A Salute to a Striver

The LA Times had an inspirational story about young Tyki Nelworth, a senior at Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles. The 18-year old has gotten into the college of his choice, due mostly to his diligence as a student (4.23 gpa), dedication to his teammates (he is captain of the football team, plays baseball, and runs track), and discipline as a rapidly maturing young man (he is president of the student body).

Tyki was born a crack baby. On the streets of south LA, he could easily have given up and made excuses for his life. He has bounced between family members. His father died when he was in the 7th grade and his mother has been in and out of trouble to include a stint in prison on drug charges. This kid had everything stacked against him.

But he never gave up. He dedicated himself to his studies and became a man. He overcame his past and focused on his future. Says Tyki, "I always use past experiences as a motivation...not as an excuse not to do something."

Humbling, isn't it. Many times we do use our past experiences as excuses. Our communities are filled with people who blame their parents, their circumstances, their bad luck, and everyone but themselves for their shortcomings. Maybe it is time that we too use these as motivation.

I have no doubt that this kid will go far. He is an inspration to many, especially in a community that needs role models who demonstrate that anything is possible to those who strive for excellence and never give up on their dreams.

Oh...and the college Tyki will attend in the fall? West Point! Hooah! That's Leader Business.

What do we do now, sir?

Former Army Captain Craig Mullaney has written a thoughtful discussion of leadership in "The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education." A West Point graduate, Army Ranger, and Rhodes Scholar, Mullaney talks about what it means to be a "warrior" and to become a man in the chaos of battle.

This brief video from the Washington Post video series, On Leadership (which is starting to become one of my favorite sites for inspiration and insights on leadership) helps describe the difficulties of life as a small unit leader, in Mullaney's case the frontier lands between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

I like the discussion in the video about the fact that people are counting on us to make decisions, to sort through the fog of war and get people moving. While we should hope that the question, "What do we do now, sir?" is not addressed to us when bullets are flying all around, it is what we need to be prepared to answer when we say yes to leadership. In times of chaos, people look to their leader. We need to be ready.

I liked some of Mullaney's other comments in this brief discussion of leadership:

-- Never quit.
-- Regroup and get people focused on the mission.
-- People are counting on us -- in good times and in bad.
-- It's not about us.

I'm guessing that the praises for Mullaney's book are indicative of this compelling brand of leadership. It is probably worth a read. Our own troops would probably be the beneficiaries. That makes it Leader Business.

Leader Business Update

Friends,

Can I update you on some of the various comings and goings of the Leader Business blog and your trusty scribe?

-- The good folks over at HR Bartender included me in this month's Leadership Development Carnival (Anniversary Edition). I'm there under the group of bloggers who have been at it for 3 years. Thanks to my friend, Steve Harper, for helping me find this voice!

-- Since I am not a big time blogger (sorry to let some of you down -- ha!), I never take any of you for granted at this site. I am honored for the 18,000+ hits to the blog, the 115 of you who follow in Blogger, Google Reader, or Feedblitz. And I am especially honored when you forward the blog along to your friends and hope that you will encourage them to join our discussion and sign up to follow through one of these means.

-- While I am definitely NOT in the big time, I was fired up to learn that I am #141 on the list of top 150 management and leadership blogs over at Noop.NL. While I am not challenging Tim Ferris, Tony Robbins, or Tom Peters for guru-status (yet!), I hope this means we are connecting! Thanks to each of you for helping contributing to this ranking!

-- I am about 70% of the way through the writing of Leader Business -- the book. Man this is hard work. My hat is off to any of you who have completed such a task. I am not worthy!

-- Finally, I am about three months away from deployment to Afghanistan. Thus the pressure to finish the book (and wrap up a ton of initiatives in my job before I go). We'll see if I can do it! While I know this will be a major change of lifestyle from beautiful Southern California, I still hope to stay connected through this site. What better place than Afghanistan to examine the business of leaders!!!

That's my update. Thanks to each of you for being my friend and inspiring me on my leadership journey! More leadership info soon. In the interim, thanks!!! That's Leader Business!

"Auftragstaktik"

Have you heard this term before -- “Auftragstaktik?” It sure is fun to say. Give it a try -- it is a mouthful! While you may not know the word (unless, of course, you are a student of German Army tactics), you are no doubt familiar with the concept. At least you should be.

Auftragstaktik is the German expression for “mission-oriented command.” It relies upon decentralized leadership and is the basis for decision-making at the lowest possible level, where the knowledge of the situation is always best.

Auftragstaktik requires a leader’s belief in a subordinate's ability to creatively solve problems without always having to approve every decision or explicitly direct each step. Key elements of this approach to leadership include:

-- Mutual trust among teammates based on each person's intimate personal knowledge of the capabilities of the others.
-- Repetitive training to reinforce confidence in the decision making capabilities of each other.
-- A willingness to act on the part of all leaders and...all followers.
-- Simple, sound fundamentals (policies, procedures, etc.).

-- Regular use of mission orders.

Key to this empowering approach to leadership is the use of these mission orders. If it is creative solutions that we seek, then we need to unleash people to join in the problem solving process. Leaders must avoid telling everyone how to address every assigned task. We don't always have to be the "smartest person in the room!"

Using mission orders, leaders focus on defining the problem to be solved and the parameters or criteria that they want in a solution. Focus on the why and the what – empower others to determine the how.

Taking the mission order approach for even the simplest tasks will develop the muscle density necessary for application to more challenging problems. That's the repetitive training piece. Empowering people to make decisions, trusting that they will do the right thing, accepting some failure in order to learn and grow -- that's the rest of this German Army leadership philosophy.

Lest we think this is some secret tactic that died with the Wehrmacht back in WWII, know that the US Army definitely embraces this leadership philosophy of Auftragstaktik. It is the basis for decentralized decision making. It is also what makes success possible with many sports teams, businesses, government agencies, and non-profits groups. So let's give it a more common English term. Let's call it...Leader Business.