subtitled “The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters,” Beyond Band of Brothers is Maj. Winters’ perspective on events chronicled by Stephen Ambrose in Band of Brothers. It’s an easy and quick read but one that further impressed me with Winters as a person.
He offers ten principles for success for small unit leader “Leadership at the Point of a Bayonet”
- Strive to be a leader of character, competence, and courage.
- Lead from the front. Say, “Follow me!” and then lead the way.
- Stay in top physical shape–physical stamina is the root of mental toughness.
- Develop your team. If you know your people, are fair in setting realistic goals and expectations, and lead by example, you will develop teamwork.
- Delegate responsibility to your subordinates and let them do their jobs. You can’t do a good job if you don’t have a chance to use your imagination or your creativity.
- Anticipate problems and prepare to overcome obstacles. Don’t wait until you get to the top of the ridge and then make up your mind.
- Remain humble. Don’t worry about who receives the credit. Never let power or authority go to your head.
- Take a moment of self-reflection. Look at yourself in the mirror every night and ask yourself if you did your best.
- True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. The key to a successful leader is to earn respect–not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character.
- Hang Tough! – Never, ever, give up.
It’s a quick read but an amazing autobiography for what he and his unit accomplished. His principles are useful because they are the ones to focus on if you can remain “cool under fire.” As Rudyard Kipling noted, that can be a big IF…
