Feral Jundi

Thanks to zenpundit for posting this. Scott has put together a great little blog and website related to all things Boyd. And you gotta love the title!  So definitely put this on your RSS reader if you are interested in following this stuff and I will put the site on my blog roll. –Matt

Welcome to the To Be or To Do Website and Blog!
January 25, 2012
This website and much of my work was inspired by John Boyd’s professional life-example, his “to be or to do” challenge, and his thoughts on teamwork. However I have included principles that do not apply to Boyd and drawn conclusions that Boyd may well have disagreed with. As I’ve told friends and colleagues, I have taken Boyd’s scaffold, or outline, if you will, and introduced my ideas and experiences. This is the substance of my forthcoming book, To Be or To Do and of my service to clients.
The core of the To Be or To Do material is based on five attributes that exemplified John Boyd’s professional life, plus two. The core Boydian attributes, or principles, are:
-Honesty
-Courage
-Curiosity
-Conviction
-Persistence
No doubt, others could find other laudable attributes, but these principles seemed to define the man for me. The two “extras” are:
-Humility
-Optimism
By most accounts Boyd was not a particularly humble man, nor optimistic, however I’ve included because I’ve seen the power of these two attributes up close. My late grandfather, Robert F. Shipman, was the most humble man I’ve ever known, and I’m pretty sure he’d be disappointed if I didn’t include humility as an essential principle by which to live. My late mother-in-law, Janet Turney Mulvaney, PhD, succumbed to breast cancer after an eight-year battle. She attributed part of her longevity to “optimism” and impressed upon me that optimism was a key part of a life well lived. On both counts, I agree.

If you’re not familiar with John Boyd’s work check out the following:
Robert Coram’s excellent BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
Grant Hammond’s The Mind of War, John Boyd and American Security
Frans P.B. Osinga’s Science, Strategy and War, The Strategic Theory of John Boyd
All three of these books are excellent representations of Boyd’s work, both in and out of the Air Force.
This blog won’t be limited to Boyd’s work, but his example was the inspiration.
About J. Scott Shipman
Scott is the owner of SHIPMAN Federal Services, Inc., a consulting firm he established in 2004 that specializes in the application of John Boyd’s leadership strategies in the workplace. Scott provides his customers with unique insight on issues of leadership, organizational culture, and strategic planning, using the To Be or To Do model he developed. In addition to the To Be or To Do blog, he blogs at zenpundit.com and Fear, Honor, and Interest.
In addition to his interests in organizational excellence and strategy, Scott is a self-educated student of strategic naval issues of our day. His other interests, which will be reflected at the blog, include philosophy, history, cognitive psychology, design theory, politics, law, systems theory, complexity theory and the work of the late John Boyd.  He has been published in Defense News and has a forthcoming book titled To Be or To Do.
To Be or To Do website here.
Link to blog here.