Leadership Forge

This book is designed to help you solve your toughest problems, take care of your people, and get great results. You will benefit from the fifty insights by incorporating them into your personal leadership practice and growing as a leader. Each insight is structured as a self-contained “lesson.” Following is a list of the insights:Insight #1: Leadership is a Hero’s Journey. Start Yours NowInsight #2: Get Clear on Your Leadership Sight Picture—How to Power Your Leadership by Knowing Who You Are and What You Stand ForInsight #3: It’s about “Duty, Honor, Country”—Lead with the Power of Your ValuesInsight #4: Washington at Newburgh—Compromise Your Morals, Forfeit Your Right to LeadInsight #5: Lead With Superpowers--Leverage Your StrengthsInsight #6: Powell, Rumsfeld, or Wooden? Base Your Leadership Success on a Great ModelInsight #7: “I Do Solemnly Swear to Support and Defend”—Do You Pass the Buck or Accept the Blame?Insight #8: Of Generals and Admirals—Work Incessantly to Achieve Leadership MasteryInsight #9: Win the War! Create and Implement Your Campaign StrategyInsight #10: Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)—Sense the Competitive EnvironmentInsight #11: Stirrups, Airplanes, and Radios—You Must Deal With ChangeInsight #12: Power from the Edge—Leverage the Field for InnovationInsight #13: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”—The Absolute Importance of Strong Functioning RelationshipsInsight #14: Successfully Navigate Your Political Force FieldInsight #15: Appreciate Your Friends, Allies, and Coalitions—Strengthening Your Power BaseInsight #16: Getting What You Need—Using Your Power Base for Influence and Leverage to Get Things DoneInsight #17: “To End a War”—Negotiating Your Way to SuccessInsight #18: Peacetime and Wartime Decision Making—Having the Courage to Make Decisions That CountInsight #19: “Life is Tough, But It’s Tougher if You’re Stupid”—How to Work the Wicked ProblemsInsight #20: Attack in Any Direction—How to Deal with the Pressures of LeadershipInsight #21: Open the Aperture to Gain PerspectiveInsight #22: Trusted Advisors and Mentors—The Importance of High-Quality AdviceInsight #23: Losing a Battle, But Not the War—Learning from FailureInsight #24: “Twelve ‘O Clock High”—Rebuilding Distressed OrganizationsInsight #25: Communicate like Churchill—Inspire Through AuthenticityInsight #26: “Under the Oak Tree Counseling”—Build Trust with Your PeopleInsight #27: “Dear Mrs. Ryan”—The Power of Empathic CommunicationInsight #28: “Bad News Doesn’t Get Better With Time”—Delivering Bad NewsInsight #29: Commander’s Intent—Empowering Your People to Adapt and ActInsight #30: “Everything in War Is Simple, but the Simplest Thing Is Difficult”—No Hassle Time ManagementInsight #31: The Stand-Up—How to Run Great MeetingsInsight #32: “Adapt, Improvise, Overcome”—Coaching Your TeamInsight #33: “The Snowstorm Has Stopped”—Ask Powerful QuestionsInsight #34: Spartans at Thermopylae—Inculcating Esprit de CorpsInsight #35: “Giving Your Best Military Advice”—Managing Your BossInsight #36: “Airman Lateer”—Leading from BelowInsight #37: Building Future Leaders—Succession PlanningInsight #38: Making Rank—Moving Up in Your CareerInsight #39: Achieving Warrior ResilienceInsight #40: Get Your PT In—Take Care of YourselfInsight #41: Be Family Strong—Take Care of Your FamilyInsight #42: We Appreciate You—Serving Your CommunityInsight #43: Setting the Conditions for Your People to Perform—Your Role in MotivationInsight #44: Celebrate Your Victories, Large and SmallInsight #45: Earning Medals and Winning Awards—Tell Your People You Love ThemInsight #46: Cultivate Humility in ServiceInsight #47: Working for Napoleon—How Deal With Negative LeadershipInsight #48: Dealing with TragedyInsight #49: Commanding the Room--Leading with PresenceInsight #50: Commit to Reflection, Growth, and Renewal as a Heroic Leader