In fact I was sitting next to a Guardia di Finanza (GDF) (Italian Customs Police) Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) and turned and asked him, whats up with that?  

He and the other GDF officers were embarrassed and gave no response.  I was amazed that a Customs Police unit was tasked to control a riot of this magnitude.  I was further shocked that they were deployed in groups of 5-10 into areas where they could not be mutually supported.  There were 3-4 thousand rioters out that day.  To me this demonstrates a clear lack of competence and absence of leadership.  There is simply no excuse to place lives at risk by deploying haphazardly.  If leaders care about their men they will take the time to plan and rehearse before deploying.  This clearly didn't happen here.

The next day the LTC GDF in my group took to the podium and gave what I considered an amazing presentation.  He pulled up the GDF web page and began a speech informing us that they had everything under control.  He went on to show this video and small pieces of another that was spliced into it that showed inside the angry mob there was someone who reached into the chaos and pulled some of the Finanzieri (customs policemen) to safety.  He played and rewinded the video several times stating that they had people, "inside" the rioting mob.. as a means of managing risk.

I remain amazed that most of my colleagues were satisfied with this lame explanation.  I later asked him if anyone was fired and he looked at me as if I was crazy and said "yes.. the lider was fired".  I don't believe him.  I believe it was swept under the rug.  I will acknowledge it was a good move to have the infiltrator in the rioting mob - glad someone was thinking, but this remains another instance of what occurs when leaders are not institutionally trained and mentored.

Leadership is not for everyone.  Institutional leadership is about building organizations that stand the test of time because they are able to meet dynamic threats by relying on training.  To get there, organizations have to invest resources in building leaders.  That is not to say the emergent leader has no place.  I believe institutionalized leadership provides a natural home and support network for those gifted with a natural ability.  Leaders must create an organizational culture where leadership thrives.  

Whoever commanded this GDF unit should not be serving but because of corruption, he is likely doing so right now..  What family will lose a father, brother, or son next?

Nothing in society happens without leadership.  It remains the genuine article.  It can't be faked or copied and when it is needed and not there it often costs people their lives.. 

Everything I Need to know, I Learned in the Airborne!

The purpose of my blogging, more than anything else, is to help guide my daughter Mariana.  I want her to know my thoughts on leadership.  I hope she will use these ideas as needed in her life.  The blog is also for friends, and perhaps some of their children.  It is kind of a rolling collection of my ideas and vignettes that have impacted me over the years, experiences that have formed who I am.  No greater experience impacted me more than my time in the US Army Airborne.  It defined who I am as an officer and leader.  It formed the basis of how I look at my professional life and to some degree my personal life.
 

Once a paratrooper always a paratrooper!  Paratroopers are tough and aggressive, they exemplify the warrior ethos...  They don't relent until the enemy is destroyed.and the mission is accomplished!  Paratroopers don't need to be pushed, they need to be held back.  As I write this blog, I celebrate my own selection to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  I was recognized with an early promotion because, I believe, I have stayed true to the fundamentals taught by the Skysoldier officers who mentored me. Most continue to serve today as Brigade Commanders and General Officers.  I consider them among the finest Americans I have known.  I can't think of any place in the US military that offers a more challenging and opportunistic place for leaders to grow than the Airborne.  Indeed, today's paratrooper is worthy of the sterling legacy inherited from our fathers and grandfathers.  I think they would be proud of us...

I spent my formative Lieutenant years in the famous 173rd Airborne Brigade, the "Sky Soldiers" headquartered in northern Italy.  This video was made to commemorate the brigade's reactivation in 2000.  I am proud to have been in the ceremony and on the commemorative jump and training in the video.  SKYSOLDIERS!

Some lessons:

Lead from the front:  Paratroopers are smart and can smell an impostor so know in your heart you are there for the right reasons!  They are adapt at measuring leaders by actions more so than rhetoric, this quickly renders the amature impotent.  Credibility is everything to the leader.  Leading from the front means taking the initiative and being decisive.  A leader must constantly be thinking of creative and innovative ways to deal a death blow to the enemy (whoever that enemy is - very relevant in all aspects of life) and how to quickly exploit that success with follow up with another strike.  Leaders are not necessarily front line soldiers but they must go wherever needed and do whatever is required to bring decisive results.  Battlefield leaders can not be impeded by indecisive superiors or good hearted NCOs who, "don't want the old man getting killed".  Where is a leader suppose to be during the battle?  Answer: Wherever he/she can most effectively lead, and that will most assuredly not be in the rear.  To be effective, a leader should demonstrate grace under pressure.  Subordinates need to see their leaders sharing risk while actively engaged at his/her level of the operation.  This approach enables the leader to, as Sun Tzu recommends, "know himself, and know the enemy", this knowledge empowers the leader, enabling him/her to carry the day.  Further, this approach buys capital to assume the risk needed in future battles.  The leader shrewdly spends this capital analying what is to be gained by what it will cost. 

Leaders make hard choices: To be capable of making the hard choice a leader must have a strong appraisal of the capabilities of his/her subordinates, know just how to motivate and push them, and the credibility to inspire follower-ship.  An officer can give an order (make the hard choice) and if it is not illegal or immoral it must be obeyed.  But that will not automatically render greatness.  Achieving greatness requires the hard choice (to pursue when others (to include trusted advisors) say pursuit is not possible).  The real deal leader will use every ounce of his ability - motivation, trust, credibility, and determination to influence his/her superiors/subordinates to achieve.    

The importance of Integrity:  There is no worldly price worth your personal integrity, keep it, guard it, and cherish it forever.  Once your integrity is compromised it can never be fully recovered.  The airborne and to some degree, "the big army" taught me to, "do the right thing, even when no one's looking".  That's the way to live; both professionally and personally.  Your word is your bond!

Work hard; play hard:  Paratroopers work until the job is done!  There is no room for slackers, everyone must pull their own weight and then some.  Missions require careful planning that often takes the best minds several hours and days to complete.  In many cases several missions are being planned at the same time.  At the end of each planning session is an order that will require soldiers to put their lives on the line to accomplish.  As a Lieutenant, most of us became pretty tuckered out after about 30 hours of work.  We were amazed at the staying power of the Majors who would work with no sleep for as long as 42 hours before going down for an 4 hour power nap, then they were back for another suckfest... They definitely set the standard.  In my 20+ year career I have never seen any organization better at planning than the Airborne.  Planning was called, "the wheel of pain" as it never stopped and we Lieutenants were ground up in it pretty good.  But in the end we produced well developed missions that achieved decisive results.  There were some casualties on the staff as the, "Sweitzenator" sacked incompetent officers and threw uncooperative computers out the window.  The work was hard but we could always blow off a little steam at the "Red Devil Cantina" during the lulls in the storms and the command was generous about letting us take leave in between training and deployments.  The point is that hard work is essential to any endeavor but to achieve balance one should be able to play hard also.  This can be done through sports.. or other means.  Certainly I used to enjoy drinking a few beers in the cantina where once everyone had relaxed enough we would sing old airborne songs like, "Blood on the Risers" or listen to one of our NCOs who hailed from Scotland play his bagpipes...  At the end of each rotation COL Kearney (Now GEN Kearney) would gather all officers at a German restaurant and we Lieutenants would perform skits, drink beer, and the group would sing more airborne songs..  It was a great environment... work hard; play hard!



1-508 Airborne Combat Team (ABCT), "Red Devils"

Never take counsel of your fears: It takes personal courage to be a paratrooper.  I am not talking about being a, "5 jump chump".  I am talking about doing it for a living.  Jumping out of a perfectly good airplane provides each soldier with the unique opportunity to immediately overcome personal fear,  in fact it facilitates the opportunity to do so often and under difficult circumstances - this builds character and courage.  I believe young leaders must learn to overcome these fears to be effective Army leaders.  You really can't lead and be worried about anything other than your mission and soldiers.  So you just have to learn to tune personal fears out and focus on the task at hand. 

Come in hard, you can always lighten up In the officer basic course we were always told to come in quietly and see how things ran for a couple of months before making changes.  We were told we needed to have finesse.  This was not my experience in the airborne and would not be my experience in subsequent assignments.  I have learned the best approach is to come in business first and if anything a little aggressive.  Some organizations have functioning systems that just need to be tweaked and then taken to the next level.  On the other hand many organizations are broken from incompetent and uncaring leadership.  These organizations are like a sick patient.  The sickness needs to be diagnosed, isolated, and treated.  Then the organization needs to be rebuilt with strong systems.  Broken organizations are the most work and the most rewarding.  They typically suffer from a cancerous culture of laziness, lack of care, incompetence, and leadership built on the cult of personality rather than a sustainable systems.  I learned in the Airborne to come in hard because there is no time to lose.  I learned to quickly assess the situation, and to immediately implement change (stop the bleeding).  It takes months to destroy an organization and years to rebuild it.  In fact some organizations implode so badly they destroy brand names and it becomes easier to build another from scratch.  Organizations are cultural in nature and a healthy, results oriented, culture is they objective. 

When to fight  Choose your battles carefully and win the ones you choose.  When committed to battle, fight with everything you have, but mostly your wits.  Don't be afraid to bend the rules to suit you.  As they say in the army, "if you ain't cheatin you ain't trying".  The savvy leader seeks to manipulate every circumstance that surrounds his situation into his favor (stack the deck).  In my 20+ year career I have seen one man removed from command for "bending" the rules too far and he is now retired and serving in the US House of Representatives.  Message:  Nothing is off the table!

AIRBORNE! ALL THE WAY!