Leading @ MindSay 
leader
On the other hand, these people need challenging to change, maybe, but maybe at a later point where they'll consider it
I cannot bring myself to genuinely admire that nature though, nor can I afford to, but I can still act a little + with the good people around me, I don't have to direct a happy approach towards the bad person, they just have to see it, and see the power of friendship.
Thing is, when my dad picks a (worded) fight with me, I have to defend myself, I suppose he is one who I couldn't lead by example - and he sees himself as the leader I think anyway, and he just wouldn't be challenged if I pretended to be what he wanted me to be
Using poker as analogy for leadership, Captain Andrew Harvey, CPD (ret.), Ed.D. and Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA found the right mix of practical experience and academic credentials to write a definitive book for leaders. Working together, Harvey and Foster have written Leadership: Texas Hold em Style. Most often leaders find they are given a set of resources people, equipment, funds, experience and a mission. As Foster noted, You are dealt a certain hand. How you play that hand as a leader determines your success
- More than a book: A fun and entertaining journey through leadership that includes an interactive website to supplement knowledge gained from the book.
- Proven and Tested: Not an academic approach to leadership, but rather a road-tested guide that has been developed through 50-years of author experience.
- High Impact: Through the use of perspective, reflection, and knowledge, provides information that turns leadership potential into leadership practice.
- Ease of Application: Theory is reinforced with real-life experience, which results in accessible and practical tools leaders can put to use immediately.
- High Road Approach: Personal character and ethical beliefs are woven into each leadership approach, so leaders do the right thing for the right reasons.
- Uses Game of Poker: Rather than a dry approach that is all fact and no flavor, the game of poker is used as a lens through which to view leadership concepts.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, for those who are accustomed to the usual names of the individual books.
It's not as if I haven't read and studied these books before. I have. It's not as if I haven't read them in order before. What struck me, having to inhale them as I did, was Moses.
I like to read about imperfect people. Moses was a great man, but he was not perfect. God demanded of his imperfect servant a very great deal. But he also, as one reads time and again in those first books, gave Moses a very great deal. Huge concessions, allowing for major "Lord, please don't do that" moments. Moses was amazingly privileged even among a society that had experienced the direct intervention of God Almighty.
So when Moses, angry with the Israelites because of their perpetual ingratitude and whining, struck a rock to bring forth water, when God had told him specifically to just speak to the rock, it was in a fit of pique. Moses put his own need to strike out at something ahead of God's own directive to him.
What struck me hugely, after reading this section of the Bible, was how Moses reacted to God's punishment for his disobedience. Moses was not allowed to step into the Promised Land with the people he had led out of Egypt.
Now. Moses had some options, but Scripture never shares them. Today, though, we would know what they would be. He could have shouted up at God: "Fine, then! I put my life on the line to serve you. I could have ignored your people and stayed in Egypt living the good life! I'll just take my family and go find my own promise and my own land!"
But he didn't do that. Instead, he continued to do the job. Just the same. Acting as God's own voice in the desert, leading, judging, intervening on behalf of a stiff-necked and selfish people.
Why? Why did he stick it out, when he knew from God himself that there would be no Promised Land for him? Could I have done that? Would I have?
Moses continued to lead the people, to move them to where they needed to go, because his love of God, his respect for the Almighty and belief in the Promise, overrode all his own personal considerations. He saw that what he was doing was bigger than any individual.
In the end, what the Lord, the Great I AM, has planned will succeed. Moses knew that. He objected, he dithered, he hemmed and hawed. But, in the end, he obeyed. Even when he knew he would not cross into the Promised Land with his own two feet.
I hope that I am that dedicated, too. That I would continue to do what has been asked of me even if I see no material benefit. That if God says for me to go, I will go. All the way to the end of my life.
Moses' legacy is in his willingness to say what needed to be said and to walk where he was led. To the end of his life. I hope that the same will be said about me, another imperfect person with issues.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 25, 2007 – As an operations manager for Proctor and Gamble, Army Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz strived to recruit the best new workers, get them trained for their jobs, then retain them so they didn't take their skills and experience elsewhere. That's similar to the challenge Stultz faces now, serving as the Army Reserve chief during a four-year leave of absence from his civilian job.
"I come from the business world, and there are a whole lot of similarities," Stultz told American Forces Press Service during an interview marking his one-year anniversary leading the Army Reserve.
So when Stultz assesses the Army Reserve and its requirements, he tends to think as much like a businessman as a three-star general.
When it comes down to the product, Stultz said the Army Reserve is the best it's ever been in his entire 33 years of service. "It's the most professional, best-quality, best-trained force I've seen," he said.
Visiting deployed Army Reserve soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kosovo, and just last week in Panama and Belize, Stultz said, he's struck by what they bring to their mission.
"It's just inspiring to see the quality, the dedication and the professionalism of the soldiers we've got," he said. "When you talk about the quality of the force, these are top-notch individuals that we have in our force."
Stultz knows firsthand what these soldiers have left behind to deploy; since leaving active duty to join the Army Reserve in 1979, he was deployed for Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991, for Operation Joint Endeavor in 1997 and for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom from 2002 to 2004.
"Wherever I go, I see soldiers who, over and over again, have put their civilian careers on hold," he said. "They are well educated, have got a very bright future ahead of them, but they joined our ranks in the Army Reserve so they can serve their country."
The soldier in Stultz understands that most joined the Army Reserve out of patriotism. But the businessman in him knows that to keep them in the force, the Army Reserve will need to keep giving them fulfilling training and missions, a fair benefits package and more balance in their lives.
With more than 170,000 Army Reservists mobilized since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the force is more experienced than ever before, Stultz said.
Troops feel good about what they've accomplished and proven about the Army Reserve, but simply can't keep up the current operational pace, he said. They need more time at home with their families and civilian employers between deployments, and they need predictability about when they will deploy.
"We have got to put some predictability and some dwell time back in their life, because they can't keep going at this tempo," he said. "They have got to be able to get back home, back to their civilian jobs, back to the family life that they want."
In short, Stultz said, the Army Reserve needs to give its citizen-soldiers a bit more time to be "citizens."
He expressed optimism that the new Army Force Generation model will go a long way toward that goal. The model will set a cycle for reservists to deploy, return home, then get time at home and the opportunity to prepare for another deployment.
As he considers ways to bring balance to the "soldier-citizen" equation, Stultz also spends a lot of time trying to come up with better ways to keep troops in the force and to compensate them for their service.
After all, he said, it doesn't matter how strong the force is if you don't have soldiers who want to be a part of it.
Twenty-five years at Proctor and Gamble taught Stultz a lot about what motivates employers, and he'd like to see some of the same practices that work so well in the private sector applied in the military.
New employees, like new troops, are typically more interested in hearing about up-front cash payments than long-term benefits, he said. Mid-level workers, like mid-career soldiers, commonly want to know more about other benefits, particularly health care. Those toward the end of their careers, whether in the private sector or military, begin to think a lot about retirement benefits.
"At Proctor and Gamble, when you talked to an employee you were trying to retain, you looked at where they were in their life," he said. "And the same thing really does apply when you think about retaining a soldier."
Stultz said he'd like to see compensation packages better tailored to fit a particular soldier's interest.
For example, rather than automatically offering an up-front $15,000 re-enlistment bonus, the Army Reserve might give the soldier the option of applying that money somewhere else, he said. It could go toward pre-paying health insurance premiums, put into a retirement 401 plan or even pay off a child's college tuition costs through a program negotiated with the state.
Similarly, he said he'd like to see health-care programs better tailored to troops' particular needs. He's a big fan of a "continuity of care" concept that would prevent reserve troops from having to flip back and forth between their employers' and the military's systems when they deploy and return home.
"If we are truly going to have an operational force in the reserve components, if we are truly going to say to expect to be mobilized on a repeated basis on a regular frequency, we can't keep requiring the soldier to change medical plans every five years," he said. "We just can't keep doing that."
Stultz noted that changing medical plans affects entire families. "That is too much turmoil and stress on the family," he said.
He's considered ways to prevent this, possibly by having the military work with employers to share the cost of continuing corporate health-care benefits while a soldier is mobilized. Another option might be for the military to extend Tricare benefits for reservists to reservists who don't have health insurance elsewhere or at a lower cost than they can get it from their employers.
That could be a big enticement for civilian employers, particularly those in small business, to want to hire reservists, he said.
Stultz said he's "trying to explore all avenues right now" to come up with the best recommendation for providing health care to Army reservists on an ongoing basis.
He also likes the concept of a "continuum of service" that would enable soldiers to move between the active and reserve component during their military careers. This would enable soldiers to continuing serving as their life situation changes.
As a result, he said, the military would be able to retain their skills and experience, and they'd have the flexibility to continue serving and, if they choose to, to continue working toward a military retirement. Stultz noted that it could take them 35 years to acquire 20 active-duty years, but that they'd have that opportunity if they chose to pursue it.
As he considers incentives that have proven successful in corporate America and considers how they might work in the Army Reserve, Stultz is also eyeing the military retirement plan.
The current plan provides a retirement for reserve troops with 20 years of service, but they have to reach age 60 before collecting it. Stultz said he favors the idea of lowering the age, but only if it's tied into serving beyond 20 years.
He's intrigued by the concept of allowing reservists to draw retirement six months early for every year they serve beyond 20. Based on this formula, troops who served 22 years could draw it at age 59. Those with 26 years of service could draw it at 57. Those who stay 30 years - which Stultz recommends as the cap - could draw their retirement at age 55.
"So I would get 10 more years of service out of that individual, for five years of early retirement," he said.
One year into the job, Stultz said he recognizes he's got a lot on his plate, and that the concepts he's exploring are somewhat revolutionary to the military. But he said he's convinced that the corporate sector has some important lessons to offer. Much of it, he said, boils down to attracting, training and retaining the best people possible.
After all, he said, people are the bottom line in a successful Army.
"Training and equipping isn't important if you don't have any soldiers to train and equip," he said. "To me, manning the force and sustaining that is really the first priority."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service
April 11, 2007 – The Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy here gives students the tools to lead, but they need to use these tools in a way that works for them individually, the Defense Department's top NCO told graduates here today. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told 75 Air Force noncommissioned officers that an "R-triple-A" approach is what up-and-coming servicemembers expect and need from their leaders.
The "R" means leaders should respect their subordinates by giving them responsibility, Gainey told the graduates.
"They crave to ... be 'Responsible' for something," he said. "Give it to them. They're not going to let you down. Give them all the responsibility they can hold."
But giving people responsibility isn't enough, Gainey warned.
"The hard thing for us as leaders is the first 'A' -- to give them the 'Authority' to be responsible," he said.
Gesturing to the flags adorning the stage, Gainey explained that a leader who gives people responsibility for the flags, but tells them not to do anything without first asking for his or her approval isn't being an effective leader. "What have you given them?" he asked. "Nothing."
If authority is properly granted, Gainey said, the second "A" then comes into play.
"Hold them 'Accountable' for their actions, as they're going to hold you accountable for your actions," he told the graduates, adding that it's necessary not only for when subordinates fall short, but also when they succeed.
When they do fall short, he said, it's time for the third "A" - "Assist" them when they stumble.
"Everyone stumbles," he said. "It depends on who's there to help you."
When the inevitable stumbles occur, Gainey told the graduates, a good leader will help the person recover, but then must coach, teach, mentor and train so the individual learns from the experience and can succeed.
At that point, he said, it's important to express pride in the person's accomplishment and show confidence. "They need you to look them in the eye and ... (let them know you) care about them," he said.
Exhorting the graduates to move forward with their ambitions, Gainey advised them not to let anyone get in their way as long as they can answer "no" to five questions about their ambitions.
"The first thing (to ask yourself) is, 'Is it going to hurt somebody else?' No? Go for it," he said. "Is it going to hurt you? No. Go for it. Is it illegal? No. Go for it. Is it immoral? No. Go for it. Is it going to bring disgrace to your name or the unit or your country? No. Then you go for it, and don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it."
But if the answer to any of the five questions is "yes," he said, that has to be resolved.
Gainey used the desire to climb a mountain as an example. While the person might be able to say "no" in answer to four of the questions, the answer would have to be "yes" to the second question if the person lacked the proper training or equipment.
"Stop, take a step back, reassess what you want to do, get the proper training, get the proper equipment, and make it a 'no,'" he said.
The graduation culminated a day in which Gainey met with servicemembers all over the largest U.S. installation in the Pacific theater. He'll remain on Okinawa for the rest of the week, visiting servicemembers at other bases on the island and meeting more people at Kadena.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
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