Be, Know, Do-Leadership the Army Way

If you look at the Top 10 selling business books for October 2008, you will find that 6 of the 10 books listed relate to leadership in some way. The other 4 books deal with finance or investing, no doubt linked to the nation’s current economic situation.

Difficult situations always bring out calls for leadership.  The number of books about leadership confirms what most of us already know-there is a significant need.  Leadership is a role that can have a broad description and one that requires a variety of attributes and skills, but there are fundamentals that all leaders possess.  Whether leading a small team or a Fortune 100 company, the fundamentals are the same.  It’s the size and scope of the challenges that’s different.

The Army is a large organization that has been teaching leadership for a long time, and it's model is known as "Be-Know-Do".

• BE: Values and Attributes
• KNOW: Skills
• DO: Actions

Beginning mid-January, I’ll have a weekly podcast on this leadership model with Rich Rees.  Rich is a retired Lt. Colonel from the Army and a West Point graduate.  He is also a close friend.  We’ll be covering the leadership attributes and skills that the Army strives to instill in its officers and how these apply, no matter what you do or where you work.  I hope you'll join us!