Below you can find a complete archive of posts from The Military Leader. If the content engages you, be sure to share it with your team.
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Published Articles & Media
I’m excited to highlight that Inc. Magazine picked up my “It is what it is” post.
Check it out here: The Stupidity of “It is what it is”
Cooperation Without Coordination on ProDev2Go
The Strategic Development of Tactical #Leadership with Matt Rasmussen on Strategy Bridge
If you think snot rockets are gross… – Carrying the Gun – March 2016
How Effective is Your Leadership Narrative? – From the Green Notebook – November 2015
Lieutenant Lessons…Continued – Small Wars Journal – April 2014
Getting Your Mental Map Realigned (Sadr City 2008) – War On the Rocks – June 2014
And here is the collection of syndicated articles on Task & Purpose.
“12 Things Good Bosses Believe” – based on Robert Sutton’s article in Harvard Business Review)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#12)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#11)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#10)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#9)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#8)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#7)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#6)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#5)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#4)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#3)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#2)
12 Things Good Bosses Believe (#1)
“Twenty Habits that Hold You Back from the Top” – based on Marshall Goldsmith’s What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
Speaking When Angry (Habit Series #7)
Telling the World How Smart We Are (Habit Series #6)
Starting with “No, But, or However” (Habit Series #5)
Making Destructive Comments (Habit Series #4)
Passing Judgment (Habit Series #3)
Adding Too Much Value (Habit Series #2)
Addicted to Winning (Habit Series #1, pt 2)
Addicted to Winning (Habit Series #1, pt 1)
Blog Posts from The Military Leader
Creating Stability in Your Organization
A New Foundation for the Profession of Arms
Are You Doing Your Most Impactful Work?
The Leader’s Guide to Overcoming Obstacles
If you think snot rockets are gross…
At the Intersection of Values and Hardship
Build Your Team with a Little Gift Giving
I ,Too, Was Afraid to Do Counseling
Where Do You Get Your Inspiration?
“Rank Ordering Your Future” – A Look at CSL Preferences
2 Years of Lessons from Battalion Command
How to Avoid Guidance that Stifles Initiative
What Combat Demands from Every Individual
4,567 Words of Advice for Crushing ROTC Advanced Camp
The Military Leader Reading List
5 Things Commanders Should Know About Communications
Announcing…The Field Grade Leader!
27 Questions to Identify Culture and Define Vision
11 Tips for Succeeding as Aide-de-Camp
Patton’s Advice Has a Serious Flaw
Providing Clarity with an Evaluations Philosophy
The 5 Leadership Love Languages
You Don’t Have Time for Professional Reading…Try This
Stories of Failure – “That time I made my FRG Leader cry.”
Traits, Obituaries, and Life’s Purpose
We Can Do Better at Teaching Army Doctrine
Great question…what DID I learn in command?
The Chilling Story Behind the Mayflower
The Best Military Gift You’ll Ever Give
The Bee, the Brain, & the Bully
1,000,000 Conversations About Leadership
Rank-Based Mentoring for Commanders
Performance-Based Mentoring for Busy Leaders
“Action Man” – Know Your Role and Be a Hero
17 Productivity Hacks for Your Military Staff
This Mindset Shift Changes Everything
“Two Matts and a Pat” – Recognizing the Value of Mentorship
Prevent Power from Corrupting Your Leadership
In Leadership, You Are a Consumer, a Producer…or Irrelevant
10 Ways to Start a Conversation About Leadership
11 Priceless Colin Powell Quotes
Why Do Toxic Leaders Keep Getting Promoted?
Misunderstanding Military Millennials
“Lessons from Uncle John”
Stories of Failure – Undermining the First Sergeant
Grow NOW!…with these 7 Podcast Interviews
Connecting Today’s Soldiers with Yesterday’s Sacrifice
How Compassion Can Make or Break a Career
Leadership Reflections from Battalion Command
12 Tips for Showing Leadership During Your Staff Time
An Open Letter to Company Command Teams
People…the Army’s Legacy of Leadership
Stories of Failure – Ranger School
When Everest Just Isn’t Your Summit
Leadership in Action – Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
The Role of Luck in Becoming a Successful Officer
Putting Leadership Back in Leader Development
Have We Removed Leadership from Leader Development?
McChrystal and a Grain of Salt
Professional Etiquette in the Digital Age
Advice for the Starving Staff Artist
My In-Depth Guide to Creating a Blog Post
Sebastian Junger Knows What We Know About Combat
7 Ways to Fail as a Staff Officer
The Most Important Leadership Quote You’ll Read this Year
What Combat Leaders Need to Know About Neuroscience
Stop Telling Me to Listen to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History!
What’s Your Leadership Narrative?
Leadership Speed and Why It Matters
Making Sense of Battalion Command Selection
4 Keys to a Successful Military Transition
This is #Slack…and Here’s How Your Unit Can Use It
When the Military Profession Isn’t
Stop Calling Your Soldiers Children
Quotes for The Military Leader
Achieving Effects with Your Boss (pt. 3): Decision Time
Professional Development, One Paragraph at a Time (ProDev2Go)
Leadership in Action: Colonel Charles A. Beckwith
14 Simple Ways to Connect with Your People
I Admit It…I Forgot How to Workout
The Post-Active Duty Leadership Environment – Part 3 (Developing Leaders)
Achieving Effects with Your Boss (pt. 2): Intentional Engagement
Achieving Effects with Your Boss (pt. 1): First Impressions
“Sir, You Humiliated Us” – A Commander’s Lesson in Humility
The Secret to a Blister-free Foot March
How to Write Your Own User Manual
Purpose, Freedom, and the Superman – An Officer Looks Back
Junior Leaders…Success Depends on a Proactive Mindset
It’s Time to Rethink 360 Degree Reviews
Insight from TED You Can Use Right Now
8 Supervisor Tips for Getting More Done
Leaders, Your Facebook Phobia is Holding You Back
Simon Sinek’s Advice for the Military’s Sexual Assault Problem
How to Leverage Digital Leader Development
Forging Adaptive Leaders Through Crucible Training
18 Ways to Mitigate Off-Duty Risk
The Leader’s Role in Preventing Off-Duty Risk
The Good (and Bad?) of Mentorship
5 Questions That Can Save You From Disaster
Being “Somebody” Isn’t Good Enough
Command Performance Worth Plugging Into
10 Microsoft Excel Shortcuts to Make Your Life Easier
The Science of “Mission First, People Always”
The Power of Gratitude in a Leader’s Life
9 Misguided Reasons to go to SOF Selection
5 Must-Have Conversations for Military Leaders
Leaders Hold the Dominant Terrain
8 Myths About HRC Assignment Officers
Rangers Get a Legitimate Voice in New Book
Why “It Is What It Is” is a Stupid Phrase
Sleep that Sabotages Leadership
“9 Misguided Reasons to go to SOF Selection”
How to Write a Change of Command Speech
A Powerful Way to Discover Your Bias
Article: “A Military Leader’s Approach to Dealing with Complexity”
What Mastery Means for Military Leaders [TED Video]
How to Build a Team of “Yes Men”
The Post Active-Duty Leadership Environment – Part 2 (Leadership)
7 Military Blogs You Need to Check Out
A Career of “Career-Ending” Jobs – Eisenhower’s Wavy Path to Success
6 Ways to Enhance Your Close-Out Formation
Challenging the Army Culture – “A Good Answer to an Obsolete Question”
TED Video: “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”
Article: “10 Things You’re Doing at Work That Say ‘I Don’t Care’”
Join The Women’s Mentorship Network
How To Survive a Shrinking Army
The Principles of Military Leadership
Making a Difference in the Middle East with AfPak Hands
Article: “9 Things Successful People Won’t Do”
The Post-Active Duty Leadership Environment – Part 1 (Service/Excellence)
3 Leadership Lessons from Ferguson, MO
Article: “Getting the Most Out of Professional Reading”
5 Steps to Effectively Communicating Your Message
General Mark Welsh Gives “Intensely Personal” View of Combat
Leadership Lessons from an Airborne Commander
Battalion-Level Leader Development Overview
16 Resources for Preventing Distraction, Maximizing Productivity, and Prioritizing with Purpose
What a Cigarette Butt Has To Do With Freedom
Article: “8 Ways to Spot Great Leadership”
A Simple Observation About Great Leaders
TED Video: “Lead Like the Great Conductors”
“Don’t Do What Others Could Do” – Lessons for Delegation and Authority
11 Keyboard Shortcuts You Must Learn
4 Running Form Changes to Increase Speed and Efficiency
Stop Creating Confusion and Start Providing Answers
What Becoming a Parent Taught Me About Leadership (pt. 2)
What Becoming a Parent Taught Me About Leadership (pt. 1)
7 “Weak” Traits Military Leaders Should Cultivate
3 Traits That Will Get You Fired
Be a Smart Ranger! Stop Doing These 7 Things
12 Tips for Effectively Counseling Your Subordinates
Quote: Marshall on the Combat Leader
Leader to Follower: “You’re not really important to me.”
Staff Officer Tip: “Surge on the Problem”
TED Video: “Why good leaders make you feel safe”
Article: “Leadership Lessons from a Three Star General”
Article to Veterans: “9 Reasons Why I Won’t Hire You”
You Are Being Watched – A Lesson in Example
What You Can Do About Your Full Inbox
Speech: “Start by Making Your Bed” by Admiral McRaven
10 Easy Ways to Develop Your Leaders
TED Video: The Impact of Leadership
War on the Rocks Interview with General Martin Dempsey
Where’s Your Latitude? (ADP 6-22)
TED Video: A New Look at Rewards and Motivation
Article: Curve Ball for General McChrystal
Article: “Why Aren’t You Delegating?”
Article: Manage Your Work, Manage Your Life (HBR)
Wisdom from Doctrine (ADP 6-22 – Army Leadership)
Lessons from a ‘not-so-new’ Lieutenant
Tragedy and Readiness – Fort Hood’s Lesson
Putting Ego in its Place (pt. 2)
Putting Ego in its Place (pt. 1)
When Failure is Caused by Leadership
10 Life Lessons and Leadership
Wisdom from Two Distant Professions