By Jacob Loftice The best training guidance I have received is “be able to do the things you say you can do.” Having the capability to execute your assigned mission is central to a unit’s readiness. It can be tempting to treat aspirations as facts and oversell your unit’s capabilities. However, units that do this ultimately do themselves a disservice, missing opportunities to build and maintain true readiness. In an environment with ever-increasing demands on resources, finding training opportunities is critical.  The following discussion shares my former unit’s approach to building capa ..read more

by Reed Markham Have you ever felt that the more you teach your Soldiers with words the less they get it? Or even listen? I have witnessed brilliant and experienced leaders struggle to train their teams over the years, and wrestled with the same. It is hard to raise the entire group’s performance instead of just the talented and hardworking, without devoting excessive time, ammo, and energy, to the problem. My concern about this challenge grew as our unit approached its major training event – platoon live fires. However, there was a time in th ..read more

By Joe Byerly In August of 2013, I hesitantly posted my first blog post on From the Green Notebook. I remember the moments after I hit the publish button – nothing happened. I’m not exactly sure what I expected, but in my young and naive mind, I believed that my musings would automatically go viral simply because I posted them on the internet. However, that wasn’t the case. Nobody showed up. After staring at the statistic that showed “0 views” for some time, I slid into the DMs of Steve Leonard (aka Doctrine Man) and asked him to share my post if he thought it was good. He graciously shared ..read more

by Jakob Hutter Reinventing the wheel is often discouraged. But COL Schmidt, the Director of Army University Press at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, argues it’s crucial for leaders to make impactful decisions and drive meaningful change in their organizations.  COL Schmidt’s insights align with the Army’s emphasis on knowledge management (KM), aimed at improving efficiency and information retention within an organization. KM, outlined in ATP 6-01.1, aligns people, processes, tools, and organization to enhance shared understanding and mission success. It encompasses fostering a culture of know ..read more

By Dan Sukman  If you want to go somewhere fast, go by yourself. If you want to go far, go together. – Glen Sather  Sports often serve as a metaphor, and in many cases as a testing ground for real life. There are lessons we learn playing youth sports that we carry into adulthood that serve us well in our careers. Traits such as hard work, discipline, physical fitness, fair play, and teamwork apply not only to sports but in our roles as military leaders. While participation as an athlete can build these qualities, the mantle of coaching carries its own set of skills.  Following ..read more

By Stein Thorbeck I want to tell you a story to make you better at supporting people in pain. I was glad to be there when it happened, despite the difficulty. Further, I was thankful to know something about struggle. My experience with depression in my youth connected me to what I was seeing. These kinds of stories are hard to write about and even harder to share, but they must be told. If only to better equip those looking to help when hope disappears. When I was a tactical (TAC) officer at West Point, there was a particular cadet. A feeler like I am. As feelers, we are left wanting in words ..read more

Dr. Michael Norton joins Joe to discuss his new book, The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions.  In this episode, Joe and Dr. Norton explore the hidden power of rituals in our daily lives. Highlights from this episode include: Understanding the powerful impact of rituals  The difference between a habit and a ritual How to find and examine our own personal rituals  The role of rituals in transitions (becoming a leader, returning from combat, retiring from the military) How rituals can improve our performance and help us ..read more

by Michael Everett Relax. Be where your feet are. Be yourself. Learn how to Army. Read, write, learn. Own being the leader of your platoon. You are about to be handed the keys to a platoon and officially begin your time as a platoon leader (PL)–the position you have been talking about, learning about, dreaming about for years (and will talk about for years to come). It does not matter the route you took to get here. What does matter is that you are about to embark on a formative and rewarding journey. And as a Company Commander, I have a few things I want to share with you so that you can enj ..read more

by T.G. Bradbeer In his classic work, On War, Clausewitz describes the concept of Coup d’oeil as “an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmering of the inner light which leads to truth.” This ‘inward eye’ refers to the ability of an individual to make sense of what is taking place around them, and which enables them to make a good decision based on an evaluation of time and space, faster than their opponents. Clausewitz concluded that coup d’oeil was an innate ability that distinguished brilliant battlefield commanders.  However, the ‘inward eye’ might also be a met ..read more

Photo by Stephen Dawson on Unsplash by Justine Meberg As the Army shifts focus from asymmetric to peer threats, modernization involves significant change. New hardware and software will gather and process increasingly more information across a vast battlespace. Yet, as we integrate new technologies into our units, our formations will get smaller. These dual imperatives—first, become a high tech, modernized force, and second, make it happen with fewer people—require that leaders cultivate the skills needed to do more with less.  These changes demand data literacy. You can find a few defini ..read more