Category Archives: Leadership

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When Change is Values-Deep

Leading Change Series - Part III

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In every competitive environment, organizations evolve to survive and thrive. Society, Markets, and Warfare are ever-changing and so must those who want to succeed in them. Changing systems is a fight in and of itself. But, what if the change required is deeper than spreadsheets and efficiency reports? What if the organization’s values and behaviors aren’t aligned? I used the word “fight” intentionally. Make no mistake, when change is values-based, you are fighting for the heart and soul of your organization. To create a values-centered change, leaders steer the individual to driving the organization, communicate a clear and collective vision, model and steward the change, and empower their team.

Changing Values Requires Clear and Shared Vision
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Build Confidence in Change

Leading Change Series - Part II

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Change is scary; organizations and people are naturally resistant to change. We defer to the sedentary status quo over the risk of growth. Last week, in Part I of our Leading Change Series, we discussed Kurt Lewin’s three steps for organizational change. (If you haven’t read Part I, it is available HERE) Organizations are living, breathing organisms that are comprised of people. A mechanical mindset, fixing a problem by simply uninstalling a piece and reinstalling an updated mechanism, won’t maximize growth. You can’t sustain an effective organization this way, because people are not widgets. Teams pose an agricultural paradigm, not a mechanical one.

Changes of Command often bring a new look to the organization.
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The Art of Change

Leading Change Series - Part I

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Leaders and formations in the Army are always changing. With this change in people, comes a new look at the organization. It brings reinvention, breeding adaptability and innovation. Change is healthy, important, and necessary – but leading change also requires art. Dissatisfaction, contempt, and failure, are usually the drivers of change. But, that doesn’t mean everyone in the organization will view circumstances through that same lens. Change is disequilibrium caused by disconfirming information. Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory and John Kotter’s 8 Step Change Model, provide leaders a lens through which to view and understand what it takes to successfully lead change.

Maintaining the status quo is comfortable. Leading change requires getting down “in the mud” – are you up for the task?
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A Leader’s Guide to Addressing Suicide

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The typical nature of Army instruction fails to properly address how to handle suicidal soldiers. Serving as a volunteer instructor at the Combat Medic (68W) sustainment course allowed me to develop an approach tackling the difficult subject of suicide in the military. This approach comes for my experiences working as the Deputy State Surgeon of the Nebraska Army National Guard and my experiences working directly with homeless and disabled veterans with the Nebraska Department of Labor. Effectively addressing suicide requires an understanding of the negative impacts of cognitive dissonance, the impact of disease/injury on suicidality, and the resources to assist suicidal soldiers.

The views in this post are of the author and do not reflect official policy of the United States Army or the U.S. Government. They are tips to leaders in understanding and assisting soldiers with suicidal ideations. They are not a replacement for medical or professional attention. 

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All the King’s Horses

Ensuring Congruency of Message and Behaviors Across Your Team

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Your reputation is the convergence of your words, actions, character, competence, and the perception of others. As you progress up the leadership chain, your team will grow and the perception of you will no longer be a direct result of your interactions and behaviors alone. Your team will play an increased role in how people perceive you. The larger your organization, the more you have to delegate authority. With that delegation, you empower your team to represent you and your organization.

King John III Sobieski after the Battle of Vienne
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Seeking Wisdom

Glory, Lies, Humility, and Hustle

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You can seek wisdom or withstand the hardships required to gain it through experience. Learning from others, through study and observation, is certainly a less painful means of benefiting from life’s lessons. Inc. Magazine article, “5 Lessons Most People Learn Way Too Late in Life,” provided a worthwhile list, but why stop there?

The Triumph of Aemilius Paulus reminding us that all glory is fleeting and we are but mortal.
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It’s Not About You

Lessons from Poor Leadership

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Ego prevents us from living that John Maxwell quote. But, what about learning from leaders with an enlarged ego? Is our leader development hopeless without good leadership? Case studies focusing on ‘what right looks like’ hold a monopoly on leader development and create a void. This vacuum is most felt by young leaders lacking role models for “what right looks like”. We are tricked into thinking we only learn from good leadership. Learning from, and working for, good leaders is enjoyable, energizing, and sustaining. But, those who are not as blessed with great leadership early in their career are not flapping in the wind. They too have an example from which they can learn.

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4 Tips for Transitioning Organizations

Originally Published on From the Green Notebook

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The U.S. Military is a leadership laboratory to grow yourself and your team. Its personnel system, by design, promotes leaders out of position and across organizations. Controlled change breeds innovation and progress. But, change can also bring discomfort and anxiety. Fear not – here are some steps you can take to transition well and establish yourself in a new organization.

A Change of Command is just one of many transitions in the United States Army.
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Leadership Starts with…Love?

Lead to Serve, Serve to Lead

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A military leader’s first encounter with leadership is rarely through the military lens. Our early leadership experiences with parents, teachers, coaches, church leaders, etc., are often the most influential. These relationships help develop the men and women of character who will later lead our nation’s Armed Forces. Perhaps the family bonds of service in combat inspired Sun Tzu’s emphasis on parental love in leading an Army. No one thinks it is crazy to consider love an integral part of leading a child, spouse, student, or athlete – but when we discuss military leadership it is rarely part of the conversation. Rather than ignore the leadership examples set by those who positively influenced us as children, let’s embrace the example set by these monumental personalities who shaped us along the way.