I’m overseas right now and the schedule is a 24/7 work schedule. The hours are insane but we try hard to keep our schedule lite on Sundays to give the team (and us) time to think, reset, and grab a few extra hours of sleep.
As I reflected on my horrible performance as a writer and blogger over the last few months, I found myself this morning thinking about my Mom. (We lost her to cancer two years ago.) She taught my Sister and me so much… and would often shut us both down when we were misbehaving with a single question…
“Who is the owner of this problem?”
My mom first asked me this when I was 10 years old. I still remember where I was in our house in Alamogordo, NM. I was whining about some issue… when BOOM.. she laid it on me.
“Dan, who is the owner of this problem?” I was stopped dead in my tracks.
I have no idea where she pulled this most perfect question from… but it was clear to her, and more importantly to me, that I had no way out. It was and still is, one of the single biggest questions that has helped shape my life. She used it on me many times to my dismay.. and I use it today to help lead great teams.
Great leaders, and their teams, own problems. They work and think hard to understand the environment, the problem, the potential solutions, and they get at solving them – in business, the military, and life.
Mom, I own not blogging very much over the past few months. I will do better.
Successful international leaders in the private-sector, public-sector, and non-profit sector must fully understand the environment they and their organization operate in. This is hard work and requires consistent dedicated study and focus – especially in the Middle East.
Leaders in the region need to understand the synergistic effects of the political environment, the business environment, the social dynamics, and the religious and tribal dynamics – just to name a few. All of these elements are critical to understanding context – perhaps none so much as the religious and tribal elements together.
PBSs’ Frontline recently did a two-part piece entitled “Bitter Rivals”. This outstanding series lays out for the viewer the dynamics between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran. At its core, the series unpacks the centuries-long dynamics between Shia and Sunni Muslims. I found it a must watch for anyone working in that region or wanting too.
The link to this program can be found here. PBS FrontLine
We live in an incredibly saturating world now. Technology is wonderful, but at times can be overwhelming.
Literally, by the second we are faced with smartphones, cable TV, the internet, tablets etc. The onslaught of available inputs is out of control. It is impossible now to actually be bored – as long as you have a signal and battery life.
One of the things I’m working on now is trying to cut away from these things. To turn off my cell phone, step away from the internet… and simply and purely find the time to think, focus, and concentrate. To focus on the essential and the vital, and to understand what is really essential, and equally important what is not. I’m blocking time each day to do this.
Time is the most valuable thing in life… and for me, I certainly need to constantly remind myself to concentrate and focus on the most vital and essential things. I have a lot of room for improvement!
Book recommendation: Greg McKeown’s book “Essentialism, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less”.
The dictionary defines a “legend” an extremely famous or notorious person, especially in a particular field.
I’ve never met anyone who better deserves this title than LtCol Robert “Muck” Brown – A-10 Attack Pilot, Husband, Father, Brother, Coach, Teacher, Mentor, Savior, Leader, and Friend.
LtCol Robert “Muck” Brown, legendary Attack Pilot, Husband, Father, Brother, Drummer, Artist, Leader, Warrior, Brother, Savior, and Friend
No one can forget the first time they had the honor and privilege of meeting Muck. For me, it was walking down the hallway at the Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB, NV where he greeted me (a lowly F-16 student) with a kind smile and a look that said: “all will be ok young Jedi… just keep your head up and keep going”.
We talk a lot about Muck.
We talk about how unassuming he was. How people often mistook him at first glance. How he quietly approached the most complex situations and always quickly brought clarity and wisdom to some incredibly complex issues – in life, warfighting, and combat.
We talk about how his perfect way of communicating with people and how he could bring disparate opinions together against a common set of goals and objectives – perfectly.
We talk about him as a young A-10 pilot forging forward to improve combat capability throughout the entire joint community, and his lifelong commitment to protecting the guys on the ground.
We talk about how after the attacks on 9/11 he left a high paying airline job to come back in the military and take a non-flying staff job so that someone else could stay in the cockpit and take the fight to the enemy.
We talk about his time in Iraq in 2002 and 2003 when he was the link between the pilots in the air and the special forces warriors on the ground – and how both parties were so blessed to have him there.
We talk about how he was as a Husband and Father – showing those in his life what true love meant through some really tough times.
We talk about how he loved teaching: kids and warfighters, and his amazing way of adapting a lesson perfectly every time to the listener.
We talk about how he saved the A-10, working to inform policymakers and along the way saved countless American and coalition lives because of his work – all while fighting cancer.
We talk about his love for aviation art, and his incredible gifts with a #2 pencil, and how you can look back at his notes today and find pictures of P-40 Flying Tiger Warhawks in the margins.
We talk about what it was like to be in the room when Muck sat down behind a drum set… Perfect, complete, magic.
And… we talk about how absolutely wonderful it was to be a Brother and friend of Mucks.
Muck passed away on this day a few years ago after bravely fighting cancer. We all miss you like crazy Muck – but the truth is that you are still here with us through the many gifts you gave us all and the incredible life you lived. Tonight we will raise a glass, smile a bit, laugh, and most importantly remember you and the legend you are.
I read with great sadness this morning of the passing of Professor Stephen Hawking.
I have had the incredible honor of meeting some very tough people in my life – none tougher than Squadron Leader (Ret) Ned Cullen, MBE, and his Family.
Ned is a Royal Air Force Fighter Pilot and “TopGun” graduate – and one of my best friends in the world. He looks exactly what you would think a dashing, brave, smart talented RAF Fighter Pilot would look like – reddish blond hair and all.
Ned and I met in 2002 as our nations trained together for a very sensitive, very special mission which ultimately went down in the western deserts of Iraq in March of 2003.
On the first night of the war in Iraq, Ned was there, overhead protecting the UK Special Air Service (SAS) and our special forces while flying in his RAF Harrier jump jet – taking the fight to the enemy night after night.
One evening in April of 2003 Ned came up to me and told me he was not feeling 100% – that his fingers were tingling a bit. That did not stop him from flying combat missions night after night.
Upon returning to the UK in the Spring of 2003 Ned was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease or Lou Gerhigs Disease as it’s known here in the US.
What would stop most people in their tracks… has never… not once… not for one second stopped Ned or his incredible wife Heather, or their Son Rory from attacking life.
There are hard as nails people you meet in your life… and then there is the Clan Cullen.. every single one of them.
When I think of bravery – I think of Ned.
When I think of courage – I think of Ned.
When I think of tenacity with a huge side of humor – I think of Ned.
When I think of unconditional, never-ending, pure to the core love – I think of Heather and Rory.
Every single day the Cullens attack life no matter what gets sent their way, and every person who is blessed to know them and love them is grateful every day for the chance to be in their lives.
Today is a tough day for the world with the loss of Professor Hawking. He was a giant of a man.
It is also a day to rejoice at the incredible honor of knowing and loving other giants who even now continue to walk this earth – and yes, I’m talking to you Clan Cullen. I love you all.
On September 11th, 2001 I was the Chief of Weapons and Tactics at Andrews AFB, MD assigned to the 121st Fighter Squadron flying F-16s. My Wing Commander was Brigadier General Dave Wherley.
There are so many vivid memories from that day. They oftentimes move through my mind like a set of polaroids. One of the clearest memories is not of the Pentagon burning, or the fires in New York, rather it was the leadership shown by General Wherley.
After the second tower was hit, our Wing, on orders from the White House, scrambled to protect DC from further attacks.
While a group of us prepared to fly, General Wherley coordinated with the national command authority and was passed the rules of engagement that we were going to use during our missions. They were extremely liberal and put the onus of the decision to shoot or not to shoot on us. This was completely unprecedented.
After quickly briefing our mission and getting our equipment on, we ran to the operations desk to get our final instructions before running to the jets. As we stood there, General Wherley gave us our mission, our instructions, and our rules of engagement. He then paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and looked straight at us.
To this day, I will never forget his words.
“I trust you, you will do the right thing, no matter what I have your back.”
Never in the history of mankind, has a leader said a more right thing, to the right people, at the right time. Period.
In the very toughest of times, it is on us as leaders to remember that it is all about taking care of the team, and boy did Boss Wherley take care of us that morning.
General Wherley was a giant of a man and a great leader. He loved leading warriors and loved being a Fighter Pilot.
Maj Gen and Mrs. Wherley where they were happiest – together.
Tragically, on June 22nd, 2009 we lost both he and his lovely wife Ann when they were killed in the Metrorail collision in Washington, DC. They had just left Walter Reed Army Medical Center where they were volunteering and serving our Wounded Warriors.
Our unit misses him but remembers with perfect clarity the incredible leadership example from that morning.
Thanks Boss for the incredible gift of a good example. Never forget.
Years ago a young Non-Commissioned Officer asked me a simple question that has given me so many gifts over the years. He simply asked me, “Hey Sir, what is your story?”.
He didn’t ask me what I did for a living, or what I liked to do with my free time. He asked me an open-ended question which allowed me to go anywhere I wanted to go and share with him what was on my mind, or what I thought he should know about me.
Leading people is about truly understanding what drives them, what their needs are and what I can do to help them.
Leadership is about supporting those around you – working to solve their problems so they can stay focused on the main thing that they need too.
Leading people is not about sharing your story or talking about you, it’s about understanding where other people are coming from and working every day to improve things for them – not you.
For years whenever I meet someone new I’ve politely asked them “What’s your story?” Sometimes the words might be a little different, but the theme of the question is always the same. As soon as I ask it, I just listen and enjoy the answer.
The gifts that this simple open-ended question has given me are absolutely immeasurable. I’ve learned about what people care about, what they are scared of, what is on their minds, what I can do to be a better leader or friend for them. It also gives me a great place to pick up a conversation the next time we are together. This simple question has been the foundation for building hundreds of amazing relationships in life, business, and the military.
Give it a try the next time you meet someone new and ask them “What’s your story?”
And to David C… thanks for asking me that question so many years ago, and thanks for the gifts since then.
The turbulence and drama range from the challenges our economy faces here at home, to the potential conflicts in North Korea, to the ongoing combat operations in the Middle East.
Leaders in both business and government must understand the various elements of national power often referred to as “DIME” and know how to drive them.
DIME is an easy to remember acronym for “Diplomatic”, “Informational”, “Military”, and “Economic”.
In the US Government, different Cabinet Departments and Agencies lead different elements of national power. The US Department of State leads the “D”, DoD leads the “M”, while the Department of Treasury and Commerce each have parts of the “E”.
The informational “I” element of national power is critical but frankly, the US has not done a good job developing a well-coordinated interagency informational program designed to get the word out. We need work.
Each element of national power can impact the other. Great companies and great governments will take all elements of power into consideration and develop a solid strategy and a supporting set of plans to optimally design a gameplan that uses the right element of national power for the given situation.
I’ve been working on a few business projects recently which have highlighted again to me the value of taking the time to craft well-defined requirements.
Requirements are the road to solid end-states, and without them, a business or project will meander all over the place trying to find what it needs to get the job done.
So what does a well-defined requirement look like?
The requirement should lay out what the business needs in order to reach its strategic goals and/or end-states. It should be clear, concise, understandable, and measurable. The requirement should be “testable” and be nested within your business or corporate strategy.
The format varies, but the need to take some time to properly define, articulate, and communicate your requirements should be a key component of your business strategy and plans. Don’t forget to take the time to craft some good ones.
Leadership is about working with your team to solve the toughest of problems. These difficult, nasty, tough multi-domain and complicated problems are often known as “wicked problems”.
A wicked problem needs the very best thinking from your group or team. The team needs to be able to set aside biases and think deeply about a problem. As we all know, this can be very difficult to do.
One of your main goals as a leader is to build a great team surrounding yourself with the best and brightest. (see my previous blog post) This world-class team can then be set loose on solving the most complex and wicked problems.
One great way for your team to think through difficult and wicked problems is through design or visual thinking. There is a lot written about it and several leading universities and business schools are offering visual thinking courses.
Visual thinking helps one “see” the problem quickly propelling your team to a much deeper understanding of the actual problem.
Tom Wujec, a Fellow at Autodesk, has been studying visual and design thinking for years. He’s written four books on the subject and presented a great TedTalk which you can watch here. You can also visit his website at http://www.drawtoast.com. His work is a great look at the value of visual thinking. I encourage you to check it out.
Enjoy the TedTalk and I hope you will spend a few minutes “thinking about thinking”.
Most leaders love working with people. I sure do.