Today, I’d like to highlight the work of military blogger Dale Wilson, the creator of Command Performance Leadership. Dale is a former Navy logistician and has two decades of experience in business management and leadership. He writes on a wide variety of leadership-related topics and is bringing a resurgence to his blog in 2015.
An MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter passes the USS Chafee while delivering supplies to the USS Carl Vinson during a vertical replenishment mission with the USNS Bridge in the Pacific Ocean, Jan. 2, 2012. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class James R. Evans. Link to photo.
What I appreciate about Command Performance Leadership is that Dale takes great care to thoroughly develop his topics, providing multiple perspectives to consider, and cites other work to support his arguments. He balances the “no rules” nature of online blogging with academic legitimacy, which is refreshing.
My favorite example of this is Dale’s expanded look at Schofield’s Definition of Discipline, where he provides historical context and personal insight.
Here’s an excerpt:
The foundation of discipline is not accountability or punishment, but respect. A leader must establish trust and credibility, communicate effectively, employ empathy, intimately know their people’s capabilities, and move their people into positions to be most successful. Nobody should be the ‘bad guy’ when leading people. No leader should be a bad guy intentionally, or go out of their way to be one. If a leader is working to perfect his ‘bad guy’ image, he is dishonoring his responsibility as a leader, and is creating a hostile environment for his followers. If a leader has successfully become a ‘bad guy,’ shame on them. Their subordinates deserve better than that; and, so does the service they represent and the Command (organization) they are responsible for.[xi] Ultimately, a good leader will lead through respect instead of leading through fear. When you treat people right, word gets around.
And this post on toxic leadership tells how to avoid letting self-interested attitudes interfere with quality leadership:
Integrity of character is the foundation of a great leader. To use a metaphor, it is what you build your very being up from, if you so choose. The building blocks of leadership are built upon the value of integrity and trust. Each block represents the values, virtues and principles that will house your team. It will be built with duty, honor, courage, commitment, selfless service, respect, justice, judgment, dependability, initiative, decisiveness, tact, enthusiasm, bearing, unselfishness, knowledge, loyalty, and endurance. It will be a strong structure if you build with these traits properly and effectively. You need to make sure the leadership “structure” your team works in is built with these things. Within that strong structure, under the strong roof of your leadership, your team will be safe and secure.
Also check out his posts on Leadership Defined and Authoritarian Leadership vs. Democratic Leadership ~ The Officer Corps Explained.
You can find Dale actively developing his 3,000 Twitter followers at @5starleadership.
Question: Do you have a military blog that people need to check out? Leave a comment below!