Leadership

In many ways, I feel that I missed a calling. That at some point in my youth I should have enlisted for a stint – and perhaps even a career – in the military. The dedication and training of our soldiers is incredibly honorable and, at the same time, both challenging and fascinating.

Thank you ALL for your service.

Despite what you might think about war itself, the men and women who lead others into battle have qualities that the rest of us should be emulating daily. These leaders are strong, intelligent, have high integrity, are solid decision makers, good listeners and never ask anything of someone that they wouldn’t do themselves.

The idea of team always trumps the individual.

These leaders also hold themselves accountable; a trait not often seen in a society where anything that goes wrong always seems to be someone else’s fault. A good leader isn’t afraid to step up, look you in the eye and say “My bad.” They give credit to the others for success and accept full responsibility for failure.

The Guerrilla Factory

I recently started reading a book titled The Guerrilla Factory. Actually. The full name of the book is The Guerrilla Factory: The Making of Special Forces Officers, the Green Berets by Tony Schwalm (a former lieutenant colonel with the US Army Special Forces.) Admittedly, I’m not a fan of the title but what’s between the covers has been a solid read thus far.

And no. This isn’t a book report. I’m not going to discuss the antagonist, protagonist, plots, sub-plots or climax. None of us are in 5th grade anymore.

It’s a recommendation.

I understand that shelves across the country are filled with “How to” books outlining the leadership skills of history’s greatest figures in business and management. I’ve no doubt that those books have a lot of value to anyone wanting to learn the qualities of a leader.

But for me, a book written by a captain with the SEALS, a sergeant in the 75th Ranger Regiment or a commander in Delta Force outlining their rugged training, selection process, missions and mental toughness in the face of true adversity trumps all.

Bibliography

I’ve got an Access database that currently lists 375 books I’ve read. A majority of them are fictional stories of the US going after the bad guys. Be it the FBI, CIA, military or just a typical suspense thriller – I guess I just like the idea that the good guys usually win.

Yet it’s the non-fiction books – most often written by military officers – that I find myself most drawn to. At this point in my life, I have no idea where my career path will lead but if I can draw on the qualities outlined in the following books, there is little doubt that I’ll have the tools to succeed.

• The guerrilla factory : the making of Special Forces officers, the Green Berets by Tony Schwalm
• Inside Delta Force by Eric Haney
• Kill bin Laden by Dalton Fury
• The mission, the men, and me : lessons from a former Delta Force commander by Pete Blaber
• Way of the SEAL by Mark Divine
• Warrior soul : the memoir of a Navy SEAL by Chuck Pfarrer
• The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader by Jason Redman
• Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior by Rorke Denver
• Sua sponte : the forging of a modern American Ranger by Dick Couch
• Chosen Soldier: The Making of a Special Forces Warrior by Dick Couch
• The Elite Warrior by Dick Couch
• One Perfect Op by Dennis Chalker
• Seal Team Six: memoirs of an elite Navy seal sniper by Howard Wasdin
• Fearless : the undaunted courage and ultimate sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team Six operator Adam Brown by Eric Blehm
• Eyes on Target : Inside Stories from the Brotherhood of the U.s. Navy SEALS by Scot McEwen