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Archive: Military Leadership
Saluting the dedicated
When we honor and respect our soldiers, we are honoring the best in humanity: selflessness and dedication to a greater good.
By Marie Wilson | November 9, 2009; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (0)
More than a recruiting slogan
Tragedies like the one at Fort Hood test the character and resilience of organizations and their leaders. What we see now shows the meaning of "Army Strong."
By George Reed | November 9, 2009; 06:58 AM ET | Comments (0)
The voracity of war
Military leaders face the challenge of deploying and bringing home fighters who are still decent human beings.
By Joanne B. Ciulla | November 6, 2009; 10:52 AM ET | Comments (0)
Crisis leadership from a commander
While he was himself visibly shaken by the shootings, the Fort Hood commandar, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone, sought to provide a calming influence to the community.
By Col. Charles D. Allen | November 6, 2009; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Ft. Hood reveals hidden wounds
The Army is a solid institution, composed of leaders who care about their people. But this shooting provides yet another example of an institution, and more specifically, a support system under stress.
By Lt. Col. Todd Henshaw (Ret.) | November 6, 2009; 05:39 AM ET | Comments (10)
'Four dead in Ohio'
The trust the American people place in its military is as fragile as it is precious.
By Col. Charles D. Allen | November 5, 2009; 01:43 PM ET | Comments (4)
Standing and delivering
In an age when problems can rapidly deteriorate into crises, military leaders know how to assess a problem, lay out a strategy and tactics and deliver.
By Deborah Ancona | November 4, 2009; 02:45 PM ET | Comments (0)
Succes doesn't always translate
Too much admiration for military leaders leads to the misperception that because they perform nobly on the battlefield, they must be good at overall strategy.
By Ken Adelman | November 4, 2009; 09:07 AM ET | Comments (9)
When generals are wrong
Sometimes the judgment of military leaders has proved better than that of their civilian bosses -- but not always.
By Michael Maccoby | November 3, 2009; 02:26 PM ET | Comments (6)
A priority, not an expense
In the military, leadership development is not viewed merely as an expense to be justified and contained, or reserved for a few "high potentials."
By George Reed | November 3, 2009; 11:31 AM ET | Comments (0)
Pundits and politicians
We know that the Wall Street barons and the polarizing politicians and the shouting cable pundits do not represent the best of this nation.
By Yash Gupta | November 3, 2009; 10:12 AM ET | Comments (1)
Ken Lay's after-action review
Military leaders are much more willing than business leaders to publicly admit when things have gone wrong.
By Jeffrey Pfeffer | November 3, 2009; 10:04 AM ET | Comments (0)
The West Point effect
My four months in Officer Candidate School in 1944 was superior to all the corporate management training programs I've observed and consulted for over the last 25 years.
By Warren Bennis | November 3, 2009; 09:55 AM ET | Comments (3)
Shameful memories
Many baby boomers remember, hopefully with a certain degree of shame, our inability to separate our distaste for the Vietnam conflict with our distrust in military personnel and their leaders.
By Gail S. Williams | November 3, 2009; 09:36 AM ET | Comments (77)
'Greater love hath no man'
Beneath all that body armor and chest-thumping machismo that defines our culture's Rambo image of the modern warrior lies the essence of what makes a soldier fight in combat: Love.
By Scott Snook | November 3, 2009; 09:19 AM ET | Comments (8)
Simple but not easy
Leaders in other sectors who REALLY CARE about winning and retaining the confidence, trust, and loyalty of the American public know how to earn it.
By Bob Schoultz | November 3, 2009; 06:55 AM ET | Comments (0)
The messy avenue of persuasion
The public sees a decisive and effective institution that more often than not attains its goals.
By Slade Gorton | November 3, 2009; 06:52 AM ET | Comments (0)
Wall Street's Semper Fi?
What if executives at AIG, Bank of America, and General Motors saluted the flag and vowed to uphold our most basic American values?
By Coro Fellows | November 3, 2009; 12:43 AM ET | Comments (6)
Ten lost cadets
Leadership is about leaving it all on the field rather than taking it off the table. That may explain why Americans trust military leaders over Wall Street leaders.
By Lt. Col. Todd Henshaw (Ret.) | November 2, 2009; 04:12 PM ET | Comments (23)
Gary-Cooper style
The best military leaders are physically and morally strong, calm and competent under pressure, willing to do the hard but necessary jobs most of us are happy to duck -- all while being nice to children and old ladies and dogs.
By Ed Ruggero | November 2, 2009; 03:34 PM ET | Comments (2)
The leader next door
We trust military leadership because we know military people in our family, neighborhoods and offices. I don't know any Wall Street billionaires, and that is fine with me.
By Ed O'Malley | November 2, 2009; 03:29 PM ET | Comments (1)
Want trust? Try duty
Leaders must always do their duty, subordinating personal interest to complete the mission, which may require the sacrifice of their lives and the lives of those entrusted to them.
By Col. Michael E. Haith (Ret.) | November 2, 2009; 03:14 PM ET | Comments (4)
Bright Shining Shinseki
General Eric Shinseki, in publicly contradicting Donald Rumsfeld, represented a new relationship between the military and the American people in the post-Vietnam era.
By Ronald Heifetz | November 2, 2009; 02:43 PM ET | Comments (1)
Petraeus, not Westmoreland
Today, a nation divided about both Iraq and Afghanistan wars can nonetheless honor and respect the warriors, in part because public perception of the military is so different from the Vietnam era.
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | November 2, 2009; 02:05 PM ET | Comments (4)
Suckers for a uniform
With the exception of Dwight Eisenhower, it's hard to think of a recent military leader whose military service has translated into political (or even business) leadership.
By Alan M. Webber | November 2, 2009; 02:00 PM ET | Comments (14)
Tall order for media and business
Public confidence in media and business leaders will not rise unless they individually and collectively do a lot of self-examination and then self-improvement.
By Howard Gardner | November 2, 2009; 01:50 PM ET | Comments (0)
Troops Without Uniforms
Nation building is not our military's strength. Now is the time for our people -- and corporations -- to contribute to Afghanistan's rebuilding.
By Robert Goodwin | August 28, 2009; 12:10 PM ET | Comments (24)
Flawed Leadership in Washington
It is too late to repair the harm done to the Army by the mishandled removal of General David McKiernan, but the resulting debate may be a useful part of developing an effective strategy in Afghanistan.
By Gen. Monty Meigs (Ret.) | August 26, 2009; 11:51 AM ET | Comments (15)
New Strategy, New Leader
It is possible Gn. McKiernan was the best-available leader under the old, NATO-focused strategy in Afghanistan, but the game has changed.
By Col. Charles D. Allen | August 25, 2009; 01:19 PM ET | Comments (30)
'Nation-Building' Dreams
With our focus on "good governance" and economic development, the fundamental question remains: How critical are the governance and development goals to our anti-Taliban efforts in Afghanistan---and how realistic?
By Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr. | August 25, 2009; 11:09 AM ET | Comments (1)
Time for Plain Talk
We can't have a repeat of the mistakes made in Vietnam and Iraq, when our leaders were unable or unwilling to fully explain why we got in and how we would get out.
By Yash Gupta | August 25, 2009; 11:06 AM ET | Comments (0)
No Victory on the Cheap
We learned in Iraq that we cannot fight a successful war at half speed; only with the surge did we see our way to at least a quasi-victory. And that is the only way out in Afghanistan.
By Slade Gorton | August 25, 2009; 11:02 AM ET | Comments (10)
A Necessary Question
It will take a courageous leader to decide against escalating the war in Afghanistan.
By Kurt Schmoke | August 25, 2009; 10:56 AM ET | Comments (1)
Mission Creep
The war has shifted from destroying al-Qaeda to fighting the Taliban, and we are becoming bogged down in what is essentially a complex of tribal wars.
By Michael Maccoby | August 25, 2009; 10:46 AM ET | Comments (3)
'What's the Point?'
Until and unless the leaders in the Obama Administration answer the question, 'What's the point?' the American people will not understand why sacrifices are being made on the ground and military leaders will be unable to mount an effective military campaign.
By Alan M. Webber | August 24, 2009; 12:40 PM ET | Comments (53)
Breaking Every Rule
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, dating back to their very beginnings, are case studies on how not to wage war.
By Gen. John Batiste (Ret.) | August 24, 2009; 12:34 PM ET | Comments (14)
History's Against Us
The issue for the U.S. has less to do with military strategy and military leadership than with the problematic nature of waging a war half way around the world on terrain we may never be able to really secure.
By Bill Shore | August 24, 2009; 12:22 PM ET | Comments (0)
Reduce Our Commitment
President Obama made a huge mistake in taking on Afghanistan as "his" war.
By Howard Gardner | August 24, 2009; 12:13 PM ET | Comments (0)
