Comments on leadership books

Leadership

I am a retired military officer with several years of industrial and church leadership experience after my mililtary years. As a professional officer, I was expected to earn an advanced degree, so I got my degree in International Relations.

The reason that I did not get a Masters in Management or an MBA is that most management and leadership writers appear to have limited experience in management and leadership at all levels, from the trenches on up. I have never read a book (other than the Bible) that I found very useful for training in management and leadership.

Jesus' example from the Bible, however, follows specifically the leadership principles that sergeants, lieutenants, etc., on up to flag officers learn on the job while manning the walls.

1. Your people come first--you don't eat until they are fed, you don't take a break until they've all had one, and you don't sleep until they are safely bedded down. You don't get a hot cup of coffee unless they get one as well. You protect them and are willing to die for them, but you also are willing to challenge them to follow you "into the teeth."

2. You must know your people--not just their names, etc., but what makes them tick. This only can happen if you spend a lot of time with them talking to them, and listening to them.

3. You can never know enough about the business in which you are engaged, be it blowing up cities or making disciples. The leader must always be studying, learning, and then learning more.

4. You must stay in contact with HQ at all times so that you are ready to follow the commands of your governing authority. You must communicate to your people all they need to know to get the mission done.

5. You must always set the example, as to honesty integrity, courage, readiness to take risks, and any other attribute needed to get the mission done.

6. You must be willing to discipline, correct, rebuke, and re-instruct, but never in such a way as to create hopelessness and defeat in your troops.

7. You must make a provision for your succession should you perish on the mission--there must be "another of the same kind" ready to step into the gap.

8. If you do these things and practice these disciplines, your people will follow you and charge the very gates of Hell.

I think the analogies are appropriate.

 

More Leadership Principles

Wit and wisdom from military manuals



"Aim towards the Enemy." - Instruction printed on U.S. Rocket Launcher

"When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend." - U.S. Marine
Corps

"Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs are
guaranteed always to hit the ground." - USAF Ammo Troop

"If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal

"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just
bombed." - U.S. Air Force Manual

"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never
encountered automatic weapons." - General MacArthur

"Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo." - Infantry Journal
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"You, you, and you. Panic. The rest of you, come with me." - U.S. Marine

Corps Gunnery Sgt.

"Tracers work both ways." - U.S. Army Ordnance
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"Five-second fuses only last three seconds." - Infantry Journal
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"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid." - David
Hackworth

"If your attack is going too well, you're walking into an ambush." -
Infantry Journal


"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you."

"If you see a bomb technician running, follow him." - USAF Ammo Troop

"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3." - Paul F.
Crickmore (test pilot)

"Blue water Navy truism: There are more planes in the ocean than
submarines in the sky." - From an old carrier sailor

"When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane, you always have enough
power left to get you to the scene of the crash."

"Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying
club."

"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a
pilot messes up, the pilot dies; If ATC messes up, .... the pilot dies."

"Never trade luck for skill."

The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in aviation
are: "Why is it doing that?", "Where are we?" And "Oh ...!"

"Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to complete the
flight successfully."

"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!"

"Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag to store
dead batteries."

"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a
person on the ground who is incapable of understanding or doing anything about
it."

"The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely
kill you." - Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)

"Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you."

"There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime." - Sign
over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970

"If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to."

Basic Flying Rules: "Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go
near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the
appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more
difficult to fly there."
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"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full
power to taxi to the terminal."

 

I have ejoyed several of the books mentioned above.

The two books that I have found most helpful concerning pastoral leadership are:

1. Richard Baxter's The Reformed Pastor
2. David Henry Sorenson's The Art of Pastoring

Both of these books seem to get right to the heart of Patoral leadership from a Biblical perspective. They were a tremendous blessing to me, and I refer to them often.