Here's a set of values you can use as a yardstick when going through the recruiting and selection process for your team; these values work the same whether in business or the security profession (which is, of course, a business):
Dependability
Character
Loyalty
Work Ethic
Finances
Personal Issues
Trust
Here's a useful mnenomic to remember this checklist:
“Don’t Consider Letting Worthless Flaky People Try out”
* * *
When I first got out of the service and started out in security-related business, I became very interested in the application of military leadership principles business applications. It occurred to me that business leadership training exists for the very upper levels of management - they have their MBAs, etcetera - but there is little or no training available for the first-line supervisors and mid-level managers. I wrote a few articles on the subject for trade magazines, and even gave a couple of seminar presentations.
Three years on I am disappointed to report that what I have encountered more often than not is that 'management' is actually 'leadership by committee' - in place of true leadership itself. This is the end result of a business climate where pro-active decision-making is often viewed as incurring risk, and risk-taking is discouraged.
A good article I found that explores the theme of Leader vs. Manager vs. Executive is found in Organizational Behavior & Leadership - an Ezine that covers Business Strategy, Leadership, Organizational Behavior & Organizational Development.
I consulted a family friend; Matt had a long and honorable career as a policeman in Calcutta, an officer with the Gurkhas in World War II, and as a mechanical engineer working on power plants in Bangladesh and Thailand. His advice: "When you first take charge of a new outfit, there will be one guy there who doesn't fit in, who you will have nothing but trouble with. My advice is to find out who that guy is, and get rid of him as soon as possible."
CONTRAST AND COMPARE DEPARTMENT
Loyal Reader and Charter Member of Team STORMBRINGER (who wishes to remain un-named) brings this gem to our attention - re-posted from Ace of Spades HQ:
DECIDEDLY DIFFERENT WAYS TO USE "I" IN A SPEECH
President Bush's Speech Upon the Capture of Saddam Hussein
Commenter "Crusty" had a good idea. He went back and looked at George W. Bush's speech after the capture of Saddam Hussein in order to compare it with Obama's self-aggrandizing "I was practically there, man" speech last Sunday. You know, the one where he used the word "I" like a carpenter uses ten penny nails.
Victor Davis Hanson - whom we also follow here at Team STORMBRINGER.
pulled all the first person references:
Obama's speech:
“Tonight, I can report . . . And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta . . . I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden . . . I met repeatedly with my national security team . . . I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action. . . . Today, at my direction . . . I’ve made clear . . . Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear . . . Tonight, I called President Zardari . . . and my team has also spoken. . .These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief . . . Finally, let me say to the families . . . . I know that it has, at times, frayed. . . ..”
Compare that with the speech given by George W. Bush on December 14, 2003:
Good afternoon. Yesterday, December the 13th, at around 8:30 p.m. Baghdad time, United States military forces captured Saddam Hussein alive. He was found near a farmhouse outside the city of Tikrit, in a swift raid conducted without casualties. And now the former dictator of Iraq will face the justice he denied to millions.
The capture of this man was crucial to the rise of a free Iraq. It marks the end of the road for him, and for all who bullied and killed in his name. For the Baathist holdouts largely responsible for the current violence, there will be no return to the corrupt power and privilege they once held. For the vast majority of Iraqi citizens who wish to live as free men and women, this event brings further assurance that the torture chambers and the secret police are gone forever.
And this afternoon, I have a message for the Iraqi people: You will not have to fear the rule of Saddam Hussein ever again. All Iraqis who take the side of freedom have taken the winning side. The goals of our coalition are the same as your goals -- sovereignty for your country, dignity for your great culture, and for every Iraqi citizen, the opportunity for a better life.
In the history of Iraq, a dark and painful era is over. A hopeful day has arrived. All Iraqis can now come together and reject violence and build a new Iraq.
The success of yesterday's mission is a tribute to our men and women now serving in Iraq. The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence analysts who found the dictator's footprints in a vast country. The operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting force. Our servicemen and women and our coalition allies have faced many dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime, and in their effort to bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do the risks. Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our Armed Forces and I congratulate 'em.
I also have a message for all Americans: The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence in Iraq. We still face terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the rise of liberty in the heart of the Middle East. Such men are a direct threat to the American people, and they will be defeated.
We've come to this moment through patience and resolve and focused action. And that is our strategy moving forward. The war on terror is a different kind of war, waged capture by capture, cell by cell, and victory by victory. Our security is assured by our perseverance and by our sure belief in the success of liberty. And the United States of America will not relent until this war is won.
May God bless the people of Iraq, and may God bless America.
Thank you.
ADMIN NOTE: Yesterday's Post A MODERN MERCENARY ARMY included a link to the New York Times article - 5 pages long - which included much more detail regarding the challenges Erik Prince has encountered in standing up a small army with Special Operations capabilities. A reader pointed out that I failed to include the link; then I was working all afternoon and all night and now I'm having the Devil of a time finding the original NYT article. I will continue working toward providing this information. - S.L.
Today's Bird HERE
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