The Sabbatical is...Over!

Friends,

Well, the excuses are over. I can’t account for my negligence in writing any longer by saying, “I’m busy running a multi-billion dollar construction company” or that, “I’m busy fighting the Taliban.” My year in Afghanistan is complete and...I’m back! My little sabbatical is over! I’ve got a head-full of ideas, concepts, and data points that I can’t wait to share. It’s time to write. I am embarrassed to see that my last blog posting was….uhhhh….January 1st. Well, let’s change that right now!

I will use this first posting to update you all on several things before I start writing again. And yes, this shameless update will NOT be the last you hear from me for the NEXT 6 months! I promise!!!

So, about me. I am back from Afghanistan after the most amazing 12 months of my life. I lived the dream, running a multi-billion dollar construction company in combat conditions, where every decision, every single day, truly mattered. As strange as that might sound, it was the thrill of a lifetime and I would not have missed it for anything!

Now that I am back, it is time to work on some projects. First, I want to spend some time getting the word out about my book, Leader Business. This “best-seller” is a good read and (I hope!) worth your time understanding the cross-over appeal between the military which I have served for 26+ years and the rest of the world in which we ALL live! Would you consider picking up a copy HERE if you have not already? In fact, if you will simply email me and tell me you want a signed copy of Leader Business, I’m prepared to do so!

I am also working on speaking to a number of groups about the Business of Leaders. If I can come speak to your group, as I have booked engagements for a dozen (+) groups already, would you drop me a note and let me know of your interest? The working title of my presentation, "3 Cups of Tea, 2 Bags of Cement, and a Truckload of Leadership" highlights the mix of leadership lessons and great lessons from building in Afghanistan that I can't wait to share!

We have a lot of catching up to do. I’d like to talk to you about things like how we developed a strategic plan for a multi-billion dollar company; how we aligned people, processes, systems, and our communications with that strategy; how we executed to meet the ever-evolving demands from our customer and from the environment in which we operated; and how we conducted After Actions Reviews (AARs) to ensure that learning could be factored into subsequent plans to get continuous improvement. That is the “Leader Business Cycle” and something that I found to be the basic framework for how I approached my time during deployment to Afghanistan. It continues to be a good reference for me. I hope you agree.

So, for a preview, here are some of the upcoming topics you can find on these pages:

-- More on the Drumbeat. How to communicate a vision.
-- Metrics and why they matter?
-- Creating a sense of urgency in your organization.
-- Strategic planning in a combat environment.
-- Finding balance in a 24/7 environment.
-- Energy and why it matters to those we lead.
-- Stratcoms (Strategic communications).
-- Continuous learning when the stakes matter most

Well friends, I am looking forward to re-starting our dialogue. Despite my time away, I could not be more excited about the opportunities we have to re-connect. As I turn on my TV and see what is happening in our world, I am certainly aware of the lack of leadership in so many sectors of our world, especially right here in the United States. Is there something I can offer to help? Who knows. Let’s just open a discussion. You tell me when you’ve heard enough. I’m happy to be back! This is Leader Business! Hooah!

PS. Just so you know I am serious about writing again, I am finishing up this blog as I sit on the porch early morning...in Maui. The picture at the top is from last night's sunset from the beautiful Hula Grill. Nice!! Yes, a little post-deployment R&R! I'm not sure I'll ever leave this place but...I DO have a good internet connection! :)

Leader Business Update

Many of you have written me to give feedback on the Leader Business book and to ask how sales are going. On the former, I thank you for your thoughts and am humbled each time I hear about one person who is applying even a single thing from the book to their own leadership journey. Oh…and I know about the typo on page 12. Haha!

As to the latter, sales are going pretty good…considering. Considering that I am my own marketing team. Considering that my marketing team is in Afghanistan. And considering that my marketing strategy currently consists only of asking my friends to dish out $20 or so for a copy. Considering all of this…sales are going pretty good!

***Shameless plug. Could I ask you to help join my marketing team and perhaps broaden the outreach for the book? Is there anyone you know who might benefit from a discussion of leadership based on how we do it in the military, and who really needs a copy of the book? Is there a group to whom I might speak (so far I’ve done two video presentations and one SKYPE discussion from my “hooch” here in Kabul), sharing some of the lessons in the book and how what we are doing over here continues to validate the philosophies that I wrote about in Leader Business? Would you consider an investment in your own team, perhaps with a bulk order for the holidays? (I have even autographed a dozen or so for one group to give out as gifts to guest speakers! I am happy to help and humbled to contribute in any way I can!). Perhaps you have a leader development program that might benefit from reviewing this book together and answering the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. End of the shameless plug. Haha!***

As for me, in my last two blog posts, I have written about Decision Points (Deciding to decide) and our STOP DOING lists (things we must terminate, defer, or decline in order to maintain focus on our priorities). Both of these have come together in my professional life as I have DECIDED to transition out of the Army! Yes, at the completion of this duty assignment here in Afghanistan, and after 26 years in the Army, I suppose I am ready to move on to something else. I think it's time to do something different…and look forward to the challenge.

But for now, I have 8 months remaining on my tour of duty…and a whole bunch of MISSION in front of me. I work with a great group of people here in Afghanistan and have a job I can only dream about (When will I next get to be the CEO of a $5B construction company?). The challenges are enormous but I am reminded every day – THAT’S WHY THEY NEED ME! If you are on facebook, check out our page and some of the videos about our experiences over here in Afghanistan: Afghanistan Engineer District - North.

I am learning daily the importance of leadership and reminded that the timeless principles that I wrote about in Leader Business really do work. But, I also know I have to do more than write about them, or give motivational speeches to help people believe in them. I have to live them every day. Leadership is not what we say (or write). It is what we DO. Sometimes I do a really good job at it. Sometimes…I goof things up. But I’m giving it my best, learning from each experience, and getting better every day.

That’s what I wrote about in the book. That’s what successful leaders everywhere do. And that’s what I call…Leader Business! Hooah!

(Another) Leader Business Update

Dear Friends,

Happy Belated 4th of July and Happy 234th Birthday to the US of A. Periodically, it is probably good if I can take a few moments to update you on some current and ongoing issues. This post is one of those occasions. There is so much to talk about so…where to begin???

As most of you know, I am in the middle of a major transition. Boy…does change ever suck! I gave up the reins of leadership of the Los Angeles District of the Army Corps of Engineers on July 1st. (The picture at the top of this post is from the formal Change of Command ceremony. What a sendoff this fireboat in the Port of Los Angeles gave us!) What a great team we had there. I was fortunate to be a part of a great organization, with great people, wonderful partners, and a fantastic, $1B+ mission. Never again will I likely have it as good as I did there – CEO for a company with that size and scope…and in a great place to do what I suppose qualifies as work. For the last 3 years, it felt like anything but that! :)

I am now off to Afghanistan, where I will lead another Army Corps of Engineers District. The Corps has divided responsibilities there into two districts, essentially split in half between North and South, and I will have the Northern District. Headquartered in Kabul and with offices throughout my Area of Responsibility, I will have the great opportunity to command a $2B+ organization for the next year. It is a daunting mission but I have confidence in the great team over there that we can get it done. I take command over there on July 8th. No rest for the weary!

I know many of you are interested in what I will be doing. The Army Corps is primarily doing the large construction projects – both for our own military requirements (command headquarters, airfields, etc.) and for the Afghan Security Forces (Army barracks, Police Stations, training facilities, etc.). We also have a growing portfolio of civil infrastructure projects (electricity, roads, and water resources) that we are doing in support of other government agencies. My team, consisting of military and civilians, is responsible for contracting with capable construction firms, most of them local, and overseeing their work. We also do designs, real estate acquisitions, and project / program management. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? The scope of the mission (again, $2B+ this fiscal year and next) is truly humbling. But it is a big part of how we will be successful in our overall mission and we need to be successful.

And so, I leave one great team and join another. For those of you who have changed jobs lately, you know the emotions, stress, and anxiety that goes with this sort of transition. It’s now time to take my own advice. As the leader, my new team will be counting on me – from day one! I need to listen to my new teammates, identify priorities, and keep the train moving despite the turmoil at the top. I need to look for gaps and fill them. I need to assess our strengths and weaknesses, meet our customers and my superiors, and acknowledge their ideas, issues, and requirements. I need to meet my employees and let them articulate their piece of the mission. I need to understand the culture – within my team and in Afghanistan – and learn how I can shape the former while being respectful of the latter.

It won’t take long. Working in a 24/7 environment will make an expert out of anyone pretty quickly. And, having been through a number of transitions, I know I am up for the task. The team is solid. It’s up to me to join them, to minimize turmoil so they can do their jobs, and to get up to speed as quickly as possible. I know I am prepared and I am confident that I can do the job.

So…now you will understand my next 365 days through this basic framework. I will keep you posted throughout. It is my hope that I can document my journey and, more important, look for leadership threads that I can share with all of you. Given that many of you are likely in transition yourselves, I suspect the lessons of the next few weeks will be worth discussing. Remember, the point of a blog is to generate dialogue so, if I hit on something that stimulates your own thoughts and ideas, please share them with me…and the Leader Business community!

Just a few final things worth sharing with all of you:

-- The book (Leader Business) is finished and off to the printers. It should be available in a few weeks. It will be available through the web and I will alert you to the site. You can see the cover in the top right of this website. If it was true that you could judge a book by its cover, then this project will be a home run! I love the way the cover turned out and believe it does a great job of capturing the premise of the book – the passing of leadership lessons from the military to other settings and the opportunity for each community to learn from the other. For those of you who enjoy the ideas and issues we explore on these pages, you should appreciate the deeper journey we take in the book. I think it will be a good opportunity to dialogue with your co-workers about what leaders DO. It will serve as a great introduction to the fundamentals of leadership and the broad range of responsibilities for new and emerging leaders, mid-level managers, and anyone with the desire to improve as a leader. I sure hope you like it (or know someone who might need it!).

-- The Leader Business blog was recently recognized as one of the Top 40 leadership blogs by the On-line MBA web site. Yea!! Visit the full list here. While I will keep working to be #1, I am happy to be #18 and know that all of the blogs on the list are full of wisdom and insight!

-- My last posting, on the firing of General McChrystal and the need for all of us to examine whether we have similar challenges in complaining aloud about our superiors, was selected to be a part of this month’s Leadership Carnival. Thanks as always to Dan McCarthy for the great collection of leadership and management issues that he collects at this site! Little wonder he is #1. For now!! Ha!

Finally friends, would you stay connected with me during this journey? I can honestly say that I know I need you more than you need whatever wisdom I might share through this blog. I know it will be an interesting next 12 months. I will do what I can to share some of it with you. In return, can I ask for your thoughts and prayers? An occasional note, or a post on the blog that lets me know you are out there, or share your thoughts on a particular issue, might just benefit both of us! Ask your friends to join us and let’s make this an on-line community that explores issues of leadership…and life!

Thanks to each of you for your time and your friendship. I don’t take either of them for granted. That’s Leader Business.

I’m also on Facebook (great for posting pictures!), LinkedIn, and Twitter (LeaderBusiness) if you want to be my “friend” there! I hope you will! Thank you! :)