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From Fight to FLEP

The Army's Legal Education Program

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It might seem odd to have an article about law school on a site dedicated to technical and tactical excellence. But, success at the company level directly correlates to a civilian legal education. While applying to the Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP), I couldn’t find helpful resources. I wrote this to give other company-grade officers considering the program some perspective on the decision. These lessons will be just as applicable for anyone considering law school as part of their transition to civilian life.

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5 Principles of Disagreement

A Response to "The Growing Emptiness of Service"

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I disagree. And, that is ok. When did we stop making it ok to disagree? Moreover, when did disagreement mean completely contrasting opinions? These are questions we will get to, but first – with what am I disagreeing? I, in part, disagree with a Guest Post on the Angry Staff Officer’s Blog by David Dixon titled “Guest Post: The Growing Emptiness of Service”.

Atticus Finch talking to his daughter Jean Louise “Scout”. There is a lot we can learn from Atticus, both about respectful discourse as well as the fallibility of man.
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Rolling Uphill – Sustaining Change

Leading Change Series - Part IV

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Leading change is not a fast or easy process, but it is required to sharpen the organizational “saw” through synergy and renewal. It demands the power to stay the course, through setbacks and triumphs, and demonstrate the endurance to achieve results. Change starts with a single step, but that axiom can leave you discouraged when – after step one – you realize there are many more steps to take. You will face roadblocks in the form of people, internal systems, and outside forces. If step one is difficult to take, steps two and onward require even more perseverance and grit. The will to succeed makes the difference between those who initiate change and those who achieve it. Fighting complacency requires constant assessment and coaching.

Sustaining change is a team effort. Succession planning and a culture of learning is the only way to keep rolling uphill.
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Resolute Leadership

A Presidents’ Day Post

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The third Monday in that month we all hate to pronounce (is it Feb-roo-air-ee or Feb-yoo-air-ee?) is more than just another Federal Holiday when your mail won’t be delivered and the DMV won’t be open. Presidents‘ Day isn’t just a long weekend of consumerism. For over 200 years, leaders have filled the Office of the Presidency and, with it, wielded immense power and responsibility. History will judge what they did with their time in the Oval Office, but as President Washington said “Example, whether it be good or bad, has a powerful influence”. This Presidents‘ Day, let’s take a look at what past American Presidents had to say about Leadership.

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Learning Agility

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The U.S. Army is in transition after sixteen years of conflict. Previously, the nation leveraged its industrial base to support a decisive edge over the enemy. Material solutions are not enough to maintain the advantage in a future of strategic uncertainty and rapidly adapting peer and near-peer threats. Leadership – the “L” in the DOTMLPF-P construct – is perhaps the most critical asset to our nation. The U.S. Army will establish overmatch by investing into its most valued commodity, the leaders of its irreplaceable soldiers. Learning agility provides the necessary framework to support leader overmatch in the future of conflict.

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Your OPORD Briefing Board

New Product to The Rucksack

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Use Mission Orders – a tenant of Mission Command that we exercise almost daily. But, in garrison, we have become overly reliant on Microsoft Office to present our Operations Orders. The Maneuver Captains Career Course (MCCC) and the ARSOF CCC thrust you back into the analog world for developing and briefing your tactical orders. For those of us practiced in creating orders on Word or PowerPoint, this is a rude awakening. You pour over document protectors, overlays, 1:50000 maps, and map markers strewn across your desk as you try to remember how you ever did this without a keyboard and mouse. Having a system and a good briefing board will pay dividends not only in the schoolhouse, but also when you get back to the tactical force. Here is one way to make a great Briefing Board that remains applicable when you get to your unit.

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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.