From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
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I started this site in 2013 as a personal blog to add my thoughts to a growing global professional discussion on leadership and war. Since then, From The Green Notebook has grown to include several guest authors ranging from First Lieutenant to Three Star General with many of the articles featured in professional publications.
From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
4d ago
Lieutenant General Christopher Donahue returns to the show to continue his previous conversation with Joe on culture and leadership. In this episode, they discuss:
What LTG Donahue has learned since his last appearance on the podcast
How the culture of the 82nd Airborne Division held up during the evacuation of Afghanistan
Four reasons leaders need to focus on physical fitness
The importance of innovation in today’s Army
What LTG Donahue is reading right now
Tips for successful communication
Click here to listen to the episode
Meet Lieutenant General Donahue
Lieutenant General Chr ..read more
From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
1w ago
By Tom Sujack
Smoke and I agreed the platoon should practice one more hip shoot before chow. We would start platoon qualifications early the next morning, so this would be our last chance to get this normally chaotic evolution right. When the fire direction officer called “fire mission” over the net, I without hesitation told Smoke to drive to the first open field that I could see down the road. However, we had not used that area as a firing point before and were unaware that forestry had recently clear-cut the field, leaving it covered in ankle-deep root holes.
Though we were successfu ..read more
From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
1w ago
by Dr. Yasmine L. Kalkstein and Brian Gerardi
My (Yasmine’s) early experiences as a leader, despite effort and good intentions, were fraught with failure. One problem I ran up against were complaints about my lack of communication.
My subordinates would provide me with feedback like: “We didn’t understand how you were making your decisions.” “Why are we focusing on this?” Or “What is the point of this meeting?”
This took me by surprise, because, if there’s one thing I am, it’s transparent—or so I thought. Every question, concern, doubt, and humorous thought (unfortunately) echoes on my ..read more
From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
1w ago
by Cindy M. Lopez
As you senior Cadets approach Commissioning, I hope that you are all as excited as I am for you. As a Non-Commissioned Officer, I do have a few requests from you.
When I first pinned the rank of Sergeant (SGT), I had only been in the Army for a little over 2 years. My First Sergeant (1SG) said to me, “You are now a Junior Non-Commissioned Officer. Some of your Soldiers were once your battle buddies, but now you are their NCO and leader. Do not get complacent with them. Allow them to help you help them succeed. It is their choice; you are just here to help and mentor th ..read more
From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
1w ago
By Ryan Kranc and Megan Jantos
Editor’s note: This piece is published to coincide with Army Leader Exchange’s second annual #MarchMasters competition. Click here to vote for From the Green Notebook or other leader development content creators.
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It’s an understatement to say that the use of sports analogies in the Army is common when teaching leadership lessons. As the NCAA’s March Madness Basketball Tournament approaches, it seems especially timely to look to books like Phil Jackson’s new autobiography Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success for tips about how to improve our leadership skill ..read more
From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
2w ago
by Todd Schmidt
How many times throughout your career has someone told you to not reinvent the wheel?
Scientists estimate that the wheel has been around since about 3500 BC. Originally used for manufacturing pottery, milling, irrigation, and children’s toys, someone figured out that it would be great for hauling (the wheelbarrow). Then someone else figured out that the wheel could be used for transportation (the chariot). From solid wheels, carved from stone and wood, to spoked, metal-rimmed wheels, to the basic pneumatic technology we see in use today, the simple machine of wheel and a ..read more
From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
2w ago
by Joey Williams
Relationships are vital to developing the mutual trust demanded by the Army’s mission command philosophy. To build mutual trust leaders must understand themselves and others around them. The Army has introduced personality assessments for professional development, recognizing its importance. The Center for Army Leadership’s Athena provides survey fact sheets, self-help frameworks, videos, and articles.
However, many leaders do not have low-stakes tools to quickly assess themselves in the context of their relationships. This article introduces the Preferred Style A ..read more
From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
2w ago
he 41st Chief of Staff of the Army, General Randy A. George makes his first appearance on the podcast for a great discussion about leadership, his vision, and the lessons he’s learned over the course of his four-decade career. General George and Joe cover a lot of ground in this episode, discussing topics including:
Encouraging professional discourse
Why leaders need to ask questions
The training management program that’s in the Chief’s crosshairs
Why great leaders are great editors
What transforming in contact looks like
How General George recharges his batteries after a long day
The import ..read more
From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
3w ago
by Ben Phocas
Writing for a military publication may seem like a daunting or unattainable goal for a novice writer. Stereotypes about military writing–and writers in general–abound. They only reinforce tentative writers’ reservations about putting their experiences and knowledge into words.
Few of these stereotypes are true. Military writing can be, is, and should be a collective experience by and for servicemembers of all stripes, for the benefit of others and stewardship of the profession. There is no benchmark to entry. No minimum number of combat deployments, commands held, or gradu ..read more
From the Green Notebook | My thoughts on war, warfare, and leadership
3w ago
by Cherian Zachariah
Beowulf spoke and made a formal boast for the last time: “I risked my life often when I was young; now I am old. As king of the people, I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning, if the evil one will abandon his fort and face me in the open.”
Then he addressed his companions one final time – those fighters in their helmets and high-born: “I would not use a weapon if I knew another way to grapple with the dragon and make good my boast against Grendel in days gone by.
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I read ‘Beowulf’ in school. More accurately, I was forced to read ‘Beowulf’ in school. It’s been ..read more