Building Trust: Leading by Example

This is post four of 10 regarding the attributes that build trustworthy leaders.


Leading by example is heard so much now days it has become cliché. Although talking about it may be jaded the volume of talk has not necessarily led to a commonplace practice of leading by example in today’s leadership corp. Much work is yet to be done!


Leading by example boils down to what we discussed in the last post about walking your talk. If we want others to do as we command, it is a given that we should be willing to do it ourselves. Trustworthy leaders do not ask others to do things that they have not done or would not do given similar circumstances. In our reference book on this series of building trust, Leadership from West Point, the author of the chapter on building trust (14), Colonel Patrick Sweeney, relates leading by example to leading from the front. Here is what he says:


“Leaders who lead from the front communicate to their soldiers that they are confident in their own and the unit’s abilities, have the courage to meet the dangers of combat, and would not ask soldiers to face danger or do a task that they themselves would not be will to do.”


Although this relates mainly to combat and the military it is just as pertinent to the boardroom and organizational battlefields we face as leaders every day. It is easy to say to our team, “be courageous and do the right thing;” it is more difficult to be courageous ourselves and lead them in doing the right thing. Are you leading out front and by example? If you do not know ask yourself, “Where do I stand when crap hits the fan?” Do I holler “incoming” and run for cover while leaving my team out there to take the hard hit alone. When hard days or hard times come upon our organizations are we hiding in the closet or out front letting our people know that we are in this thing together. We as trustworthy leaders must be out front especially during the bad days, and not just the good days, if we want to develop trust.


When we are consistently out front with the team during bad times we build credibility and trust. We are telling them by our presence that we can be depended upon, at all times. Once your team expects and knows without any doubt you will be with them during the “artillery strikes”, every time, and all the time, you will have their trust and support as much as they have yours. They will know that you have a strong belief in them to get through the tough times, to win, to overcome, to survive. Being there and leading from the front by the example of your words and deeds will build a bond of interdependence between them and you. They will fight with you, for you, and for the team, when they know you are willing to go down with the ship if things turn bad.


Have you ever read the book, We Were Soldiers Once … and Young, by Joe Galloway and Hal Moore? It was about the 1965 Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in the Vietnam War where Colonel Moore commanded the US Army troops of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment as they fought off a vastly superior North Vietnamese force. Perhaps you watched the movie that was made based on the book. It starred Mel Gibson as Colonel Hal Moore. It is a great movie; one that I recommend to anyone who has not seen it.


If you have read the book or saw the movie, I am sure you remember the part where Colonel Moore told his soldiers that he would be the first man on the ground and the last man to leave. Not only did he say it, he meant it, and he did it too. He walked his talk, out front and by example! What is more important is that his men believed him too! You do not and cannot lead from the front and by example like Colonel Moore if you do not believe in yourself and in your team, and perhaps more importantly, your team believing in you too. It does not just happen; it takes time to develop that level of trust.


Do you think that mission would have been successful without Colonel Moore being out front and leading by example? I do not! I suspect there were no us versus them attitudes in Colonel Moore’s unit. What about your unit or team? Does your team or organization have the, us and them and a them and us, mentality? If you answered yes to this question, look first to your own leadership and secondly at those above you, and only then should you begin looking down the chain of command to understand why it exist. If this is the climate in your team or organization, I would stake my life that the problem is with your leadership or the overall leadership culture of the organization rather than the failure of followers.


I doubt the battle of Ia Drang Valley was the first time Colonel Moore demonstrated his care and a sense of concern for his team; or that it was the first time he ever demonstrated his leadership skills by being out front leading by example. If we wait until the bullets start flying to lead by example and out being out front I suspect it will not end well for you or your team. The interdependence that comes from a ‘we are all in this together’ mentality is developed through your leadership one day at a time. The trust is earned by one example, one act, and one deed at a time. It is like putting pennies in a jar one at a time. Over time you will have built it up to be a sizable amount where others can go and take withdrawals. Remember though, as your team takes withdrawals on your trustworthiness account, you must continue to make deposits!


Please remember that trust in your leadership character and competence is earned when your team sees that you are willing to share in the hardships right beside them, or should we say out in front of them? Trust is earned when your team knows that if all goes to hell in a hand basket you will take the responsibility, and if all goes well you will give them the glory and praise. That is leadership out front, up close, and personal. It is leadership by example. It is the kind of leadership that builds trust and interdependence. It is the kind of leadership that wins regardless of the battleground. It is the Colonel Hal Moore kind of leadership. It should be our kind of leadership too, if we want to develop leadership trust and winning teams within our organizations.

Colonel Hal Moore – An American hero and a leader!

Esse Quam Videri                                                                                                       

Arete'
Carpe Diem

Giving an Honest Day’s Work Reflects Honesty and Integrity

My last post was about honesty and integrity; the third in a series of ten posts on the attributes that develop leadership trust. I am in the process of completing the next post which is, Leading by Example. Until I can get that post completed, I will throw this out to you to chew on for awhile.


I think we can all agree that a huge part of honesty and integrity is giving a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. Not only is it important to give a full day of service to the boss, it is also important to give him our very best effort. Please read this poem by Red Steagall that teaches a great cowboy lesson about pride in work and that any job worth doing is worth doing right. There is much to be said about the cowboy ethic.


Red is one of the finest “cowboy poets” out there today. Listed below is a link to his website and a picture of Red. I hope you will visit his website and read more of his inspiring work. I want to personally thank Red for his permission to use his wonderful work on my blog site.

                                                                      Red Steagall

http://www.cowboypoetry.com/redsteagall.htm#Fence

My wish to each of you is that all your fences will be built straight and strong and with great pride in your workmanship. Jon


The Fence That Me and Shorty Built


We'd picked up all the fencing tools
And staples off the road.
An extra roll of 'bob' wire
Was the last thing left to load.

I drew a sleeve across my face
To wipe away the dirt.
The young man who was helping me
Was tuckin' in his shirt.


I turned around to him and said,
"This fence is finally done,
With five new strands of 'bob' wire
Shinin' proudly in the sun.


The wire is runnin' straight and tight
With every post in line.
The kinda job you're proud of,
One that stands the test of time."


The kid was not impressed at all,
He stared off into space.
Reminded me of years ago,
Another time and place.

I called myself a cowboy,
I was full of buck and bawl
I didn't think my hands would fit
Post augers and a maul.


They sent me out with Shorty
And the ranch fence building crew.
Well, I was quite insulted
And before the day was through,

I let him know that I'm a cowboy,
This ain't what I do.
I ain't no dadgummed nester,
I hired out to buckaroo.


He said, "We'll talk about that son,
When we get in tonight.
Right now you pick them augers up.
It's either that or fight."


Boy, I was diggin' post holes
Faster than a Georgia mole.
But if a rock got in my way
I simply moved the hole.


So when the cowboys set the posts,
The line went in and out.
Old Shorty's face got fiery red
And I can hear him shout.


"Nobody but a fool would build
A fence that isn't straight.
I got no use for someone who ain't
Pullin' his own weight."


I thought for sure he'd hit me
Glad he didn't have a gun.
I looked around to find a place
Where I could duck and run.


But Shorty walked up to me
Just as calm as he could be.
Said, "Son, I need to talk to you,
Let's find ourselves a tree."

He rolled a Bull Durham cigarette
As we sat on the ground.
He took himself a puff or two
Then slowly looked around.

"Son, I ain't much on schoolin',
Didn't get too far with that.
But there's alot of learnin'
Hidden underneath this hat.

I got it all the hard way,
Every bump and bruise and fall.
Now some of it was easy,
But then most weren't fun a'tall

But one thing that I always got
From every job I've done,
Is do the best I can each day
And try to make it fun.

I know that bustin' through them rocks
Ain't what you like to do.
By gettin' mad you've made it tough
On me and all the crew.


Now you hired on to cowboy
And you think you've got the stuff.
You told him you're a good hand
And the boss has called your bluff.


So how's that gonna make you look
When he comes ridin' through,
And he asks me who dug the holes
And I say it was you.


Now we could let it go like this
And take the easy route.
But doin' things the easy way
Ain't what it's all about.

The boss expects a job well done,
From every man he's hired.
He'll let you slide by once or twice,
Then one day you'll get fired.


If you're not proud of what you do,
You won't amount to much.
You'll bounce around from job to job
Just slightly out of touch.

Come mornin' let's re-dig those holes
And get that fence in line.
And you and I will save two jobs,
Those bein' yours and mine.


And someday you'll come ridin' through
And look across this land,
And see a fence that's laid out straight
And know you had a hand,


In something that's withstood the years.
Then proud and free from guilt,
You'll smile and say, 'Boys that's the fence
That me and Shorty built."

© 1993, Red Steagall, reprinted with permission

This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.

Building Trust with Honesty and Integrity

This is a continuing series on attributes that develop leadership trust. Today I will be discussing honesty and integrity. Honesty and integrity was listed as third in order of importance by the surveyed soldiers as discussed in chapter 14 in the book Leadership Lessons from West Point. Most surveys that I am familiar with generally rank integrity and honesty as number one in importance. Rankings are, I guess, like beauty; it is in the eye of beholder. I can certainly understand why soldiers and others whose jobs are physically dangerous would rank competence and loyalty above all other attributes. But anyway, let’s get going with the attribute of honesty and integrity.


Honesty and integrity are certainly core attributes of leadership regardless of where ranked. No reasonable person would disagree of its importance to developing trust in a leader. Being honest and acting with integrity is simply speaking and doing what is morally and ethically right based upon right reasoning. It is about being, knowing, as well as, about doing. Being a moral person and demonstrating moral behaviors is about keeping oneself in alignment with their own core values and virtues and those of their organization.


Leadership integrity is of utmost importance because it lays the foundation for the organizational culture. Leader honesty and integrity gives everyone boundaries for executing the organizational mission. Organizations with leaders who model honesty and integrity and demand it from everyone else are basically providing a template for conducting business. An organization or a leader of a team within an organization with a highly developed culture of integrity is one that is more effective and efficient. It is important to remember that an organization’s leadership culture is nothing more than the sum total of the qualities of individual leaders within the organization.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. So picture in your mind a blacktop highway stretching straight out in the distance as far as the eye can see; a highway with well defined ditches on each side. At the end of the highway is your destination, mission or goal. Picture yourself and your team or organization walking along this highway heading toward your destination. This highway metaphor reflects an organization or subunit with a well defined culture of moral excellence. Let me explain further. (By the way this road has a name; it is called the High Moral Highway.)


A leader of integrity and honesty within a morally cultured organization can say to the team; “This is our vision. Up this highway is where we want to go; your job is to help get us there anyway you chose as long as you stay on the inside of the ditches. You know what is between the ditches and you know what is beyond the ditches. Go and act accordingly.” The ditches, of course, represent moral boundary lines. Between the ditches reflects the beliefs, values and moral compass of the organization.


When your organization clearly and concisely points out where true moral north is and has honest leadership to model it, the leader is able to get out of the way and let the team achieve the goals and objectives more effectively and efficiently. Without a leader of integrity who sets the high ethical standard for his team, or without clear, concise, well understood organizational values a leader would have to always present to ensure compliant behaviors.

Can you imagine as the leader, walking along this highway and every few steps having to stop and bark out at someone, “Do this!”- “Don’t do that!” - “Get back over here!” Not to mention worrying about what “they” are doing when he is not present. Does this reflect what you, as the leader of your team, are doing now?  I hope not but if you are I can tell you where your destination is; Burnout City!


Without the moral culture in place you the leader would have to use your less effective positional authority, i.e., the old carrot and stick approach, to get things done. This we can agree is a poor and inefficient way of leading. As a leader do you have the time to walk guard duty with a big stick?  Do you?


What we all want from our team is willful and voluntary compliance and not coerced compliance. We want to command and not demand. We want discretionary effort that goes beyond “what is required by policy.” Coerced compliance is good for as long as the boss is looking whereas the willful and voluntary compliance is effective without leadership presence. With honesty and integrity a leader communicates and models moral and tactical expectations. He communicates with others by being transparent and allowing them to see him as an model of how to do things right while also doing the right thing. Colonel Sweeney in the aforementioned book states that:


“Honest communications also helps alleviate concerns regarding leaders’ possessing hidden agendas or motives. Leaders with honest/integrity provide employees with a sense of predictability of how the leaders will act in the future, especially in tough or morally challenging situations. This sense of confidence that leaders will be honest and behave morally regardless of the situation leads to the development of trust.”


And with this earned trust they will follow your leadership in the same way you have modeled it.


Consider your own leadership within your individual team and your organization’s leadership for a moment. Ask yourself these questions:


• Does the team know where the ditches are? Am I a ditch jumper? Do I look the other way when someone jumps the ditch?


• Have you provided them with a compass that clearly shows a morally north direction?


• Are you and the other leaders modeling values-based leadership? Do you do exactly what you say you are going to do, when and how you say you are going to do it?


• Are you walking the talk, or talking one way and walking another while expecting everyone else to walk your talk?


• Do you carry and conduct yourself at all times as a principled leader?


• Do you seek out proactive opportunities everyday to develop trust by modeling, teaching and promoting ethical behavior? Or do you just sit back and wait for a moral crisis to happen and then reactively threaten everyone with the stick to enforce compliance?


If you as a unit leader or if the leaders throughout your organization do not walk between the ditches, you and they should not expect the team or the organization as whole to do so! It won’t happen, guaranteed. You cannot march outside the ditch while telling your team, “Don’t come over here.” Where you are, they will come. If you read my earlier post of Major Bach’s speech to U.S. Army officer graduates you will recall that he said,


"Your word will be their law. Your most casual remark will be remembered. Your mannerism will be aped. Your clothing, your carriage, your vocabulary, your manner of command will be imitated….To exert moral force you must live clean, you must have sufficient brain power to see the right and the will to do right. Be an example to your men. An officer can be a power for good or a power for evil. Don’t preach to them—that will be worse than useless. Live the kind of life you would have them lead, and you will be surprised to see the number that will imitate you. A loud-mouthed, profane captain who is careless of his personal appearance will have a loud-mouthed, profane, dirty company. Remember what I tell you. Your company will be the reflection of yourself. If you have a rotten company it will be because you are a rotten captain."


It is a shame that people don’t understand this. The first place an organization usually looks when it has a moral or ethical crisis is down the chain of command. The proper place to look, first and foremost, is at the leadership corp. Then if necessary look down the chain of command.


I will end with this: Give some thought as to what you and your organization are doing to teach and promote honesty and integrity as values to all members of the unit or organization. Principles, values and leadership attributes must be kept in the forefront all the time. Every day should be seen as an opportunity to teach, model, and promote honesty, integrity, and the other leadership attributes of a principled organization. Only when people trust you will they permit you to lead them. Develop your trustworthiness with honesty and integrity; stay within the ditches and make sure those under your command know where the ditches are! Every day!


And, oh, throw that damn carrot and stick in the ditch. It only works for tyrants and then only as long as they are looking, and they can’t always be around watching; can you?


Esse Quam Videri

Carpe Diem

The Principles of Leadership Are The Same Regardless of Target Group

The link below is a column by John Rosemond.  John is a family psychologist and nationally renowned speaker.  Although his article that is linked below is about parental and teacher leadership with children, there are some interesting ideas and parallels that are related to leadership generally.  To get your interest let me post a couple of things he wrote about that we can relate to leadership in our own area of leadership.

1. Children that disobey are not happy campers.  The same can be said about followers of all ages.
2. A person in a position of authority doesn't always lead in a manner worthy of esteem.  Don't we have to earn trust and respect as leaders?
3. An adult earns the respect of children by leading in a manner that makes a child want to obey.  Isn't that one of the secret of leading; creating voluntary and willful obedience?
4. Effective Leaders command not demand.  The ole' carrot and stick is ineffective in the long run and only when you the leader is  present to enforce the rules.
5. Don't try to develop relationships with your team by foregoing good leadership practices.  Relationships will follow and develop with your effective leadership and not the other way around.


Enjoy the article! Click on "Weekly Column" to go to the link




Weekly Column

Building Trust with Loyalty

This is a continuation of the postings on leadership traits that build trust as illustrated in chapter 14 of the book titled Leadership Lessons from West Point. This post will discuss the attribute of loyalty. Loyalty, as you recall if you read the previous postings on trust, was ranked in a survey of military personnel as being number two out of ten of the most important attributes for developing trust by a leader. The survey participates’ view of loyalty was fundamentally defined as the commitment of a leader to “looking out for their welfare.”


Colonel Major Patrick Sweeney, the author of chapter 14 in Leadership Lessons from West Point, writes about how loyalty is a trait that former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani considers a “cornerstone of his leadership philosophy” and “the vital virtue.” Giuliani understands loyalty by a leader as being willing to take the political heat to support employees under one’s command.


Below are two stories I want to share with you that are excellent examples of this type of loyalty; loyalty that is demonstrated by an authentic concern and genuine caring by a leader toward those under their command.


The first story occurred during the Vietnam War involving then Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf. Schwarzkopf found himself and his men in a very unsafe and untenable position. His unit was operating near the Cambodian border where the rules of engagement were very different for his unit then those of the enemy. Orders straight from President Johnson restricted the America military from crossing into Cambodia in fear of spreading the war and also of exposing Johnson in an impolitic light. The problem that Schwarzkopf faced was that the enemy had no such restriction of movement. Each night the enemy would send squads across the border to attack the America forces. More nights than not, America soldiers were being killed and wounded by these enemy soldiers.


Schwarzkopf had a choice to make. Would he obey the rules of engagement and not cross into Cambodia knowing full well each night more of his soldiers would likely be killed. Or, would he disobey the orders, go into Cambodia and kill the enemy to protect his soldiers. Also at stake were his military career and the certainty of a court martial if it was discovered that he authorized an excursion into Cambodia. Does anyone think that leadership is easy?


Well, Schwarzkopf did what a trustworthy and loyal leader should have done. He did the right thing (what was best for his soldiers) in lieu of, doing the thing right (obeying orders directly). He planned and executed an engagement with the enemy in Cambodian territory and eliminated the nightly threats to his men. Schwarzkopf described this decision in his autobiography, It Doesn’t Take A Hero as a typical decision that separates a leader from a careerist. It should be noted here that Warren Bennis, the guru of leadership, believes that one of the great problems with leadership today is that we too often fail to do the right thing because we are trying so hard to do things right.


Fortunately for Schwarzkopf and all Americans, then and now, that he did the right thing and his actions were not discovered.  He went on to achieve the rank of four-star general and led the United States and our allies to victory in the first gulf war.


Do you think that the soldiers under Schwarzkopf’s command considered him a loyal leader who would always make or do the right thing to protect them? I believe so! After all he put his entire military career on the line to save their lives.

The second example of leadership loyalty is from the greatest of all books on leadership, the Holy Bible. The story is found in the book of 1Chronicles 11:16-19. This story is about the leadership of King David and is an exemplary story about leadership loyalty as well as subordinate loyalty.


David was in camp preparing to do battle with the Philistines who were garrisoned in Bethlehem. The story begins with King David saying that he wished someone would bring him a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem. David was speaking figuratively and did not really expect anyone to actually do this. Three of David’s most loyal and bravest men heard David and risked their lives by actually braking through the Philistine line. They drew water out of the well at Bethlehem and brought it to David. David, in a splendid demonstration of love, care, and loyalty to his men refused the water and poured it out on the ground. In verse 19 David says…“My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? For with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it.”


Do you think this act of love by David reinforced what his brave soldiers already knew, i.e., that David loved and cared for them and he would never do anything that unnecessarily put their lives in harm’s way? Do actions such as this build trust in a team? I think so! Would you follow David or a leader like him?


We all want leaders who will stand by us when our lives and interest are at stake. Leaders who will not run for cover and seek their own interest and safety and leave us to fend for ourselves. We want leaders who will go to bat for us when we “do the right thing verses doing the thing right”


As Colonel Sweeney states, “(L)eaders who willingly incur personal risk or cost to protect their subordinates’ welfare demonstrate(s) loyalty, which serves to bolster trust.” It furthermore leads to conditions where they, as followers, will reciprocate loyalty to their leader.

Leadership by Example is the next attribute to be discussed. Stay tuned! Esse Quam Videri


Carpe Diem

Education and Authentic Leadership Development

If you are a regular follower of this blog you will recall that I promised to post on the ten attributes of a leader that leads to trustworthiness. This began with the first posting on the subject on August 16th which was titled, Trust: The Key to Leadership. As promised, I will post later this week on the second attribute of trust building, i.e., loyalty. In the mean time I will leave this for you to chew on for awhile.

Education, according to Plato, is not about putting sight into blind eyes, but is the art of turning the soul from the shadows of ignorance toward the light of truth. Stated another way, education is about developing the heart as much or perhaps more than the mind. It is about becoming and being an authentic person. With authentic whole person education we learn to not only see and understand the truth, we internalize it in our heart. When you believe deeply in a certain way, and when you act upon and according to those beliefs, people see you as authentic and trustworthy? Authenticity is represented well, I think, by our blog motto, Esse Quam Videri: “To be rather than to seem.”

This blog is dedicated to this very type of leadership development. It is a whole person approach to development and growth; the eyes and the heart. The development of excellence in leadership character and competency is our chief interest.

Listed below are a few comments that I think you will like. They are from Christopher Kolenda’s great book, Leadership: The Warrior’s Art, regarding education and development of a leader.

Intellectual development is the key that opens the door to meaning. The education of a leader must move beyond personal experiences and draw on the boundless experience and insights of others.


Personal experience must be augmented by the records of others and synthesized by the insights of history, philosophy, and theory.


Developing the vibrant intellectual core from which a leader can draw insight in the art of leadership requires the courage and humility to immerse oneself in the ideas and experiences of others.


Leadership is about trust – trust in the leader’s vision, trust in the leader’s competence and character, trust in the leader’s respect and care for those under his or her charge. Every effective bond between people has trust as its bedrock. Successful leaders earn the trust of others, and in doing so inspire that voluntary spirit and the act of following.

This approach to leadership development is not so much a process to be mastered as it is an art to be developed.

Esse Quam Videri

Carpe Diem

Competence: A Leadership Attribute

It is easy to understand why a soldier might select competence as the most important attribute of his leader. A soldier’s life depends upon the leader’s competence. If the soldier is to follow his leader into the unknown as he is commanded, he must firmly and resolutely believe that the leader knows his business well enough to ensure a high probability for a successful mission and that he will not be exposed to unnecessary dangers. The same can be said about other high risk occupations such as fire fighters, law enforcement officers and other dangerous non-service sector jobs.


But is there a difference between these high risk jobs and the low to moderately risky jobs that do not risk life and limb in their execution when it comes to leader competence? Well, perhaps less than we might think. In Kouzes and Posner’s, The Leadership Challenge, two surveys were conducted on leadership attributes. The first was a survey of 1,500 private sector managers from around the country. They rated competence as the number two most important trait of a leader. The second was a public sector survey of 800 executives who also listed competence as number two in importance. We might rightly conclude then, that regardless of the profession or sector, competence is a very important attribute for a leader.


Competence is an important leadership attribute because we must firmly and confidently believe that the leader knows what he is doing before we hitch up our wagon to his horse. We must believe that the leader knows enough about the business that he is not going to drive the wagon train over the cliff or more importantly, he is not going to drive me and my wagon over the cliff. In other words, we want to know that our leader is competent enough to ensure that my well being and vital interest are calculated into the success of the mission or job at hand.


As in the military an incompetent leader could overly expose their unit to unnecessary danger and lead to personal injury or death. In a less risky business environment the leader could also cause one to be professionally harmed or injured in other ways, such as your job security, salary, bonus, promotion, professional reputation, pride, self-confidence, and job satisfaction.


We want to know that our leader knows the business and has the ability to make quick and accurate decisions in the dynamics of the battlefield whether it is a military battlefield or a corporate-business battlefield. The leader has to demonstrate that he has mastered the technical, tactical, and strategic aspects of his job and has a track record of success before he can solicit followers to join whole heartedly to his mission. Sure, with positional power a so called leader may be able to order general compliance but that will carry the mission only so far. What the leader obtains with trust through competence is the extraordinary and discretionary effort that is far beyond the required call of duty. It is this extraordinary and discretionary effort that determines mission success or failure, or mission mediocrity or mission excellence. This is true regardless of the type of organization. Colonel Sweeney (West Point) believes also that a business leader’s competence is instrumental in a successful and effective company as is in the military. Employees will undertake greater risk and go the extra mile with organizational change and growth only if they believe the leader is competent enough to be successful.


To summarize, while risking an over-simplification of a fairly complex subject, I will use the following cowboy analogy – the cattle drive:


Before I hire on to your outfit to drive your cattle across hot and dry wild Indian land that I have never seen, I want to make sure you are a real cowboy. I want to know if you understand the cattle business up one side and down the other, and from the horns to the tail. Can you shoot straight? Will you be there beside me when the fighting starts? If things go from bad to worse are you there with me or hiding in the wagon covering your butt? Before I risk life and limb I want to have reasonable assurance that you can get me to the market, pay me my wages, and get me back home with my hair in place and life intact. I want my leader to be a real cowboy and not one with a big fancy hat and shiny boots. I want my leader to be someone who has been there before, has a few battle scars and has proven they have the stuff of a leader. How about this fellow?

ALRIGHT!  Armed with only ice water, I would march across Hell and back with this man! How about you?  A real leader is not all that hard to identify after all, is it?

SHOW ME WHERE TO SIGN IN!  I'M GOING WITH YOU, JOHN.


Esse Quam Videri

Carpe Diem

Trust: The Key to Leadership Effectiveness

I have often considered trust to be just one of many attributes of effective leaders. After reading Chapter 14 on leadership trust by Colonel Patrick J. Sweeney, in the book titled, Leadership Lessons from West Point, I tend to look at trust in a different light. I now see trustworthiness, although certainly an attribute of leadership, as the chief or key attribute of leadership. The attribute of trust is without a doubt the earned result of living authentically all the other leadership attributes.


Colonel Sweeney defines trust as “one’s willingness to be vulnerable to the actions of another person which is based upon a sense of confidence in the other person’s competency to meet role requirements and the character to behave cooperatively.” That is a great definition! Trust certainly is the foundation that relationships are founded upon. It promotes the positive cooperative relationships whereby competent and caring leaders are able to fulfill organizational missions while taking care of their team throughout the process. Although Sweeney writes about this subject in the context of military leadership, he notes several times and I concur, that it is equally applicable to leadership within any type of organization


Colonel Sweeny list ten attributes of effective leadership that builds the foundation of trust-based leadership. They are listed below. The attribute list resulted from a questionnaire and study of the beliefs of military men and women regarding leadership attributes. The attributes are listed in order of priority as seen by these soldiers. Perhaps the order of importance may change depending upon the type of organization studied, but I think it is safe to say the same attributes would be applicable in one form or another in almost any organization.


The reason that leadership trust is such an important subject is that effective leadership is impossible without the foundation of trust. Without trust the designated leader has to rely upon positional power to lead. It is the old carrot and stick approach. It is, “I am the boss and you will do as I say do, or else.” It is based upon reward for good behaviors and punishment for bad behaviors. Certainly this is a part of leading effectively. We have to reward desired behaviors and punish of bad ones, but it should not and cannot be the foundation for leading effectively.


Positional or rank leadership authority is effective only in short-term low-risk environments where risk or sacrifice is minimal and the boss is always close by ensuring compliance. Is there a moderate to high level of risk or sacrifice in your organization? Perhaps not life and death risk, but I would venture to say there certainly are other types of risk as well as a great amount of personal sacrifice required. I am willing to bet the boss is not always there to monitor behaviors either.


Leading from a foundation of trust is so much more effective because behaviors, thought processes, attitudes, values, goals, and motivation of team members are positively modeled by a trustworthy leader and therefore more readily accepted and adopted by others. These attributes also tend to be more in alignment with those of the organization, thus more organizational effectiveness.


I am going to be writing on these ten attributes over the next few weeks. Hopefully, I will be able to shed some light on the subject of building that foundation of trust within a team, unit, or organization. I hope you will “tune in” and follow along as we learn more about building a foundation of leadership trust through the personal development of character and competency based leadership attributes.


1. Competent


2. Loyal


3. Honest/Good integrity


4. Leads by example


5. Self-control (stress management)


6. Confident


7. Courageous (physical and moral)


8. Shares information


9. Personal connection with subordinates


10. Strong sense of duty


I want to personally acknowledge that much of the information in this and the forthcoming writings on this subject are from the aforementioned book, Leadership Lessons from West Point, 2007, and particularly Chapter 14 by Colonel P. J. Sweeney.

Your Lying Eyes Will Tell On You

Presently I am reading The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill. What is very special about this book is it is the original 1925 edition. In fact for years in was believed that the 1928 version was the original. I have read other modern printings of this book in the past but this is the original version and contains quite a bit more than the later editions. Mr. Hill had only 118 copies of the first edition printed to give to a limited number of his friends and associates such a Ford, Rockefeller, Edison and others. In 2006, Orne Publishing found the only known copy still in existence of the original 1925 book at a rare bookseller in Arkansas and bought the publishing rights.  It is one of the most influential books on personal achievement ever written. Below are a few of the comments that are posted on the website that sells this book.

"My Dear Mr. Hill: Allow me to express my appreciation of the compliment you have paid me in sending me the original manuscript of The Law of Success. I can see you have spent a great deal of time and thought in its preparation. Your philosophy is sound and you are to be congratulated for sticking to your work over so long a period of years. Your students...will be amply rewarded for their labor."


– Thomas A. Edison, Famous inventor, Scientist

"Dear Mr. Hill, I have now had an opportunity to finish reading The Law of Success, and I wish to express my appreciation of the splendid work you have done in this philosophy. It would be helpful if every politician in the country would assimilate and apply the 15 principles upon which The Law of Success is based. It contains some very fine material, which every leader in every walk of life should understand."

– William H. Taft, Former President of the United States and Chief Justice

"The cogent advice articulated by Napoleon Hill is as relevant and pertinent today as the day it was written."

– Donald R. Keough Former President and CEO of Coca-Cola, now Chairman of Allen & Company, Inc.

If you are interested in learning more about this book or purchase it click here.

In lesson nine, Mr. Hill discusses having an attractive personality as a requisite for success. He discusses how the most important element of one’s personality is having a sound, positive character. I believe he is right-on with his teaching on this subject.

Why is character such an important part of success? Can you hide your character, i.e., your persona, who you really are at the core of your being? Can you wear a mask to disguise your true heart? Can you fool the masses? Can you live a lie? Can you lead others and they not know who and what your really are? Napoleon Hill says no and I concur. Here’s why!

Mr. Hill says that your character is very observable by most people who take the time or care to notice. Have you ever met someone and immediately got that instinctive gut feeling that the person is not trustworthy or is lacking in some other area of their character? Have you ever met a person and were immediately ‘turned off’ by that ‘something’ in their personality? Have you ever felt a little wheeze during a first meeting and very soon thereafter discover that this acquaintance was not who and what they said they were? I have and I suspect you have too on many occasions. To quote Napoleon Hill,

You may embellish yourself with clothes of the neatest and latest design and conduct yourself in a most pleasing manner as far as outward appearances go, but if there is greed, envy, hatred, jealousy, avarice, and selfishness in your heart, you will never attract any, except those whose characters harmonize within your own. Like attracts like, and you may be sure, therefore, that those who are attracted to you are those whose inward nature parallel your own.

I believe a person’s eyes are the gateway to the heart. You can tell a lot about the content of one’s heart by reading their eyes. If there is a true genuineness of purpose within the heart of a person and they live by Godly moral values their eyes will shine with the warmth of their virtuous heart. Paradoxically, if there is a self-interested purpose in the heart and they are of poor moral character the eyes will give notice to the keen observer that something is dark and amiss.

Matthew 6:22-23 tells us,

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

The same thing to some degree can be said about a handshake, a smile, and the tone of the voice. Is the handshake firm, controlled? Is the smile warm and inviting? Are the tone, reflection, and volume of the voice reflecting confidence and honesty and uprightness of character?

Mr. Hill teaches that every shady transaction you are part of, every negative thought in your mind, and very destructive behavior in which you indulge will destroy that ‘subtle something’ in your heart that is known as character. I submit that each time an individual takes part in such devious actions a small part of his false persona deteriorates and over time his real character is written upon his forehead for all to see.

Mr. Hill quotes the great Emerson regarding this thought.

There is confession in the glances of our eyes; in our smiles; in salutations; in the grasp of the hands. His sin bedaubs him, mars all his good impression. Men know not why they do not trust him, but they do not trust him. His vice glasses his eyes, demeans his cheek, pinches the nose, sets the mark of beast on the back of the head, and writes, “O fool! Fool” on the forehead of a king.

What this message teaches us, as leaders, is that if you and I are to be effective and influential as leaders, we must have a genuine and right purpose for those whom we lead. We must have noble intentions and a true sense of caring for others. Others will not follow voluntarily until they know how much we care about them. They want care how much you know until they know how much you care! What is in our heart reflects the content of our character and will be read in our eyes, our smile, our handshake, and our voice by those we lead.

If your team does not trust you they will follow you only as far as is mandatory. They will follow based solely upon your positional authority. Due to a lack of moral authority of the leader, the team will do only what they have to do and no more. They will not go above and beyond that which is mandated by law, policy, or procedures. This will lead to mediocrity in mission results and to failed or limited leadership on the part of the leader.

Teachable Takeaways

• “Why would you follow somebody around a corner? Or up the hill? Or into a dark room? The reason is trust.” Collin Powell

• All great leaders base their leadership upon a genuineness of purpose and high moral character.

• People recognize strong character and will follow a leader of high integrity, honor and one with a selfish sense of duty.

• The content of your character cannot be hidden. Your persona will permit others to read you like a book.

• You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.

Esse Quam Videri!

Carpe Diem!

Napoleon Hill

The Real Challenge

The challenges we face today are not economic, environmental, social, or legal; they are the challenges of character and leadership. Philip Eastman II

I couldn't agree more!  It is said that the chief virtue is courage because all of the other virtues depend upon it for implementation.  Leadership then can be said to be the chief discipline because all other disciplines depend upon it for implementation as well.  Where would the disciplines of law, economics, medicine, law enforcement, etc. be without the discipline of leadership? 

I recommend the book written by Philip Eastman II titled, The Character of Leadership: An Ancient Model for a Quantum Age. 
It is a very good read about character-based leadership and supports the idea that leadership is an inside-out proposition.

Esse Quam Videri!

Carpe Diem

LEADERSHIP BY MAJOR C.A. BACH, U.S. ARMY 1917

I have been a student and teacher of leadership for over 25 years. In all those years I have never heard or read any better explanation of the essense of leadership than the following words of Major C. A. Bach, U.S. Army. This is a speech given my Major Bach in 1917 to a group of graduating student-officers at Fort Sheridan, Wyoming. Major Bach was an Army officer and instructor of these young military men who would soon be off to war and to lead.


It is perhaps one of the very best if not the best dissertation on leadership every spoken or written. I realize that is saying a lot, but I am serious! Read it yourself and see if you don't agree! It is so eloquent and pure in truth knowledge and wisdom.  I doubt I will ever post anything more sublime if I blog for another millennia. It is a little lengthy so I won’t keep you from it. Enjoy, learn, and emulate:  Jon

Foreword (Author unknown)

This is the soldier’s analysis of how to be a leader—the farewell instructions given to the student-officers at the Second Training Camp at Fort Sheridan by Major C. A. Bach, a quiet, unassuming Army officer acting as an instructor at the camp. This address to the men commissioned as officers in his battalion should be read by every young officer in the Army and every private soldier and noncommissioned officer as well. It is the best composition on the subject of “Leadership” ever recorded. The reserve officers in Major Bach’s battalion were so carried away by the speech that they besieged the major for copies that they could take with them into the Army and re-read. The Waco (Tex.) Daily Times Herald, hearing of the great interest aroused, secured a copy of the address and, with the approval of Col James R. Ryan, published the speech in full on Sunday, 27 January 1918. Major Bach entered military life through the National Guard, going out as an enlisted man in the Thirteenth Minnesota Infantry. When the regiment was sent to the Philippines young Bach went along as a sergeant. He was promoted to a lieutenancy in the Thirty-sixth United States Volunteer Infantry. He then went into the Regular Establishment as a first lieutenant in the Seventh Cavalry and advanced grade by grade to his majority.

LEADERSHIP

In a short time each of you men will control the lives of a certain number of other men. You will have in your charge loyal but untrained citizens, who look to you for instruction and guidance. Your word will be their law. Your most casual remark will be remembered. Your mannerism will be aped. Your clothing, your carriage, your vocabulary, your manner of command will be imitated. When you join your organization you will find there a willing body of men who ask from you nothing more than the qualities that will command their respect, their loyalty, and their obedience. They are perfectly ready and eager to follow you so long as you can convince them that you have those qualities. When the time comes that they are satisfied you do not possess them you might as well kiss yourself goodbye. Your usefulness in that organization is at an end.


From the standpoint of society, the world may be divided into leaders and followers. The professions have their leaders, the financial world has its leaders. We have religious leaders, and political leaders, and society leaders. In all this leadership it is difficult, if not impossible to separate from the element of pure leadership that selfish element of personal


gain or advantage to the individual, without which such leadership would lose its value. It is in the military service only, where men freely sacrifice their lives for a faith, where men are willing to suffer and die for the right or the prevention of a great wrong, that we can hope to realize leadership in its most exalted and disinterested sense. Therefore, when I say leadership, I mean military leadership.


In a few days the great mass of you men will receive commissions as officers. These commissions will not make you leaders; they will merely make you officers. They will place you in a position where you can become leaders if you possess the proper attributes. But you must make good—not so much with the men over you as with the men under you.


Men must and will follow into battle officers who are not leaders, but the driving power behind these men is not enthusiasm but discipline. They go with doubt and trembling, and with an awful fear tugging at their heartstrings that prompts the unspoken question, “What will he do next?” Such men obey the letter of their orders but no more. Of devotion to their commander, of exalted enthusiasm which scorns personal risk, of their self-sacrifice to ensure his personal safety, they know nothing. Their legs carry them forward because their brain and their training tell them they must go. Their spirit does not go with them. Great results are not achieved by cold, passive, unresponsive soldiers. They don’t go very far and they stop as soon as they can. Leadership not only demands but receives the willing, unhesitating, unfaltering obedience and loyalty of other men; and a devotion that will cause them, when the time comes, to follow their uncrowned king to hell and back again if necessary.


You will ask yourselves: “Of just what, then, does leadership consist? What must I do to become a leader? What are the attributes of leadership, and how can I cultivate them?” Leadership is a composite of a number of qualities. Among the most important I would list self-confidence, moral ascendency, self-sacrifice, paternalism, fairness, initiative, decision, dignity, courage. Let me discuss these with you in detail. Self-confidence results, first, from exact knowledge; second, the ability to impart that knowledge; and, third, the feeling of superiority over others that naturally follows. All these give the officer poise. To lead, you must know—you may bluff all your men some of the time, but you can’t do it all the time. Men will not have confidence in an officer unless he knows his business, and he must know it from the ground up.


The officer should know more about paper work than his first sergeant and company clerk put together; he should know more about messing than his mess sergeant; more about diseases of the horse than his troop farrier. He should be at least as good a shot as any man in his company. If the officer does not know, and demonstrates the fact that he does not know, it is entirely human for the soldier to say to himself, “To hell with him. He doesn’t know as much about this as I do,” and calmly disregard the instructions received. There is no substitute for accurate knowledge. Become so well informed that men will hunt you up to ask questions that your brother officers will say to one another, “Ask Smith—he knows.” And not only should each officer know thoroughly the duties of his own grade, but he should study those of the two grades next above him. A twofold benefit attaches to this. He prepares himself for duties which may fall to his lot at any time during battle; he further gains a broader viewpoint which enables him to appreciate the necessity for the issuance of orders and join more intelligently in their execution.


Not only must the officer know, but he must be able to put what he knows into grammatical, interesting, forceful English. He must learn to stand on his feet and speak without embarrassment. I am told that in British training camps student officers are required to deliver 10-minute talks on any subject they may choose. That is excellent practice. For to speak clearly one must think clearly, and clear, logical thinking expresses itself in definite, positive orders. While self-confidence is the result of knowing more than your men, moral ascendancy over them is based upon your belief that you are the better man. To gain and maintain this ascendancy you must have self-control, physical vitality and endurance and moral force. You must have yourself so well in hand that, even though in battle you be scared stiff, you will never show fear. For if you by so much as a hurried movement or a trembling of the hand, or a change of expression, or a hasty order hastily revoked, indicate your mental condition it will be reflected in your men in a far greater degree.


In garrison or camp many instances will arise to try your temper and wreck the sweetness of your disposition. If at such times you “fly off the handle” you have no business to be in charge of men. For men in anger say and do things that they almost invariably regret afterward. An officer should never apologize to his men; also an officer should never be guilty of an act for which his sense of justice tells him he should apologize. Another element in gaining moral ascendancy lies in the possession of enough physical vitality and endurance e to withstand the hardships to which you and your men are subjected, and a dauntless spirit that enables you not only to accept them cheerfully but to minimize their magnitude.


Make light of your troubles, belittle your trials, and you will help vitally to build up within your organization an esprit whose value in time of stress cannot be measured. Moral force is the third element in gaining moral ascendancy. To exert moral force you must live clean, you must have sufficient brain power to see the right and the will to do right. Be an example to your men. An officer can be a power for good or a power for evil. Don’t preach to them—that will be worse than useless. Live the kind of life you would have them lead, and you will be surprised to see the number that will imitate you. A loud-mouthed, profane captain who is careless of his personal appearance will have a loud-mouthed, profane, dirty company. Remember what I tell you. Your company will be the reflection of yourself. If you have a rotten company it will be because you are a rotten captain. Self-sacrifice is essential to leadership. You will give, give all the time. You will give yourself physically, for the longest hours, the hardest work and the greatest responsibility is the lot of the captain. He is the first man up in the morning and the last man in at night. He works while others sleep. You will give yourself mentally, in sympathy and appreciation for the troubles of men in your charge. This one’s mother has died, and that one has lost all his savings in a bank failure. They may desire help, but more than anything else they desire sympathy. Don’t make the mistake of turning such men down with the statement that you have troubles of your own, for every time that you do, you knock a stone out of the foundation of your house. Your men are your foundation, and your house leadership will tumble about your ears unless it rests securely upon them.


Finally, you will give of your own slender financial resources. You will frequently spend your money to conserve the health and well-being of your men or to assist them when in trouble. Generally you get your money back. Very infrequently you must charge it to profit and loss. When I say that paternalism is essential to leadership, I use the term in its better sense. I do not now refer to that form of paternalism which robs men of initiative, self-reliance, and self-respect. I refer to the paternalism that manifests itself in a watchful care for the comfort and welfare of those in your charge. Soldiers are much like children. You must see that they have shelter, food, and clothing, the best that your utmost efforts can provide. You must be far more solicitous of their comfort than of your own. You must see that they have food to eat before you think of your own; that they have each as good a bed as can be provided before you consider where you will sleep. You must look after their health. You must conserve their strength by not demanding needless exertion or useless labor. And by doing all these things you are breathing life into what would be otherwise a mere machine. You are creating a soul in your organization that will make the mass respond to you as though it were one man. And that is esprit. And when your organization has this esprit you will wake up some morning and discover that the tables have been turned; that instead of your constantly looking out for them they have, without even a hint from you, taken up the task of looking out for you. You will find that a detail is always there to see that your tent, if you have one, is promptly pitched; that the most and the cleanest bedding is brought to your tent; that from some mysterious source two eggs have been added to your supper when no one else has any; that an extra man is helping your men give your horse a supergrooming; that your wishes are anticipated; that every man is Johnny-on-the-spot. And then you have arrived.


Fairness is another element without which leadership can neither be built up nor maintained. There must be first that fairness which treats all men justly. I do not say alike, for you cannot treat all men alike—that would be assuming that all men are cut from the same piece; that there is no such thing as individuality or a personal equation. You cannot treat all men alike; a punishment that would be dismissed by one man with a shrug of the shoulders is mental anguish for another. A company commander who for a given offense has a standard punishment that applies to all is either too indolent or too stupid to study the personality of his men. In his case, justice is certainly blind. Study your men as carefully as a surgeon studies a difficult case. And when you are sure of your diagnosis apply the remedy. And remember that you apply the remedy to effect a cure, not merely to see the victim squirm. It may be necessary to cut deep, but when you are satisfied as to your diagnosis don’t be divided from your purpose by any false sympathy for the patient. Hand in hand with fairness in awarding punishment walks fairness in giving credit. Everybody hates a human hog. When one of your men has accomplished an especially creditable piece of work see that he gets the proper reward. Turn heaven and earth upside down to get it for him. Don’t try to take it away from him and hog it for yourself. You may do this and get away with it, but you have lost the respect and loyalty of your men. Sooner or later your brother officer will hear of it and shun you like a leper. In war there is glory enough for all. Give the man under you his due. The man who always takes and never gives is not a leader. He is a parasite.


There is another kind of fairness—that which will prevent an officer from abusing the privileges of his rank. When you exact respect from soldiers be sure you treat them with equal respect. Build up their manhood and self-respect. Don’t try to pull it down. For an officer to be overbearing and insulting in the treatment of enlisted men is the act of a coward. He ties the man to a tree with the ropes of discipline and then strikes him in the face, knowing full well that the man cannot strike back. Consideration, courtesy, and respect from officers toward enlisted men are not incompatible with discipline. They are parts of our discipline. Without initiative and decision no man can expect to lead. In maneuvers you will frequently see, when an emergency arises, certain men calmly give instant orders which later, on analysis, prove to be, if not exactly the right thing, very nearly the right thing to have done. You will see other men in emergency become badly rattled: their brains refuse to work, or they give a hasty order, revoke it; give another, revoke that; in short, show every indication of being in a blue funk. Regarding the first man you may say: “That man is a genius. He hasn’t had time to reason this thing out. He acts intuitively.” Forget it. “Genius is merely the capacity for taking infinite pains.” The man who was ready is the man who has prepared himself. He has studied beforehand the possible situation that might arise, he has made tentative plans covering such situations. When he is confronted by the emergency he is ready to meet it. He must have sufficient mental alertness to appreciate the problem that confronts him and the power of quick reasoning to determine what changes are necessary in his already formulated plan. He must have also the decision to order the execution and stick to his orders. Any reasonable order in an emergency is better than no order. The situation is there. Meet it. It is better to do something and do the wrong thing than to hesitate, hunt around for the right thing to do and wind up by doing nothing at all. And, having decided on a line of action, stick to it. Don’t vacillate. Men have no confidence in an officer who doesn’t know his own mind.


Occasionally you will be called upon to meet a situation which no reasonable human being could anticipate. If you have prepared yourself to meet other emergencies which you could anticipate, the mental training you have thereby gained will enable you to act promptly and with calmness. You must frequently act without orders from higher authority. Time will not permit you to wait for them. Here again enters the importance of studying the work of officers above you. If you have a comprehensive grasp of the entire situation and can form an idea of the general plan of your superiors, that and your previous emergency training will enable you to determine that the responsibility is yours and to issue the necessary orders without delay. The element of personal dignity is important in military leadership. Be the friend of your men, but do not become their intimate. Your men should stand in awe of you—not fear. If your men presume to become familiar it is your fault, not theirs. Your actions have encouraged them to do so.


And above all things, don’t cheapen yourself by courting their friendship or currying their favor. They will despise you for it. If you are worthy of their loyalty and respect and devotion they will surely give all these without asking. If you are not, nothing that you can do will win them. And then I would mention courage. Moral courage you need as well as physical courage—that kind of moral courage which enables you to adhere without faltering to a determined course of action which your judgment has indicated as the one best suited to secure the desired results.


Every time you change your orders without obvious reason you weaken your authority and impair the confidence of your men. Have the moral courage to stand by your order and see it through. Moral courage further demands that you assume the responsibility for your own acts. If your subordinates have loyally carried out your orders and the movement you directed is a failure, the failure is yours, not theirs. Yours would have been the honor had it been successful. Take the blame if it results in disaster. Don’t try to shift it to a subordinate and make him the goat. That is a cowardly act.

        Furthermore, you will need moral courage to determine the fate of those under you. You will frequently be called upon for recommendations for the promotion or demotion of officers and noncommissioned officers in your immediate command. Keep clearly in mind your personal integrity and the duty you owe your country. Do not let yourself be deflected from a strict sense of justice by feeling of personal friendship. If your own brother is your second lieutenant, and you find him unfit to hold his commission, eliminate him. If you don’t, your lack of moral courage may result in the loss of valuable lives. If, on the other hand, you are called upon for a recommendation concerning a man whom, for personal reasons you thoroughly dislike, do not fail to do him full justice. Remember that your aim is the general good, not the satisfaction of an individual grudge.


I am taking it for granted that you have physical courage. I need not tell you how necessary that is. Courage is more than bravery. Bravery is fearlessness—the absence of fear. The merest dolt may be brave, because he lacks the mentality to appreciate his danger; he doesn’t know enough to be afraid. Courage, however, is that firmness of spirit, that moral backbone, which, while fully appreciating the danger involved, nevertheless goes on with the understanding. Bravery is physical; courage is mental and moral. You may be cold all over; your hands may tremble; your legs may quake; your knees be ready to give way—that is fear. If, nevertheless, you go forward; if in spite of this physical defection you continue to lead your men against the enemy, you have courage. The physical manifestations of fear will pass away. You may never experience them but once. They are the “buck fever” of the hunter who tries to shoot his first deer. You must not give way to them. A number of years ago, while taking a course in demolitions, the class of which I was a member was handling dynamite. The instructor said regarding its manipulation: “I must caution you gentlemen to be careful in the use of these explosives. One man has but one accident.” And so I would caution you. If you give way to the fear that will doubtless beset you in your first action, if you show the white feather, if you let your men go forward while you hunt a shell crater, you will never again have the opportunity of leading those men. Use judgment in calling on your men for display of physical courage or bravery. Don’t ask any man to go where you would not go yourself. If your common sense tells you that the place is too dangerous for you to venture into, then it is too dangerous for him. You know his life is as valuable to him as yours is to you. Occasionally some of your men must be exposed to danger which you cannot share. A message must be taken across a fire-swept zone. You call for volunteers. If your men know you and know that you are “right” you will never lack volunteers, for they will know your heart is in your work, that you are giving your country the best you have, that you would willingly carry the message yourself if you could. Your example and enthusiasm will have inspired them.


And, lastly, if you aspire to leadership, I would urge you to study men. Get under their skins and find out what is inside. Some men are quite different from what they appear to be on the surface. Determine the workings of their minds. Much of Gen Robert E. Lee’s success as a leader may be ascribed to his ability as a psychologist. He knew most of his opponents from West Point days, knew the workings of their minds, and he believed that they would do certain things under certain circumstances. In nearly every case he was able to anticipate their movements and block the execution.  You do not know your opponent in this war in the same way. But you can know your own men. You can study each to
determine wherein lies his strength and his weakness; which man can be relied upon to the last gasp and which cannot.


Know your men, know your business, know yourself.