Feral Jundi

Friday, September 23, 2011

Leadership: CrossLead, By The McChrystal Group

Excellent. This is great news that General McChrystal has set up shop with a group like this. Not only that, but the type of leadership training he is providing is very unique and essential for our industry.

Here is the problem we face with today’s PMSC’s. How does corporate communicate and lead all of the various business units and elements of their company, when their company is dispersed globally?  Ideally, you would want everyone in the same room and once a day or once a week to discuss, analyze and synthesize the multitude of problems that the company faces.  But in our world, that just is not possible. And actually, for many of the large global corporations outside of our industry, this is their reality as well. The question is, how do you connect with your people, and lead a company that is spread all over the world?

So what the McChrystal Group has done here is to develop a leadership system called CrossLead that addresses this problem. How do you lead through an email? How do you inspire and connect with your people via video conferencing?  How do you set up your management teams and communications, and how do you leverage technology to actually be a good leader globally?  These are some tough questions, but if anyone has any insight as to how to do that, General McChrystal and his team have the experience to do so.

I think this is extremely valuable to PMSC’s, just because this Group understands the complexities of what it is we do. An example would be DynCorp, which has a massive army that includes everything from aviation mechanics and pilots, to police advisers and PSD specialists–just like today’s military.  A company like this operates all over the world, and in all of the war zones–just like today’s military. So to me, there is definitely something to be learned here by a master military tactician, leader, and strategist that knows how to leverage today’s technology to deliver the goods.

Below is some information from their website and definitely check out their Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube page for further information. At their Youtube page, you get a taste of some of the training and concepts, and I am sure they will release some stuff in the future. So it pays to subscribe. It also looks like they will be putting on one of their courses at Yale, and if you are interested in implementing CrossLead at your company, definitely give them a call. –Matt

 

 

Our Story
McChrystal Group is composed of leadership professionals with a shared background in service. From Navy SEALs to legislative and policy experts, the McChrystal Group brings a wealth of practical leadership experience in running multi-national, multi-agency, culturally diverse, and geographically dispersed organizations. From the battlefield to the boardroom, McChrystal Group has assembled the best leadership practices into a transformational leadership system called CrossLead.

The disciplined execution of CrossLead by a committed set of leaders will enable an organization to achieve the following results:
1. Dramatically improved shared consciousness and purpose
2. Faster and more inclusive decision-making
3. Better data and knowledge management
4. Rapid dissemination of best and worst practices
5. Optimized utilization of technology
6. Increased organizational transparency to enable accountability in execution

Development Programs
McChrystal Group will fully customize professional development programs to teach business executives and public leaders how to lead and organize networks in dynamic and challenging environments.
Single-day executive leadership program
These events are designed to discuss and relate CrossLead principles with an organization’s leadership team. The scope of work can range from a panel discussion with experienced professionals to facilitating an offsite engagement for key leaders.
Multi-day tailored executive leadership program
McChrystal Group will custom develop programs, including seminars and practical exercises that expose leaders to CrossLead mechanics and processes. The programs can range in size and can be hosted on site or at a destination location.
Comprehensive executive leadership development program
McChrystal Group will work with senior management to custom design a professional development program that challenges leaders to perform in tailored scenarios that best represent the unique requirements of their organization. This program will complement an organization’s professional development goals to include assessing individuals’ performance and potential, as well as team building through immersion in CrossLead principles, processes and mechanics.

Team
McChrystal Group is composed of leadership professionals with a shared background in service. From Navy SEALs to legislative and policy experts, McChrystal Group brings a wealth of practical leadership experience in running multi-national, multi-agency, culturally diverse, and geographically dispersed organizations. We are actively seeking the right people to join our growing team.

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Books: Gifts Of War–Once Upon A Rice Paddy, By Dan Roach

This is cool. Every once in awhile I get a heads up from a reader about a book they wrote. This particular book is about the author’s experiences in Vietnam. What is cool though is that this book has appeal to all types of veterans, and the leadership lessons learned are priceless.

Those lessons and the blood, sweat, and tears of war, are the ‘gifts’ of memory that I believe the author is referring too. They are the memories and experiences that veterans will always cherish–the good and the bad. And lucky for us, Dan has taken the time to put those memories into a book and share that with the world. A gift indeed.

At this time, the book is being distributed through Author House, so follow the links below if you are interested in checking it out. If you are a Ranger or 101st Airborne from that era, you are really in for a treat with this book. Like Dan says, ‘you’ll laugh, you’ll cry but most of all you will be treated to a gift of understanding’. –Matt

 

GIFTS of WAR, Once Upon A Rice Paddy
By Dan Roach
Like many that have experienced the bitter taste of war; I understand the need for war and warriors. Yet, I am now a reluctant warrior. This book is an invitation for you to be embedded with a young lieutenant as he experiences an incredible journey as a combat platoon leader. You will experience the daily social, psychological, emotional, ethical and moral dilemmas presented by war. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry but most of all you will be treated to a gift of understanding. I believe you will be awe inspired at what our nation asked of these young warriors and how they responded. You will be pleasantly surprised at the gifts of war received by this warrior. Vietnam was the stage and we were the players in a life and death drama.
About the author.
After graduating from college with a B.S. Degree in Forestry, Dan Roach faced one of the biggest decisions of his life; enlist or be drafted during time of war. He chose enlistment hoping to have more control over his destiny. On May 10, 1966 he enlisted in the Army and was off to FT. Jackson, SC to attend Basic and AIT (Advanced Infantry Training). After AIT he reported to Infantry OCS (Officer Candidate School) at Ft. Benning, GA. On March 27, 1967 he graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant and went directly into RANGER School. After RANGER School he was assigned as an instructor in the Mountain Phase of RANGER Training at Dahlonega, GA. As a RANGER he was sent to Airborne School at FT. Benning, on 17 July 1967.

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Friday, September 9, 2011

Leadership: A Command Culture And Philosophy Called ‘Auftragstaktik’

A command and control procedure within which the subordinate is given extensive latitude, within the framework of the intention of the individual giving the order, in carrying out his mission. The missions are to include only those restraints which are indispensable for being able to interact with others, and it must be possible to accomplish them by making use of the subordinate’s forces, resources, and the authority delegated to him. Mission-oriented command and control requires uniformity in the way of thinking, sound judgment and initiative, as well as responsible actions at all levels.- German army regulations describe Auftragstaktik, from Parameters.

Part of what makes this blog so fun and interesting is the hunt for the great idea. I don’t care where it comes from, or who came up with it–to me, it is all about logic and reason. Either the idea is sound, or it is not. It should also be able to withstand the furnace of debate and scrutiny. Hence why I post such things.

But this is a simple concept to wrap your brain around, and yet so difficult to implement in institutions like the US military or various companies. To put this much freedom of operations into the hands of a leader is pretty tough for some CEO’s or Generals to handle. And as the author presented below, the German Army during WW 2 was the victim of a officer corps that was poorly constructed. But at the tactical level, the German Army was amazing, and this concept of Auftragstaktik is a big part of that.

Anyways, I will let the reader make their own determinations based on the articles below. The first is the most modern article on the concept and a big hat tip to Jorg Muth and Thomas Ricks for getting it out there. The second article is an old one, written by a German soldier and veteran of WW 2 named Gerhard Muhm. He went into detail on how Auftragstaktik was used in the German Army at the time. The final article is a snippet from Wikipedia, which will help to simplify and focus the reader on the core concepts.

It is also important to note that Intent is a very important theme in today’s military’s. It is the idea that everyone in the unit knows the intent or the mission and what must be accomplished. Commander’s intent is another way of putting that. There is a whole study on intent at wikipedia, and it is definitely worth your while to go through it to get a feel on how important it is to the various military units of the world.

Intent is a key capability in 21st century military operations and is a vital element to facilitate subordinates initiative (U.S Army 2003, para.1-69), self-synchronisation (Alberts et al. 1999, pp.175-180) and collaboration and cooperation (Alberts and Hayes 2007,pp.109-114) amongst team members in joint operations.

Now how does this apply to private industry or even offense industry?  Well interestingly enough, there is a a lot of auftragstaktik going on already with private industry. No one tells companies how they are supposed to perform static security, convoy operations, or PSD. Even within companies, you see differences in mission accomplishment between the various contracts. So that is a very positive aspect of today’s PMC’s and PSC’s. Personally, I have seen the same missions accomplished differently in a multitude of companies that I have worked for. It is what makes the industry interesting to observe and be a part of. But as a result of these variations, private industry is able to evolve and develop SOP’s that are unique and effective. We also have some cross breeding going on with SOP’s/ideas, just because contractors are taking what they learned from prior contracts and bringing that with them to the next job for mission accomplishment.

On the flip side, our Defense Industry is purely focused on the ‘defense’. Which is fine, but it does not eliminate the enemy or reduce their numbers. For that, you need to create a Offense Industry, and concepts like Auftragstaktik or company intent will be very important to the accomplishment of a contract in this type of industry. It is also important to set up an offense industry that supports the intent of the principal or the country firing up such a machine. In other words, a country that constructs a offense industry should not be involved in telling companies ‘how’ they are to accomplish the task.

A great example is Executive Outcome’s contract in Sierra Leone. Would they have been successful if SL told the company how they were to accomplish the task?  I don’t think so, and that would defeat the reason for hiring such a company in the first place. You give them the intent, and let them figure out the ‘how’.

Now of course this concept is not a strategic concept as the articles have mentioned below. Which is very important to remember if a offense industry is to be created. Countries must first have a sound strategy in place, and the offense industry must be assembled in such a way to support that strategy.  That is a whole different post, but I guess where I am going with this is that what makes offense industry such a powerful concept is the idea of allowing companies the freedom to innovate and figure out how to accomplish the task.

Not only that, but they also have ‘incentive’ to do well. The goal should be to give them the intent, establish rules and boundaries that insure they do not hinder the overall strategy or harm other friendly units, provide adequate incentive, and set the industry free to accomplish the task. Then adjust and modify as necessary–all based on Kaizen and having a sound learning organization. –Matt

 

 

 

Jörg Muth on Command Culture and Auftragstaktik In The German Military
(posted at Best Defense)
Friday, September 9, 2011
By Jörg Muth
Auftragstaktik. The word sounds cool even when mangled by an American tongue. What it means, however, has always been elusive to Americans. The problematic translation of that core German military word into “mission type orders” completely distorts its meaning. Auftragstaktik does not denote a certain style of giving orders or a certain way of phrasing them; it is a whole command philosophy.
The idea originates with Frederick the Great, who complained after more than one battle that his highly experienced regimental commanders would not dare take action on their own but too often ask back for orders and thus waste precious time.
Nearly one hundred years later the military genius Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke was the first to formulate the concept of Auftragstaktik. Moltke was a diligent student of Frederick’s campaigns, of military history in general and philosophy. At a time when he was not yet famous and, not yet the victor of three wars, he observed the annual General Staff war games in 1858. The paperwork and the detailed orders appalled him because he knew that in war there was no time for such nonsense. During the war game critique he decreed that “as a rule an order should contain only what the subordinate for the achievement of his goals cannot determine on his own.” Everything else was to be left to the commander on the spot.

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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Jundism: In Praise Of Those Who ‘Do’….

Filed under: Jundism,Kaizen,Leadership — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 3:38 PM

‘Only accurate rifles are interesting.’ -Townsend Whelen

This is a quick post, but important. For Townsend, only accurate rifles are interesting. I like that quote, and I think it works well with what I believe in, and that is ‘only those that do are interesting’. Over the years, I have received numerous emails from readers who had the courage ‘to do’ what is right. To quote Col. John Boyd, they chose the route of ‘to do’ when they came to that great crossroads of life that everyone experiences, and they wanted to share that with me.

These men and women are my heroes, and they are what inspire me every time I work on this blog or think about how to improve this industry and war effort. They are the unsung heroes of every company, military unit or government, that had the courage to stand up and demand excellence or battle with those who are unjust.  They have also done these things at peril to self, all because being righteous sometimes equates to being unpopular or not advancing in an organization. But at least they did not compromise what they believed in, and this is what makes them more interesting and more of a leader than any of those that strive ‘to be’.

There are other moments of jundism that I hear about that motivates me. Those that came up with the better idea, and fought hard for that better idea and won, are also my heroes. They might have built a snowmobile, and created a new idea, which is really awesome. Or they might have lost the battle, all because of someone else’s ego or pride.  Either way, that individual get’s my respect for fighting the good fight.

The other thing I like to focus in on with my exchanges with the readership, either here or at Facebook, is to empower those individuals in their personal battles. To actually give them the means to win those battles through sound strategy and good intelligence. ‘Know yourself, know your enemy’, as Sun Tzu would say.  But most importantly, win without fighting.

That last part is very important.  I want my readership to win their battles, and not face casualty. That is very hard to do though, and even in my personal battles, I have lost. But I have also won some battles, and the key is to learn from those losses and continuously improve upon your ability to win future battles. And of course, the ultimate in war fighting, or the battle of wills and ideas, is to win without fighting at all.

To do this, you must know your adversaries well, and know yourself so you can figure out what ‘winning’ really means. Studying strategy, and borrowing brilliance is crucial. You must also avoid fights that end up in pyrrhic victories. Seek fights where your strength can defeat their weakness, and get that win. I want you to continue working in this industry and become a force of change, or to be the example.  That is winning.  To destroy yourself while destroying your opponent is losing in my book. Remember this when thinking of conducting legal battles, or battles with management and other individuals in your particular occupation.

Finally, it gives me great pleasure to know that jundism and this blog is bringing about a revolution in thought process. I have readers who are now students of good leadership, who are innovators, who are not afraid to do what is right, etc. They are also students of strategy and are continuously improving. These  readers and leaders have embraced these ideas, and have used them to their advantage.  It is a privilege and honor to be a part of that process and serve this family.

For those that fall under the category of ‘to be’, all I have to say is that you do not earn my respect. Although there is something I do like about this loathsome group…..  I like to study you, so I can empower those that aspire ‘to do’, to defeat you. –Matt

“Tiger, one day you will come to a fork in the road,” he said. “And you’re going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go.” He raised his hand and pointed. “If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and you will get good assignments.”
Then Boyd raised his other hand and pointed another direction. “Or you can go that way and you can do something – something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. If you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won’t have to compromise yourself. You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference.”
He paused and stared into the officer’s eyes and heart. “To be somebody or to do something.” In life there is often a roll call. That’s when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do. Which way will you go?”- Col. John Boyd

Friday, June 3, 2011

Leadership: TED–General Stanley McChrystal: Listen, Learn… Then Lead

Filed under: Leadership,PMC 2.0 — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 12:14 AM

This is a great presentation and very powerful. Also, the TED crowd gave the good General a standing ovation at the end!

The other thing that I noticed was the ideas he talked about, totally mesh well with Jundism. Learn from your people or ‘learning organizations’, and listen to your people or ‘get feedback’. Even the ‘shared reality’ concept was an issue that the General discussed as a difficulty with command in the modern age. Very cool and check it out. –Matt


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