Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Bold or Foolish?

“Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful.”

~William Shakespeare (1564-1616 CE) in Measure for Measure
“When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and strong hearted."

~David, Warrior, Poet and Statesman (1040-970 BCE) in Psalm 138:3
It’s easy to confuse Boldness and Foolishness; You may think that it’s timing or meeting the right person or knowledge, but when examined closely, the difference between boldness and foolishness is meaning. Boldness in the service of higher meaning is an aspect of resiliency, and it is our values as warriors and leaders that make it possible for our Soldiers to be bold in the service of our nation.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Do You Wish to Be Great?

“Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation.”  ~St. Augustine, 354-430 CE
Do you wish to be great? Who doesn’t? Or as a retired CSM and friend puts in his email signature: Aspire to Inspire before you Expire! Then begin by being True to yourself. The Almighty certainly has a way of ripping away our masks with challenges in our lives. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric of a meaningful life? Think first about the foundations of humility. The basis of humility isn’t walking around with one’s head down thinking “I’m nothing.” The real basis of humility is Truth; a true and accurate understanding of one’s worth (as created in God’s image), and one’s abilities. The higher your structure of meaningful living is to be, the deeper must be its foundation of being true to oneself and true to one’s comrades in arms.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Change

Supreme Court Justice William O'Douglas once said "Security can only be achieved through constant change, through discarding old ideas that have outlived their usefulness and adapting others to current facts."
I've seen a fair bit of change in my life, in our society, our world and of course in the Army. Two coming holidays (Passover for Jews and Easter for Christians) include themes of transformation, both personal and national.
Our 'business' is the security of our nation; transformation and change are things we deal with as Army leaders all the time.
It's important to know what doesn't change! Whether it's your faith and spirituality, Army values or the warrior ethos, somethings don't need to change. Rather than giving you my principles, which are (hopefully) grounded in Torah, I ask that you consider the sources you can draw upon for your principles. You must know what values you rely on and stay with. Those you lead will know your principles. Do you?

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Diversity is Stronger

I was traveling one day and came across an interesting book in the airport: The Wisdom of Crowds, by James Surowiecki, a NY Times business columnist. He makes a strong case that groups of people can be smarter than individuals, no matter how brilliant that individual may be. This simple idea requires that the groups of people discuss ideas and have ways to incorporate multiple viewpoints, much like a marketplace or a democratic society.

Scripture describes the actions of two sons of Aaron, the high priest, in the Book of Leviticus (10:1-2). Nadab and Abihu each decided to approach the newly constructed and inaugurated tabernacle and offer incense. Simultaneously they were struck by lightening and died on the spot! The language used in the Torah to describe the events is unusual and emphasizes that they "each" acted. The implication, according to an ancient text, is that they acted independently and without consulting each other.

This seems strange to me. I would have thought that since they both had the same idea, discussion would be unnecessary,  but scripture tells us otherwise. Perhaps if they had discussed their plans with each other, the very act of consulting with a peer would have brought up new considerations and prevented their tragic death. There are other examples in Scripture where even the Creator of the world seems to consult with subordinates!

Fostering an environment where everyone has a voice and gets heard is part of great leadership. I am often reminded of a quote attributed to General George S. Patton speaking to his staff: "If everyone here is thinking the same thing, then someone isn't thinking!"

A leadership climate that respects diversity while staying focused on the Army's mission and values is important not only because it's the right thing to do, but because it makes us all more successful.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Leader's Treasure

Once upon a time there was a poor man who lived in a small village. He dreamed about a treasure buried under a bridge in a distant city. The dream came to him several times, one night after another until he decided that he must go to that distant place and look for the bridge and thus find the treasure.

He traveled to the city, saw the bridge and began to dig. A policeman noticed the digging and asked him to explain himself. The poor man told the policeman about the dream and why he was sure there was a treasure here. The policeman laughed at him and said "Fool! I also have a dream about a treasure. It is located under a small house in a little village far away." The man realized the policeman was describing his own home and village, and so he returned home quickly and dug underneath his house. There he found the treasure!

As Army Leaders at every level, it is important to remember that our treasure is here in the units we currently serve in. That treasure is our Soldiers. Each one is created in God's image; infinitely more valuable that diamonds or gold.  Also, like a diamond or any other raw material, it takes skill and effort  and leadership to bring out their best. [Thank you LTC Quint Matthews for suggesting this last point].

As leaders, we must always remember to take care of our Soldiers. While we all serve, they are the ones who accomplish the mission.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

PRAYNG & DRIVNG

A Soldier handed me flyer from at&t which said "TXTNG & DRIVNG --- IT CAN WAIT".  I read it several times, and then gave him my alternative version - "PRAYNG & DRIVNG --- IT CANT WAIT".

Now, I'm not advocating more distracted driving, but I would like to talk about prayer from my own perspective as a spiritual leader.

At first glance, prayer may seem all about whining and begging God, "Please heal  this person. . . please help me survive this brigade run..." etc... One could mistakenly thing that God is holding out on us.

When we're faced with very serious problems, many have the practice of asking others to join together in prayer. What's that all about? It seems as if we hope to move God through force: "God, if you don't respond to my prayers, when I will recruit through the email thousands of others to pray."

Do we think these strategies really work? What are we actually doing here? If God is all knowing then why am I telling Him my problems? He already knows them. If God is good, then why am I asking Him to change my situation?

Prayer is an act of connecting to one's spirituality. It allows us to examine ourselves. Perhaps the question shouldn't be "Is God listening to my prayers?" but rather "Am I listening to my prayers? Does what I say impact me? Have I changed?"

For most of our Soldiers the power of prayer is a significant part of their spiritual fitness and resiliency. As leaders, we can insure they have the opportunity to pray, each in his or her own faith tradition, and know that in doing so, the mission, Soldier and Family are better for it.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

The True Measure of a Leader

When Moses sent them to explore the Canaanite territory, he said to them, Head North to the Negev, and then continue North to the hill country. See what kind of land it is. Are the people who live there strong or weak, few or many? Is the inhabited area good or bad? Are the cities where they live open or fortified. Is the soil rich or week? Does [the land] have trees or not? Make a special effort to bring back some of the land's fruids. Numbers 13:17-19
The above quote takes place as Moses sends a small group of scouts North to gather intel. I would have thought that he should have them investigate the halls of government or the universities. Perhaps visit the Canaanite pentagon and listened to their version of CNN and Fox News.

Instead of having the men visit the leaders, he had them go out among the people, in the country and the forests, and in the village squares.

You see, its really the people who show what kind of leaders they have. The true measure of a leader is their ability to influence others, and the impact they have on those around them.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Developing Your Team

Great leaders have influence and use their position to accomplish as much as possible through the gifts of others.

In I Chronicles 18:14-17 we see that King David ruled wisely and did what was right for all his people. David understood that he was a steward of the human gifts and talents of his people. He gave appropriate responsibility and authority to people of proven commitment and ability.

Have you developed your team today?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Don't Lead Like Pharoh!

In the Book of Exodus, why does Pharoh always get such a bad rap? After all, through his leadership cities were built (Exod. 1:11) and great building programs started. Even today we can travel to Egypt as tourists and be amazed by the accomplishments of ancient builders (though it wasn't so amazing for the slaves).

The story begins "There arose a new Pharoh who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people...come let us deal cleverly with them". While Pharoh made many mistakes, his first mistake is probably the most instructive for us here today - Instead of being appreciative, he chose to ignore the past and instead of leading for the common good, he acted for his own selfish interests. Pharoh was afraid of losing his own position and authority and he didn't remember that superb logistician (and Wagonmaster, see Gen. 45:21) Joseph, who just a few years earlier saved all of Egypt from starvation.

All that Pharoh did - lying, promoting fear, ethnic hatred, enslaving a minority and committing mass murder; it all started from a lack of appreciation and from leading selfishly. And the consequences for Pharoh and his people were disastrous. Plagues, famine, war and eventually the destruction of his army.

The night before leaving Egypt, when it was time to cast off the bonds of their enslavement, the people offered sacrifices, ate together and celebrated. That was a very different beginning. They started out by appreciating each other and working together for the common good. Appreciation and acting for the sake of the common good is the beginning of great leadership.

As a leader, can you pause and find something to appreciate and be thankful for, even in the most trying of circumstances? Try it and see what happens!