Recommend Leadership Books!

[Dalamara]

I'm reading the 21 Irrefutable Rules of Leadership right now, and was wondering if you guys had any suggestions on what I should read next. Thanks!

[RGRBOX]

The Ranger Handbook..

The Holy Bible..

[Huhtis]

Mein Kampf

[SilviaK]

The Biggest Brother. Its about Major Richard Winters and how he led the Band of Brothers or the 506th. Major Winters is a good leader. Check it out.

[digrar]

In good company by Garry McKay. I wouldn't mind reading that **** winters book, I need to try and find a copy down here.

[scrybe]

One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick is a real good read. For added effect, read Generation Kill by Evan Wright. They are about the same events, one from the perspective of an officer, the other more from the troops.

Also, This Man's Army by Adnrew Exum is a pretty good read about a guy who went through the ROTC process, a lot of detail about Ranger school, then his experience leading a platoon in Afghanistan not long after 9/11.

This aren't really straight up leadership books, but I found both to have a lot of insight about practical applications of the leadership role.

[RGRBOX]

The Biggest Brother. Its about Major Richard Winters and how he led the Band of Brothers or the 506th. Major Winters is a good leader. Check it out.

Is a very good book.. Maj. Winters also give's leadership seminars..

[usm2b]

On War and Leadership Owen Connely
Chesty Col. Jon T Hoffman

[Dalamara]

Thanks guys, I'll look into these books. Especially the one by Lt. Winters.

[kamarian]

The Leadership Secrets of The Rouge Warrior by Richard Marchinko

[Laconian]

Leadership & Training for the Fight by Paul Howe

[Pook2]

Books can't teach you leadership, you are either born with it or you aren't.

[Dalamara]

Books can't teach you leadership, you are either born with it or you aren't.

That's what those who are too lazy to better themselves believe.

[Pook2]

You think reading about what some guys did can make you a better leader?

[Dalamara]

You think reading about what some guys did can make you a better leader?

Yes.

By reading about great leaders you can see what made them so great, and then incorporate those characteristics in your life. Leadership isn't some magical thing. Leadership is made up of many different qualities. Your men must trust you, respect you, etc. By reading about HOW to improve those qualities in my life, I will become a better leader.

To improve at ANYTHING in life what do you do? You practice and you are taught by those that are more skilled. Why is leadership any different? People are born with different skills, yes, and some will naturally be better leaders than others, but with practice anyone(any reasonably intelligent person) can be a good leader.

What you're saying is tantamount to someone telling me that "There are those who are born with math skills and those who aren't, you aren't going to get better at math by reading a math book."

[Pook2]

Yes.

By reading about great leaders you can see what made them so great, and then incorporate those characteristics in your life. Leadership isn't some magical thing. Leadership is made up of many different qualities. Your men must trust you, respect you, etc. By reading about HOW to improve those qualities in my life, I will become a better leader.

To improve at ANYTHING in life what do you do? You practice and you are taught by those that are more skilled. Why is leadership any different? People are born with different skills, yes, and some will naturally be better leaders than others, but with practice anyone(any reasonably intelligent person) can be a good leader.

What you're saying is tantamount to someone telling me that "There are those who are born with math skills and those who aren't, you aren't going to get better at math by reading a math book."


Sorry, but the way I was taught leadership and the way I think it should be taught is to throw people into ****ty situations and see who can get things done. I don't mean to insult, just my opinion.

[Dalamara]

Sorry, but the way I was taught leadership and the way I think it should be taught is to throw people into ****ty situations and see who can get things done.

So you're saying books can't teach you anything?

[Pook2]

So you're saying books can't teach you anything?


Maybe about technical things, but about applied leadership? No.

[kamarian]

I've found that some books can give you ideas about leadership, but the onlyway to really learn is to do as much as you can, with someone acting as a mentor. Having someone to guide you is a really important step. Books can only take you so far.

[askDNA]

Warlord : No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy by Ilario Pantano

It's about a Marine who went to an elite NYC high school (Horace Mann), enlisted in the Marines, went to the first Gulf War, went to school and did well on Wall Street, and then joined the Marines again after Sept. 11 as an officer. He was court martialed over killing two Iraqis but won the case.

This was posted on another forum:



Reflections of a Former Troop Leader
Army Magazine, August 2003

By Maj. Gen. Guy S. Meloy, U.S. Army retired

* The soldier is the center of the troop leader's existence. Until the soldier acts, orders are so much noise. Anything that supports the soldier and helps keep him mentally and physically healthy and alive, and more effective in combat, is defined as good.

* Command responsibility is total. The central theme of the commander's creed is that those privileged to command soldiers are responsible for everything their unit does or fails to do. This makes command a tough racket, but it is the major point separating those who can from those who cannot.

* The mission is always priority #1, but taking care of your troops is not #2 as some think -- it's priority #1A. Poor to average leaders can only do one at a time, but good leaders do both simultaneously.

* Even dumb commanders can make decisions, but during periods of stress, only commanders worthy of that title can keep the whole show organized in such a coherent way that decisions are made, coordinated and executed effectively and efficiently.

* A mission consists of a task together with a purpose. The purpose is the key ingredient. If the purpose doesn't make sense, then probably the task doesn't either.

* The most important troop-leading steps are telling your troops exactly what they are supposed to do, and why it's necessary to do it. It's also the very least soldiers deserve because if they know what's expected of them and why it's necessary, things have meaning and meaning sparks interest. When troops are interested they stay alert and stay alive longer. They will also come to trust that you know what you're doing.

* If you don't know or can't figure out the purpose for a task, it's your job to find out. Don't hesitate to ask your boss why. If the boss doesn't know and can't find out, maybe you ought not be doing it to start with.

* One of the most reassuring statements any leader at any level can make is, "I don't know, but I'll try to find out."

* In two quite literal ways, leaders are directly responsible for whether their soldiers live or die. First, it's a function of the toughness, realism and thoroughness of their training. How soldiers react on the battlefield -- both in good ways that keep them alive or bad ways that increase their risk of becoming casualties -- is a direct reflection of how well their leaders trained them. Second, it's a function of how well trained the leaders themselves are because good or bad decisions on the battlefield also determine whether soldiers live or die. Leaders who understand and accept these responsibilities devote their energies to training not only their soldiers, but also themselves.

* The "nice guy" type of leader who seeks to be popular, the I-don't-want-to-make-them-mad-so-I'll-look-the-other-way or let-it-slide officer or NCO, these are the leaders who get soldiers killed for no reason except that they did not have the backbone to insist their soldiers do the essential things to stay alive.

* Keeping soldiers alive is the hardest and gutsiest job commanders have. It is hard because it takes energy, stamina and attention to detail to do it right. It takes guts because not only must leaders insist on high standards all day every day, but many decisions associated with keeping troops alive will be unpopular -- and usually the more tired the soldier, the more unpopular the decision.

* Good, compassionate, concerned leaders understand they are not helping their soldiers by letting them ease up when the going gets tough. If you really want to be a "nice guy," worry about what else you can get tough about to keep your troops alive and healthy.

* Leadership cardinal rule #1: Never make -- or imply -- a promise to troops that you cannot keep, and never make one based on assumptions because assumptions are usually wrong. If you make a commitment, make it based on facts and firsthand knowledge; otherwise you're promising something to soldiers that you can't deliver.

* Leadership cardinal rule #2: It's a lot easier on troops if the job is done right the first time. If soldiers have to do the same job a second time to get it right, that's the leader's fault, not theirs, and this makes the leader guilty of that indefensible offense known as harassing the troops.

* Leadership cardinal rule #3: Protect unit integrity at every level. Troops should eat, play, train and even pull support details as squads, platoons and companies. Regardless of present-for-duty strength, never fracture unit integrity. If six-man squads or 20-man platoons have to compete against eight-man squads or 30-man platoons, so be it. Your job is to reinforce unit cohesiveness, not level the playing field.

* At platoon, company and often even battalion level, there are few opportunities during the commotion of combat to weigh various courses of action to determine the best possible plan of execution. Because indecision on the battlefield gets people killed, aim for sound, workable decisions rather than stumbling around searching for the school solution.

* There is no better way to increase soldiers' confidence in and respect for their chain of command than to hear their leaders using "I" for accepting blame or fault, and "you" or "we" for credit or praise.

* Be quick to praise where and when praise is deserved, and do so publicly. Be slow to reprimand, never jump to conclusions or criticize impulsively without knowing all sides of the story, and do so privately.

* Be alert to recognize the less glamorous contributions that ordinary, behind-the-scenes soldiers make every day without so much as a nod or smile. Nothing increases their sense of pride or faith in their chain of command more than telling them, "Thank you. You're doing a good job."

* Taking care of the troops also means that the younger and less wise to the ways of the Army soldiers are, the more they depend on their leaders to look after their best interests.

* Soldiers won't hesitate to hoodwink poor leaders, but no matter how tough or dirty the mission, or how miserable the conditions or personal inconveniences, soldiers will never fail even the toughest commanders who are also fair, competent and honest, and who take care of the troops.

* The confidence soldiers have in their chain of command is one of the most important ways to measure a commander's effectiveness.

* Because bullets don't make anyone smarter, only more cautious, good leaders know that soldiers will always fight their first action exactly as trained and that when the shooting starts, good habits formed by good training do not necessarily get better, but bad habits formed by bad training get worse and get worse fast.

* Because most soldiers are convinced they're invincible and it's always "those other guys" who get hit, good leaders train the rear ends off each of those not-as-invincible-as-they-think soldiers, and insist they do the right thing the right way even when they and all "those other guys" are too bone-tired to want to do that.

* When you make a mistake, your boss will go to bat for you a lot more quickly if you're the first one to tell him.

* Sometimes, the most inept staff manned by the most insensitive people intent on sabotaging your heretofore splendid career seems to be the one at your next higher headquarters. Staffs need to work overtime to avoid that perception, and leaders need to understand that most staffs have both theirs as well as their boss's best interests in mind. It's also well to remember that no staff has a monopoly on either brains or thick skulls, that to a platoon leader his next higher up is the company orderly room, and that when leaders speak of higher headquarters as "them," to somebody else somewhere down the line they, too, are a "them."

* It's a myth that a good unit does well only what the boss checks. A good unit does well whether the boss is there or not. Train your subordinates so that each will be able to do as good a job in your job as they now do in their job.

* Leadership manuals emphasize that loyalty should work both up and down, but that's only partially correct. It's equally important that loyalty also work left and right.

* Respectful, reasonable and responsible disagreement is neither disrespect nor insubordination.

* Remind yourself several times a day not to do anything dumb, try to keep your boss from doing anything dumb and train your subordinates not to let their boss do anything dumb.

* Don't be afraid to ask the so-called dumb questions because that's smarter than dumb mistakes later.

* You are authorized to lose your ordinarily sweet disposition anytime anyone tells you, "This is the way we've always done it."

* Don't confuse haste with speed, motion with progress, versatility with hip-shooting, or flexibility with either poor planning or mismanagement.
Set reasonable, achievable priorities and protect your troops from higher-ups who, for inscrutable reasons even they apparently don't understand, often fail to realize that not everything can or should be top priority.

* Simple soldiering problems don't need complicated solutions, and usually complex soldiering problems don't either.

* Learn to distinguish the difference between a long-term problem and a short-term inconvenience.

* Every problem has at least one and very often several solutions that confirm the law of unintended consequences.

* Do not be intimidated by Army regulations, especially those dealing with people policies. Regulations are only a guide and while they should be followed in spirit, apply large doses of common sense to their interpretation. Be wary of well-intentioned but misguided staff who sometimes use regulations as justification for unfair or unwise decisions. A good rule of thumb is that for every regulation that flies in the face of common sense, prohibits a reasonable action or validates wrongheaded judgments, there's usually a companion regulation that addresses your particular circumstances, authorizes a more reasonable solution and thus allows smarter, soldier-friendly decisions.

* Beware of statisticians who look only at numbers to judge units. They may know a lot about arithmetic, but many don't know that much about troops or why some units fight better than others.

* Don't confuse changes originating from haphazard planning or careless assumptions with flexibility. Protect your troops by making it one of your life's primary missions to reduce the number of changes caused by poor prior planning.

* If you needed x hours to develop the primary plan, you'll need at least 2x to develop step-by-step, what-if contingency plans.

* You can usually learn as much, if not more, from watching others make mistakes or do dumb things as you can from the examples set by good leaders. Take notes of both and as you progress up the chain of command; refer to them often.

* Integrity at every level and for whatever reason is nonnegotiable. With the well-being and lives of soldiers at stake, anything less than absolute integrity in all matters, large and small, is unacceptable.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MAJ. GEN. GUY S. MELOY, USA Ret., wore the green shoulder tabs of a troop leader at every consecutive rank, commanding four platoons, three companies, two battalions -- one for six months as a major in Vietnam, the second for 12 months as a lieutenant colonel, also in Vietnam -- and a brigade. He was an assistant division commander and commander of the 82nd Airborne Division.

[RGRBOX]

What I've found in most leadership books out there,is that I've managed to already use what they are saying.. the biggest problem I've found in my career is that you will have those at every step who are in leadership positions who are poor leaders, and have no integrety.. those are the people who will try to trip you up along the way.. I've see it all thru my life.. those who work hard to see you not succeed...

[Royal]

18 Platoon by Sydney Jary MC

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1901655016/026-9827447-0623653

It's a required read at Sandhurst and Lympstone. Written by a young infantry officer who went from Normandy though the low countries to Germany in 44/45.

Good on the low level stuff on leading a platoon at war.

[Buckeye67]

Thanks guys, I'll look into these books. Especially the one by Lt. Winters.

There's two books about the Major Winter's life and wartime experience out now (besides Ambrose's Band of Brothers).

The already mentioned "Biggest Brother" by Larry Alexander is a very good biography and, of course, covers the major's wartime experiences.

Another book, which may be more what you're looking for (not that Biggest Brother isn't, it's an excellent book - but in that this one's more of the major's leadership principles) is "Beyond Band of Brothers" by **** Winters and Cole Kingseed. This one is the major's wartime memoirs and I highly recommend it.

The major's doesn't do lectures anymore (or respond to fan mail or do autographs etc). The strain was really starting to affect his health, so "Beyond Band of Brothers" was his way of giving his lecture to the masses.

I'd also throw out "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts" by Col. David Hackworth as a good leadership book.

[SamHamam]

The edge of the sword by Gen Sir Anthony Farrar Hockley

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0352309776/202-8870366-1003814?v=glance&n=266239&s=gateway&v=glance

With the Jocks by Peter White

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0750930578/202-8870366-1003814?v=glance&n=266239

[MichaelF]

For the mechanics of ground troop leadership:

Combat Leader's Field Guide (13th Edition)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811731952/qid=1152749510/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2224719-1068161?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Mandatory ownership for all ROTC cadets.

[rhino]

@ pook2 and dalarama, you guys have a good argument both

may I add my humble observation, there are two types of leaders: ones that are born and ones that thought to be one
leadership is a uniq gift and it has to be honed, like pook2 said throw a bunch of guys into a ****ty situation and you will see a leader coming out very quickly, but that may be just a strongest character, ones that are thought but dont have it will brake in the same situation