Remembering our Fallen Heroes

Friends,

I trust that this posting will find all of you doing well and hopefully enjoying the Memorial Day weekend. This holiday is about remembering -- the sacrifices of the few for the many, our fallen heroes, and those who have paid the ultimates cost in defense of our freedoms. In between the Barbecues, parades, and auto races, I hope that we will remember the true meaning behind this holiday.

On May 5, 1866, the village of Waterloo, New York was decorated with flags at half mast, draped with evergreens and mourning black to praise the living Union veterans of the Civil War and to remember the patriotic dead. Veterans, civic societies, and residents, led by General John B. Murray, marched to the village cemeteries and placed flowers on the graves of those who gave their lives during the war. Thus began the first Memorial Day observance.

Benjamin Harrison, our 23rd President who served during the Civil War as a Brigadier General of the Tenth Corps of the Army of the Cumberland stated, "I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day. I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it. We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did."

Today is a day to remember not only those who died but also how they lived and what they lived for.

Having spent last week in Afghanistan, I certainly have recent memories of our warriors and all they are doing in defense of freedom. They are taking on a very difficult mission, in extremely complex terrain and environmental conditions, and are truly making a difference. They are proud of their accomplishments, confident in themselves and their leaders, and ready to do whatever it takes to finish the job. We have much to be thankful for that young men and women are willing to put their lives on hold, to leave their families and personal aspirations behind, and to sacrifice so much for the Afghan people and for all peace-loving people. God bless them all and their mission.

While I have much more to report on my quick trip to Afghanistan and my pending deployment in about a month, and all of the leadership implications of both, I think the focus today should be in how we honor -- and remember -- those who have given so much. That's Leader Business. Hooah!

Battle Rhythm

People like predictability. They like to have routine meetings at the same time during the day or week. They like to exchange routine information in standardized ways. They like to know their expectations for where and when they need to be for certain activities.

This is what we call battle rhythm. Every good organization has certain regular patterns. Staff meetings are at 9:00 on Tuesdays. Quick huddles are every morning at the beginning of the day. Subordinates submit standard reports every Friday on the week's activities. Football teams establish this sort of standard practice week before Saturday games. Teachers / construction workers / policemen know and understand the flow of the week and what they must do as a part of each of the mandatory activities. This is the framework in which we fit everything else we must do.

While our respective battle rhythms may differ greatly, their importance is something we all share. It helps supervisors structure their week. They can fit information requirements around scheduled meetings (instead of pestering people for things they should be getting as part of the routine). Subordinates know their expectations for presence, participation, and information.

I guess as I get ready to board a plane and head to Afghanistan for a one week visit with my future unit, this is something I am really interested in learning. I'd like to get a feel for a normal day / week / month / quarter. I will be looking for information on meetings, reporting requirements, how I will receive and transmit key elements of data, etc. While I won't know everything when I come back in a few days, I will be much more comfortable with what normal looks like. At least as normal as Afghanistan can look!

I also know that one of the more important issues we can influence as leaders is...the battle rhythm. Information flow should be additive and bring value to each other -- not data for the sake of data! Meetings should take place routinely, as infrequently as possible, and help all attendees do their job more effectively (not just the boss). Establishing a standard, logical battle rhythm will make everyone more confident in what they are doing and more comfortable with how we operate as leaders.

I have tons of questions. But you can be sure I will come back with a good understanding of battle rhythm. I will let you know how it goes. That's...Leader Business.

Un-confuse the Chaos

Have you seen this slide? No doubt some well intentioned military staff officer, likely one operating at an oxygen-deficit, came up with this slide to attempt to describe operations in Afghanistan. It's a beauty, isn't it? Does it look like your own vision slide? How about your project delivery process, customer relation model, or org chart? My head hurts!

Listen, warfare is chaotic enough. I'm not sure whose idea it was to try to reduce it down to a single PowerPoint slide. No doubt someone thought this would turn on light bulbs and provide an understanding of how victory would be achieved for the forces in Afghanistan. Really?

I loved the comment from the military brass when they saw this slide. The sentiment was that when they understood this slide, they would have no difficulty winning the war. You got it, General. No war was ever won with sexy visual aids. And no vision has ever been achieved without leaders who can clearly articulate what they are doing and why. This ain't it! Send that trooper back to the drawing board...literally. And let's find a way to keep it simple.

When it comes to vision, the leader's job is to create order out of chaos, to "un-confuse" the situation, to help people see clearly how victory will be won. Yet, sometimes I think people no more understand what we are putting forward as our grand strategies than the great warriors in Afghanistan got where this slide was taking them. Whether it is in combat, health care, or the execution of whatever project we are working on, we need to devise simpler strategies and communicate them in more straightforward ways.

We can do better. I DO like the idea of putting our strategies on paper. My team will tell you that I love to pick up the markers and head to the whiteboard. But when we do, it must make things more clear, not less. Let's agree to these points when it comes to creating and communicating through visual aids:

-- Sketch out your vision, ideas, or master plans on paper or a dry erase board. If you can't do it...don't think it will make more sense when you try to digitize your ideas.

-- Make sure visuals are clean, simple, and easily understood. Check with those whose job it is to implement your plans. If they don't get it...your visuals probably don't add value.

-- Everything doesn't lend itself to PowerPoint! Why not try writing out a few paragraphs or putting together a white paper for more complicated issues? What did we ever do before Bill Gates?

-- If things look this complicated on paper, they probably are even worse on the ground. Most of us mice will not be able to navigate this sort of maze to find the cheese!

Look...many of our strategies and processes are confusing enough. Let's not add to the chaos with crazy slides, multiple arrows, and infinitesimal details. Slides like this produce a different kind of "vision" -- blurred! Find a way to help people see straight and "un-confuse" the situation. That's Leader Business.

Update: Friends...I know I have been delinquent in updating this forum. As many of you know, I am working hard to finish up on Leader Business, the book. I'm almost there. If you have the time, energy, or the intellectual curiosity...drop me a note and I will send you a brief excerpt so you can see where I am going. It is a rough draft, but you will get the idea. I'd love your feedback!

Attention on Deck!

If you are not one of the millions that have watched this YouTube clip of some "troopers" in Afghanistan with too much time on their hands, have a laugh and check it out.

Great article in this month's Fast Company on Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Admiral Mike Mullen. I can certainly appreciate the pace of his day, his passion for open and transparent communication, and his thoughts on economic security and the relation to national security. While he does not actually command US Forces, his role as "Chief Strategy Officer" and the fact that he has the President's ear, makes his role vitally important. I like his thoughts on information management and situational awareness, leading during a time of change (what he calls "operating at the speed of war"), and the use of new media (he's on Facebook and Twitter) to get his message out.

Vanity Fair has a very interesting story on General David Petraeus. You can learn more about the man who crafted the surge plan in Iraq and is currently leading the efforts in Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East as the Commander of US Central Command.

Interesting story on MSNBC about Army Captain Casey Thoreen, the "King of Maiwand" District. Very difficult decisions that this 30-year old, West Point graduate has to make in order to empower the local leadership in his area of Afghanistan. The term we often use is "Strategic Corporal." People with relatively low ranks making decisions with enormous impact, in this case with strategic implications.

Great stuff. Also, you may want to check out Dan McCarthy's latest collection of leadership stories in the May Leadership Development Carnival.

Four more chapters to go on the book. Thanks to those of you for your help and encouragement. Pushing hard to get this project finished.

Looking forward to the chance to speak to the Orange County Leadership Academy this week. This great group of professionals always inspires me to be a better leader. Hooah!