Articles
Training Future Leaders
by Chris Slininger In Combat Lessons No. 7, General George C. Marshall wrote, “The great combat lesson learned from every operation is the importance of leadership. Our equipment, our supply, and above all, our men, are splendid. Aggressive...
The Lost Art of the Handwritten Note
by Michael Wissemann I have a friend named James with whom I worked for the past several years. James is a “good old boy” from Louisiana with some of the clichés that invokes. Most notably, he speaks in a slow, comforting, backwoods southern drawl....
Inclusive Mentorship
by Daniel Blackmon The death of George Floyd, the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capital, the Secretary of Defense Stand Down, and other recent events have generated a lot of discussion about potential extremism in our ranks: whether or not there...
An Aversion to Ambition
by Brennan Randel What is it about open displays of ambition that can cause an eye-roll so deep it results in temporary blindness? Imagine a room full of combat arms second lieutenants on the first day of their basic officer leadership course. To...
Life Balance
by Brennan Randel What some refer to as “work-life balance,” I call “life balance.” Work is never really left at work, and home is never really left at home. It all falls under one umbrella—life. Who you are as a mother...
Vaccine Hesitancy: Talking to Service Members About COVID-19 Vaccines
by Nathan A. Fisher & Margaret A. Felix Introduction Medical planners have long known that disease and non-battle injuries (DNBI) claim more casualties on the modern battlefield than enemy action. As the COVID-19 pandemic reminds us, not only...
How President Eisenhower Would Have Fought Internet Trolls
By Joe Byerly We have a problem in the military. Leaders from mid to senior levels continue to wade into the fray, arguing hot button issues on Twitter, a platform designed more for a quick quip than thoughtful dialogue. In addition to leaders...
Diversity, Inclusion, and Force Readiness
by Lianhao “Howard” Zhou In mid-2020, Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) Mark Esper stated his intent to “pursue equal opportunity and aspire to true meritocracy” via a video address to the force regarding diversity and inclusion. On December 18, 2020,...
Welcome to USASMA
by Mike S. Burke It’s that time of year. If you are reading this, you are about to begin a year-long journey as a member of the newest class of prospective sergeants majors at the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA). ...
Leading Up: How to Manage a Toxic Boss
by Andrew Milburn Every year across all services, a number of commanding officers are relieved of their duties due to a “loss of trust and confidence” — that singularly cryptic and unhelpful phrase. I can’t help thinking that at least some of...
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Time To Change Mission Command Doctrine
By Regina Parker The Army let me study abroad in China this year to deepen my understanding of international relations, but I have also learned quite a bit about the Army itself. Last week, for instance, I was riding a train through Tianjin when my...
Mission Command and Detailed Command – It’s Not a Zero-Sum Game
By Alan Hastings Recent debate among military professionals on the subjects of mission command and detailed command has highlighted a common misunderstanding about each’s role in tactical operations. While we cannot expect to seize, retain, and...
You Want the Best? Embrace Failure
By Brad Hutchison three The troops were ready: SHARP, OPSEC, SAEDA and CTIP training complete; field sanitation, environmental compliance, and ammunition handling teams trained and identified; all Soldiers who would come within the 385 days of...
Developing Deliberate Practices for Leadership Growth
“You are always practicing something, the question is,- What are you practicing” ...
Ten Important Lessons I Learned as the S3/XO
By Jason Gallardo 1.Build relationships- your ability to succeed will depend on your aptitude at working with your sister BNs, BDE, DIV, and post agencies. You have been told throughout your career that relationships are everything, but it becomes...
Reflecting on Servant Leadership
By Joshua C. Bowen This past holiday season, I had the good fortune of celebrating Christmas with my family at my sister’s house in Bremerton, WA. She is a Navy Lieutenant (O-3) assigned to an aircraft carrier, the USS John C. Stennis, at Naval...
Do Leaders Need Emotional Intelligence?
Over the holiday break, I had the opportunity to catch up with with Dr. Joshua Spodek, author of the upcoming book Leadership Step by Step and discuss emotional intelligence. The term gets thrown around a lot in the military, but I...
Mentorship: A Strategic Imperative
By Chip Bircher Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. —Jack Welch In the fall of 1915, a young lieutenant fresh out of West Point reported to Fort...
Be The Duck: The Rubber Duck
Editor’s Note: The is the second insightful guest post by Zach. I highly encourage readers to check out his last post: Be The Duck. Zach discusses the importance of leaders remaining calm in intense and chaotic situations. By Zach Mierva...
Victory From the Sidelines
By Christopher Manganaro Coaching a football team and leading a military unit have a lot in common. Both require an understanding of the “game,” practicing multiple plays for different scenarios, and building a quality bench of “players.” Whether...
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Podcast
Listen to our latest episode.
Store
Support our work.
Get Involved
Learn how to partner with us.
Lead with the best version of yourself.
Sign up for our emails.