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Stories of Failure – Undermining the First Sergeant

Anyone in search of success should plan on finding failure along the way. Not only should it be accepted as a matter of course, failure should be invited as an indicator of what works and what doesn’t. Those who never fail aren’t pushing themselves hard enough, as the saying goes.

But failure in leadership is tricky because leadership involves people. Catastrophic failure is not acceptable, but it’s helpful to fail just enough to learn good lessons without hurting your people. Then hopefully the lesson will stick with the leader throughout the career and benefit future organizations and their people. That’s how I learned a vital lesson about communication and trust.

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Army 1SG Joshua Engel, First Sergeant for the 416th Theater Engineer Command, Headquarters Company.
Link to U.S. Army photo by SFC Michel Sauret.
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Grow NOW! …with these 7 Podcast Interviews

Growth in the world begins with growth inside. Good leaders exhibit a moment to moment commitment to become something more than what they are. They read to learn. They engage to be challenged. They listen to be enlightened. Consequently, their followers’ growth is a reflection of that process.

In your quest to become more than you were yesterday, here are a few podcast interviews I’ve listened to lately that made me want to pull over the car and take notes. Enjoy!

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Connecting Today’s Soldiers with Yesterday’s Sacrifice

This week, I was unexpectedly reintroduced to the service and sacrifice woven through the U.S. Army’s 241 year history. It happened at a performance of the Twilight Tattoo, hosted by the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and the U.S. Army Band at Fort Myer, VA. This hour-long show is open to the public every Wednesday throughout the Summer and should definitely be on your DC bucket list.

The Commander in Chief’s Guard, Honor Guard, Presidential Salute Battery, the Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps, and the U.S. Army Drill Team took the field with singers and performers from the Army Band to showcase the vital role the Soldier has played in the formation and preservation of our Nation. Firing muskets, riding horses from the Caisson Platoon, and performing precision rifle drill…the show was a huge hit with kids and adults, civilians and veterans alike.

More importantly, this spotlight on our gallant past inspired a reminder that we can gain valuable perspective by honoring our lineage of service, and that leaders can inject pride into their formations by connecting today’s Soldiers with yesterday’s sacrifice. Here are some thoughts on how to do it.

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Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) form the Fife & Drum Corps and perform in the Twilight Tattoo at Fort Myer, Virginia. See more photos from the Twilight Tattoo at this link.
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The Three C’s of Trust

by Philip Gift

There are many reasons that a person joins an organization. No matter the reason, that person should strive to make a positive difference to the organization and its members. This impact…the cohesion that comes from positively influencing others…is the foundation of trust. And gaining it can be boiled down to three fundamentals:  Competence, Caring, and Communication.

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Personnel from the Air Transport Office, Post Office, and Supply Department unload mail and cargo from a MH-53E Sea Dragon assigned to the “Blackhawks” of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron One Five (HM-15) on the flight deck aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), Arabian Gulf. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Milosz Reterski.
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How Compassion Can Make or Break a Career

You might not have realized it, but there’s an important date in the lives of your Soldiers that you should pay attention to. You don’t know the exact time yet – it could be weeks, months, or years away – but it’s out there. And it’s a big day for them, and for the Army. I’m talking about the reenlistment date for every Soldier you lead and like it or not, everything you do influences whether or not the day will come.

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The American flag reflects in the glasses of an officer with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team as he reenlists another paratrooper on Combat Outpost Qara Baugh, Ghazni province, Afghanistan, April 22, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Reed Knutson.
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Meet the Extraordinary Leader

by Charles M. Herbek

The purpose of the article is to introduce you to the extraordinary leader. First, a definition. A description of the extraordinary leader must examine the two separate parts of the term. Extraordinary: very unusual or remarkable. Leader: a person who has commanding authority or influence.

If we combine the two definitions, we have “a remarkable person who has commanding authority or influence.” But it doesn’t tell us what this leader does, how we can recognize one, or what we should aspire to become, if that is our intent. For this we must look at what this extraordinary leader does, for it is in that behavior, the outward actions recognizable by all, that we find the foundational aspects of the extraordinary leader.

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Air Force Capt. Daniel Stancin applies face paint during survival, evasion, resistance and escape training at Yokota Air Base, Japan, April 21, 2016. Stancin is a navigator assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Delano Scott.
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Leadership Reflections from Battalion Command

by Scott Halter

Recently I was blessed to spend three years in command of a battalion of outstanding American Soldiers. As with any leadership opportunity, some things went really well and other things did not. As summer approaches and hundreds of leaders prepare to take the unit colors, I offer a few ideas to spur some reflection on commanding a battalion.

As a commander, my leadership focus was simple:  1) Take a servant-leader approach, 2) Train deliberately, and 3) Communicate with intention.

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A medical evacuation crew with Company C, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, prepares for takeoff from a refueling point during a collaborative training mission at Fort Campbell, Ky., July 19, 2012. Photo Credit: Spc. Jennifer Anderson, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs.
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Telling the World How Smart We Are (Habit Series #6)

The civilian world doesn’t experience this phenomenon, but there’s a form of gazing in the military that’s not considered sexual harassment. It’s the uniform once-over that occurs when service members are introduced for the first time.

You’ve seen it…we trade lengthy, indiscreet, almost uncomfortable stares at each others upper torso and arms to interpret the story told by one another’s rank, badges, medals, decorations, tabs, and patches. We do it because we want to know who we’re dealing with, what the other person is bringing to the table. (And if we’re being honest, we should go ahead and admit that it’s also an ego check: “Have I been through more than this guy? How much do I need to regard him?”)

Habit

Link to photo on Wikipedia.