Military

7 leadership lessons from Navy SEALs

August 13, 2010

Keith Cowing, a software entrepreneur who has worked for Goldman Sachs and Lockheed Martin, respects the discipline, tenacity and elite performance of Navy SEALs and believes we can learn a lot from them. Here are seven lessons from the SEALs, whom Cowing notes are able to unleash military firepower on groups 10 times their size:

A word to the wise on enforcing rules

June 14, 2010

Part of being a leader is the ability to sort the important from the unimportant. Case in point: U.S. Army generals’ tolerance of Harvey Gough, a colorful Texan whose patriotism and generosity are exceeded only by his tendency to flout the rules.

How indecision killed the troops

May 14, 2010

All along, Gen. Ambrose Burnside had supported an unorthodox plan: Dig a long tunnel, load it with dynamite and blow a hole in the Confederate lines defending Petersburg, Va., a vital rail hub. But a last-minute change from above threw Burnside into a funk, and he made a leadership error that cost the Union a speedy end to the Civil War and relieved Burnside of his command.

Why it was easy to like Ike

December 11, 2009

What made Dwight D. Eisenhower—who led the Allies to victory in World War II and won election as U.S. president in two landslides—such an inspirational leader? Former Eisenhower speechwriter James Humes tells this story:

Ulysses S. Grant picked his battles

December 12, 2008

Even in his youth, Ulysses S. Grant picked his battles. Arriving at West Point to study, he decided against arguing with the adjutant about his own name (actually Hiram Ulysses) and accepted the name given to him in a mix-up, realizing it would serve him better than the initials H.U.G.