Articles
Power Without Preparation
By: Joe Byerly Have you ever watched a baking show and thought, I could do that? Or seen a YouTube clip of someone playing a popular song on guitar and thought, How hard can it be? Or listened to a podcast and said, I could make one of those? Then...
Telling the Story: Using Narrative to Synchronize Operations
By Rich Groen In tactical operations, effective communication remains one of the most underappreciated yet crucial competencies for field-grade leaders. At the upper echelons of operational and strategic planning, one of the most enduring...
Timeliness Over Perfection: The Critical Balance in Fast-Moving Operational Environments
By Caleb D. King III Have you ever found yourself delaying reporting something up the chain of command because the information was not perfect or pretty? How much time did you spend perfecting the information before other decision-makers could...
The Value of Introspection: Letting Yourself Teach Yourself
by Michael Moffeit We have all been there, hastily scribbling notes into our notebooks (mostly green and mostly government-issued), trying to capture some notes or to-do lists. We attempt to record pearls of wisdom from our raters, senior raters,...
Ep 156- Who Are You Without the Rank? A Conversation on Leader Identity with LTC (P)Laura Weimer
Army officer and Harvard-trained scholar Laura Weimer joins Joe to unpack leader identity—how it’s formed, why it matters, and what happens when we never stop to question it. From leading Soldiers in the field to earning a PhD in organizational...
Should You Go to SAMS? Yes.
by Garrett Chandler Most of the stories they tell you about being a School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) planner are true. You will likely be thrown right into being the lead planner for something immediately, or, as in my case, on the third...
The Day Lightning Chose Me
By Kyle McCarter Not everyone gets the chance to grow their lore, legend, or earn a cool scar. But I was blessed with such a day in the summer of 2005. It was a regular, hot, humid, and rainy day in Florida. I was stationed at Camp James E. Rudder,...
Friction’s Impact on Warfighting: Time is Readiness
By: James Boyd, Adyton CEO and Co-founder Time is readiness. I’ve seen firsthand how we tend to operate as if time is a free and limitless resource. It is neither. Whether it’s making soldiers stand around waiting to be released or...
Beware of Time Pollution!
By Joe Byerly As a younger Army officer, I used to see a week or two of empty space on the calendar before a major exercise and think: “Perfect! I’ll schedule some training or professional development for the team.” But as...
Army Junior Officer Counsel – Enabling Junior Officers to Drive Change
by Major Chris Slininger The Problem The Army has been facing recruiting and retention challenges, particularly within the junior officer population: Lieutenants, Captains, Warrant Officers One, and Chief Warrant Officers Two. While recruitment and...
What Happens When Robots Gain Human Rights?
I recently read Annalee Newitz’s debut sci-fi novel, Autonomous. The page-turning book follows the story of Jack, an anti-patent scientist turned drug pirate, and the human/robot team hot on her trail after one of her latest drug hacks...
The Coming Age of Artificial Intelligence
I recently picked up a copy of Amir Husain’s The Sentient Machine: The Coming Age of Artificial Intelligence. The book reminds me of Bill Gates’ The Road Ahead, published in 1997 when VHS was king, everyone went to Blockbuster, and the...
Our Year of War: An Interview with Lieutenant General (RET.) Daniel Bolger
Last month I had the privilege of reading LTG (RET.) Bolger’s latest book Our Year of War: Two Brothers, Vietnam, and a Nation Divided and it quickly became a page turner. The book not only tells the story of Chuck and Tom Hagel and...
What Are you Reading?
Are you looking for something to read for professional development? If you have been following this site for awhile, you know that I like to read. Matter of fact, I like to read ALOT. And at any give time, I’m reading between 3-5 books. They...
Introducing Legacy Magazine
While the content of From the Green Notebook is focused on the professional growth of service members, I love supporting those connected to the military who venture out to launch noteworthy initiatives. In this case, a group of spouses came...
The 2017 Ultimate Summer Reading List
By Joe Byerly Last summer I reached out to friends from around the national security community and asked what they were reading. The collective list became a hit, and for me personally, became the bulk of my reading material for the remainder of...
When War Comes Home: An Interview
I heard about American War back in December, and finally got my hands on a copy a few days after it was available for purchase. After reading the first couple of pages, I was hooked. It wasn’t only the subject matter that pulled me in,...
The Truth in Fiction: An Interview
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with author Mike Bond and discuss his latest book Assassins as well as the importance of fiction to military professionals. If the interview piques your interest, I encourage you to check out his book...
2016 in Books
By Joe Byerly Every December I share a list of books that I’ve read throughout the year with the hope that readers will check them out and consider adding a title or two to their libraries. This list is a testament to my amazing network...
Preparing Your Team for Atlantic Resolve
By LTG Frederick “Ben” Hodges For those leaders of rotational brigades who will participate in great training exercises and opportunities with our European Allies, I do not want you to view your mission in isolation....
Sometimes, They Have to Touch the Stove
By Joe Byerly Now that I’m a parent of kids who are getting older, I find myself wanting to play more “life defense”—to protect them from the bruises and blows of growing up: failure, misfortune, consequences. I think we all do this to...
Letting Go of the Uniform, Not the Lessons
By: Joshua Risner In the Right Place I turned 15 on 9/11. I was raised in a patriotic household in rural America, by a family that valued and demonstrated service to others, to the community, and to the Nation. Like so many others, 9/11 was the...
Three Lessons for the Commissioning Class of 2025
by John Geracitano Sixteen years ago, I was a struggling lieutenant—well-meaning but clueless. Despite caring deeply about my unit’s success, its soldiers, and my leadership role, I couldn’t grasp the “big picture.” Navigating the many demands of...
Because the Plot Demands It: On Roles, Responsibility, and Character
By Joe Byerly I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the various roles we play in life—and the responsibilities, behaviors, and costumes that come with them. Every role, from parent to spouse to commander to CEO, comes with a contract. Sometimes...
The Case for Sharing Your Personality Test Results at Work
U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Ian Thompson By Jared Massie All service members should take a personality test. This helps you see yourself as others do and generates positive cycles of self-reflection. Additionally, personality tests cultivate an...
From the Red Notebook: Leadership Lessons in What Not to Do
By Ray Ramos History is filled with cautionary tales. Not just of tyrants and generals who fell from grace, but of leaders undone by smaller, quieter failures—ones that rarely make headlines but still erode trust, corrode teams, and cripple...
Soul vs. Ego
By Joe Byerly I would love to play guitar in front of a crowd at a bar, watch them sing along, and then take requests for their favorite songs. I would love to have a custom-built shed in my backyard that I built myself. I would love to hike the...
The Best Job I Never Thought I Wanted
by Ned Marsh From 2022 through 2024, I served as one-third of the command team for the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Detrick, Maryland. Garrison command became the highlight of my career—the best job I never thought I wanted. First, it was a job that was...
“They Don’t Get It” is a Leadership Red Flag
By Sara Roger “Soldiers these days just don’t get it.” I’ve heard that sentence at least ten—maybe even twenty—times since arriving in Germany. And when it came up again this past Thursday, I felt a sudden urge to respond: “Maybe you don’t get...
Power, Character, and the Gates We Open
By Joe Byerly Throughout ancient history, cities didn’t always fall on the fields of battle or by infantry scaling the walls. More often than we realize, they were undone from within—by opportunists who, under the cover of darkness, opened secret...
8 Reasons Why NCOs Should Write and Publish
By Alex Licea and Harlan Kefalas Whether it is flipping through the pages of military journals or reading articles on various military websites, we both notice one trend: Many if not most of the pieces we read are written by officers, both active...
Leadership in the Digital Age
How have blogs, social media, and the internet shaped leadership and leader development in the Digital Age? Join us at the AUSA Annual Meeting on October 3rd from 1330-1430 (EST) in Room 204 A&B as we answer this question! Even...
Writing in the Military: The Problem of Time
By LTC Scott Shaw In a recent article, US Army Major and Strategist Matt Cavanaugh states there are three reasons that military officers do not write and thus do not contribute to our profession: the failure to wield the pen, the failure to wield...
Harnessing Social Media for Military Power
In 2008, Scott Beale wanted to attend the Google party at South by Southwest Interactive (a 5-day conference featuring presentations and panels from rising stars and big names in the technology and entertainment fields); however, the line was way...
On Senior Leaders and Social Media: An Interview with Brigadier Mick Ryan
This post originally appeared at Small Wars Journal on May 26, 2015 Several years ago, I discovered the power of social media and its potential impacts on the military profession and us as individuals. From sharing articles and ideas to connecting...
Writing in the Professional Military: I tried it and was not attacked by sea monsters
This post originally appeared @ Tom Ricks’ Best Defense on 1/29/15. The maps of cartographers early in the Age of Exploration included an interesting element that affected early explorers. When drawing areas of uncharted waters, they...
Think, Write, and Publish: An Army Captain’s Perspective
This post is also available on the Small Wars Journal “Nail your whispers to the wall. Conclude the trilogy of read..think..and write. Is there ‘career risk’ in publishing? I suppose. Hasn’t hurt me too badly over the years, I’d...
A Charge to Veterans No Longer in Uniform
Below is a letter that General Jonathan Wainwright sent to Soldiers discharged from the military, following their service in World War II. As our military downsizes and many choose to leave the service, I think this letter reminds us of...
The Power of a Note
By Joe Byerly Tonight I read an article in the Army Times titled Nearly Half of Soldiers say Army isn’t committed to them and for whatever reason it made me think of a handwritten note I received almost 10 years ago from my Battalion...
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