REFLECT
Negative Capability: The One Skill Military Leaders Need
Photo Courtesy of Lucasfilm By Joe Byerly In the early 1970s, a young George Lucas had an idea to create a movie the likes of which no one had seen (or experienced) before. It would be a mix of science fiction and mythology. But there were...
Rise to the Level of Creativity: Assessments from Large-Scale Combat Operations
by Daniel R. DeNeve, Kevin J. Quigley, & Larry Kay Army units at every echelon struggle to meet mission and training requirements due to lack of creativity, critical thought, and disciplined initiative. While repetition and trauma facilitate...
The Man in the Stands
By Joe Byerly It’s the critic who counts; the man who points out when we stumble, or where we could have done better. It’s the one in the stands, who’s well above the dusty floor with a beer in one hand and a warm hot dog in the other, not having...
AI for the Win: Four Game-Changing Resources for Your Organization
by Joshua Caballero The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. -Alvin Toffler Innovation is no longer a choice but a necessity in today’s constantly...
The Importance of Property Accountability and Readiness
by Jakob Hutter From helmets to Humvees, property accountability is a critical aspect of sustaining operational readiness. Property accountability refers to an organization’s ability to effectively track, manage, and report on equipment and assets....
Understanding Sun Tzu through the Mongols
by Chris Horvilleur Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, written in 400 BC, has shaped strategic thinking for nearly two and a half millennia, foremost amongst military minds but also recently amongst western business leaders. The breadth of the book’s impact...
Building Cohesive and Effective Teams
by Mitch Butterworth “It is not what [leaders] know or how bright they are that leads to success or failure; [rather] how well they work with others, and how well they understand themselves.” – R.J....
4 Types of Officers; and How to Develop Yourself and Others
By Joel Smith The Four Types of Officers As a young officer I read German General Kurt Von Hammerstein-Equord’s four officer categories; they are 1) the clever, 2) the industrious, 3) the lazy, and 4) the stupid. “I divide my officers into four...
A Letter to My Younger Self on Graduation Day
by Nikiay Comer Graduation week is here and you’ve felt a wave of emotions in anticipation of its arrival. You’re looking forward to accepting your diploma in front of your family and friends who have traveled far and wide to support you on...
The Impact of Moral Efficacy on Army Readiness
by Marc Meybaum, Cole Cannon, & Brian Martinez You stand in the hot sun of a motor pool staring down at a sea of equipment layouts. You have been desperately trying to manage the ream of property book pages as you conduct your change of command...
More Leaders Need to Get Punched in the Face
By Michael S. Burke “Kick his ass!” was one of the multiple jeers I heard through the litany of booing as I stepped on the mat at Dragoon Fight Night, the 2d Cavalry Regiment’s combative showcase. A few weeks prior, I had posted a video on...
The Army Coaching Program: Why I Opted in and You Should Too
By Cassie Crosby After participating in the Army’s Battalion Commander Assessment Program (BCAP) in January 2020, I received a mass email to all BCAP participants from Major General Joseph P. McGee, the Director of the Army’s Talent Management Task...
How President Eisenhower Made Decisions
I recently finished How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions by Susan Eisenhower. The book examines who Eisenhower was as a person and a leader through the decisions he made beginning with his time as Supreme Allied...
Own Your Development
By Joe Byerly There’s a great fictional scene from Steven Pressfield’s Virtues of War. A young Alexander III of Macedon (“The Great” would be added much later) arrives at the royal riding school and observes another boy riding a horse. He stands in...
4 keys to Achieving your Goals from People who Made History
By Joe Byerly (first appeared at We Are the Mighty) Every single one of us has potential, but sometimes we suck at life. Have you ever set a goal for yourself and an hour later talked yourself out of it? Or, tried to break a bad habit and fell back...
Major Smith Goes to Washington: Your Guide to Moving to the NCR
By Casey Dean and Aaron Childers Your Exception to Policy is in hand, your packers are scheduled, and your family is ready to move. COVID-19 delayed PCS season a bit, but it’s still coming. As a field grade officer or senior NCO, you may have the...
What is a Fort but the Soldiers? Steps to surviving and thriving as an Army Garrison Commander
By COL Scott Halter William Shakespeare wrote in Coriolanus, “What is a city but the people?” In the same vein, what is a Fort but the Soldiers? “We are the Army’s Home,” the tagline for the Army’s Installation Management Command (IMCOM),...
What I learned in ROTC: Important Advice for New Lieutenants
By: LTC Joshua Trimble The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) commissions the majority of officers each year (nearly five thousand) into the Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserves. More brand-new platoon leaders, fresh to the Army,...
Staying Focused In the Frenzy of Company-Level Command
By Jeff Horn Staying focused on the “right things” in a company-level command is easier said than done. Commanders begin their commands committed to this noble endeavor, but other priorities and external commitments emerge and they end up in...
Why we all need to pay attention to how we’re spending our time
By Joe Byerly Originally Published on We Are the Mighty Every day we use words and phrases, yet we rarely take the time to think about what they mean. For example, think about the phrase, “Spending time”. Typically we when we talk about...
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Addressing Modern Cavalry Capability Gaps and Risks
By Josh Suthoff As military planning, prioritization, and resources comes back to Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) there must be a professional discussion on modern cavalry operations and capability gaps. The US Cavalry needs light weight,...
So You Need a Leader Professional Development Program?
By Thang Tran Change of command season is approaching and commanders at every echelon across the force will implement leader professional development (LPD) programs meant to develop leaders and subordinates. Several articles highlight the...
What is a Fort but the Soldiers? Steps to surviving and thriving as an Army Garrison Commander
By COL Scott Halter William Shakespeare wrote in Coriolanus, “What is a city but the people?” In the same vein, what is a Fort but the Soldiers? “We are the Army’s Home,” the tagline for the Army’s Installation Management Command (IMCOM),...
Let Them Walk on the Grass: The Role of Senior NCOs
By CSM Michael S. Burke At the qualification range, a group of Soldiers congregate during the lunch break. Unexpectedly, a Sergeant Major descends upon them In his growling voice he barks about their uniform deficiencies and how the range is not...
The Unofficial Guide to Hosting a Distinguished Visitor
By: Thang Tran, Nick Luis, Barrett Martin, and Rudy Weisz Military leaders plan, resource, and execute combat patrols and administrative directives on a daily basis and are well prepared and trained to do so. In contrast, one task that most...
Leading from the Bench During COVID-19
By Ryan Kendall For many of us in the military we have experienced countless training events, deployments, and educational courses, for the sole purpose of defending the country and its interests. During one of the most significant crises in our...
4 Observations from a Company Commander, Commanding at home.
By Eric Shockley This past week the reality of the Coronavirus hit those of us in the Army in earnest. Leave plans were cancelled, hospitals and clinics became the front lines, and we jumped headlong into the concept of telework. I spent the week...
Avoid Becoming Sisyphus: The 7 Rules for an HHC XO
By 1LT Koskinen, John J. A common company-grade belief is that being the Headquarters and Headquarters Company Executive Officer (HHC XO) is a great looking job on paper, which nobody wants. In my first few months as an HHC XO, I found that...
Creating a Culture of Honest Feedback: A Strategy to Keeping the Organization Healthy
By Richard L. Farnell II Honest feedback is the breakfast of champions: it allows those who seek and incorporate it to identify their blind spots, increase self-awareness, and become a better version of themselves. Unfortunately, some leaders skip...
The History of a Great Culture
By James “Beau” Wasson “This is the story of three years in the lives of thirty-eight American soldiers. Typically, they are descendants of nine nationalities, from all sections of America, helping to defend their liberty, families, and the rights...
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