An Honest Look Inside Army Leadership
597251
I felt that the author 'did his homework' and provided a thorough and in-depth picture of the training and challenges faced by junior infantry officers in the Vietnam war. As an OCS graduate and rifle platoon  leader in Vietnam I can attest that I found  his conclusions on the mark. A great read for those who really want to understand the leadership dynamics of the war and how badly America's top leadership failed the grunts on the ground who bore the burden of the  action.
1385501
I was assigned this book as part of my Master's class in business, but as a military officer found it a great source of leadership principles on leading a small unit in remote, harsh environments when the tasks ahead seem impossible.  Each chapter focuses on a different part of building and leading a team with 2-3 page vignettes followed at the end of each chapter with a business tie-in.

I must admit that I did not know of Shakleton before reading this book.  Since reading it, I have already bought it again as a gift for a fellow officer headed to Iraq.  A must read!  The book is very easy to pick up and read for just 5 minutes or for hours.
3620731
Chet Richards takes John Boyd's principles and makes them accessible using business and military examples.  I recommend this book to any military or private sector leader who wants to know how to allow their subordinates the flexibility to act independently but within the over-arching mission statement.  Examples include the Toyota Motor Corp, the early 20th century German army, and other military anecdotes.
4324201
I believe leadership is universal, and I enjoy reading leadership books written by people in different fields because each one highlights different things, and says things in their own way. The Three Meter Zone is very clearly written, with direct recommendations to the reader about how to be a better leader. Even for a civilian like myself, the references and anecdotes reinforce the important lessons of how to be a better leader. While I may not refer to a US army manual for details, I know what the equivalents are in my own work, and the instructions are clear and meaningful to me. NCOs know leadership, and they can explain things clearly, so I enjoyed the book.
3899748
Having both a military and business background, this book really resonated with me. In fact, First Fast Fearless: How To Lead Like a Navy SEAL by Brian Iron Ed Hiner was one of the most enjoyable leadership books I've read in a long time. Enjoyable to read because of the interesting stories Hiner shared from his time as a SEAL, and enjoyable for the rich content and leadership advice he imparts to his readers.

The book does an excellent job of taking military SEAL leadership concepts and adapting them to what Hiner even calls the real world or more accurately, the world of civilians. (I happen to agree that military life, while different, and during war  very different, is very real) Hiner is far from an academic in some ivory tower when it comes to leadership. He writes about what has worked for some of the most highly trained warriors in history, and even goes as far as pointing out what even the SEALs could do better in a a few situations. His voice and experiences should be listened to.

First Fast Fearless, despite the title, is hardly a book of clich&eacute; hoorah and kill em all and let God sort em out maxims. It's a true book of leadership principles that can and should be applied by anyone in a leadership position, regardless the setting. He describes what leadership truly is, the essence of brotherhood and why it's important to leadership, and the concept of battle rhythm and leading. These leadership principles are woven around the concept that leadership must be able to deal with VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Chaos, and Ambiguity). This makes sense, because it is in times of stress and difficulty that leadership is most important.

When I served, I had some outstanding leaders, and some that didn't quite measure up. I would have liked serving under Hiner, as he knows what it takes to lead effectively. He also knows what it takes to train and develop successful leaders, and if you follow his guidance as set forth in this book, you will join the ranks of those successful leaders. Regardless of the organization you belong to, or how many you lead, this book's advice on leadership will help you become the leader you desire to be.
4677236
I am writing this review from the perspective of a surgeon in an administrative leadership role at a large health system in the Midwest. I have no military background but found the details of military operations in Iraq riveting. The book is extremely well-written and easy to read, even for the militarily naive. In Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World, General Stanley McChrystal does a masterful job of weaving war stories and business lessons into an instructional manual for business leaders today. He charges leaders to create organizations that are nimble, transparent, horizontal rather than hierarchical, and which empower their people to execute based on the concept of shared consciousness. Teach them and allow them to trust their gut and use their best judgement based on their training and knowledge of organizational goals. Just as the military needed to adapt to overcome the changing landscape of battle in Afghanistan and Iraq in order to be successful, so must organizations in the ever-changing landscape of corporate America. This book should be read by leaders of organizations both large and small so they can get the most out of their workforce and thrive in todays ever-changing business climate.
1219364
This book is easy reading and holds your interest. I like the honesty with
which it is presented. It is written from a drafted, enlisted man;s
vantage point.
4303898
Leadership is a hard characteristic to measure and quantify, but no one disputes its importance and influence, whether in a military setting or in the business world, or even in families, churches, organizations, and schools. Good leaders are essential to provide goal setting, objectives, expectations of team members, decision making, strategy and pathways to achieve desired results, and modelling desired behavior and outcomes for their followers. Good leaders can often raise an average team or organization to greater results. By contrast, bad leaders can drag down the morale and performance of even good teams.

The Civil War Battle of Gettysburg provided hundreds of examples of both good, effective leaders and those individuals who failed to rise to the challenge of leadership. In this interesting little treatise, author Paul Lloyd Hemphill examines 80 different situations at Gettysburg where people exhibited strong leadership in various ways, often rising above their own skills, background, and experience and inspiring others to new heights. Hemphill matches common traits found in strong leaders with their Gettysburg counterparts, examining how these characteristics were exhibited by soldiers and civilians at Gettysburg and how they relate to common challenges leaders face today in all walks of life. The practical examples and useful insights offer the reader some thought-provoking material to chew on; information and skills that will challenge the reader to determine is he or she would exhibit the same traits when under challenge or adversity.

Hemphill's writing style is lucid and succinct, and the rapid fire, short-bursts of information, examples, and applications can be read in small doses to allow the reader to dwell on each story and find practical self-applications. The book can be read in daily journal format, with one or two stories at a time to challenge the reader to excel and emulate the example. Some of the stories and characters are quite well known (John Burns, Winfield Hancock, etc.), and others are common foot-soldiers or low ranking officers not familiar to many readers. However, their message and example shine through the years, offering opportunities for modern leaders to hone their skills.
1557060
This book is an in-depth look at the many variables and nuances of life in combat that can and often do drive men to madness.  A clear vision of the conditions that the troops (particularly Bravo Company) were operating in and under is clearly demonstrated by the author, Jim Frederick.  There are many "enemies" that soldiers must confront.  Arrogance, the lack of communication (filter up and filter down) and the refusal to take responsibility for those conditions by the upper echelon of command is clearly depicted.  This is an outstanding book, I give it my highest rating.  ~Mark Seery
2625275
I enjoyed this book, the book was not to long or to short. I UNDERSTAND leadership, I have been a Soldier for 17 years. I recommend this book to all who lead but particularly for the NCO and Officers who stand daily in front of Soldiers daily.
3913812
A brutally honest view of what it really takes to train an effective soldier male or female (such as in this book).
1076995
The author, Colonel Marcus Fielding, a twenty-six year veteran with the  Australian Army,was an embedded member of the Australian Army with the U.S. Military in Iraq for nine months.

 "A fine combat unit, they were deployed in southern Iraq, but was not permitted by their Government to join the fight except in highly restricted situations, which rarely eventuated.  Aussie soldiers were embedded in various coalition headquarters.  Members of the coalition found themselves attached as individuals to what were called Coalition Headquarters, but actually were US headquarters with small numbers of foreign soldiers performing various roles.  The most common embedded foreign soldiers in these headquarters were Australians.

"With combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan running concurrently, the US was short of soldiers with specialist skills.  The US scrambled to fill the positions in the higher-level headquarters from its allies.  The highest coalition headquarters in Iraq, Headquarters Multi-National Force-Iraq, or MNF-I demanded large numbers of trained and skilled personnel and since the US was over-extended they were happy to have Australians with them.  Since the Australian military was not over-extended, it was happy to send fresh, experienced, skilled and highly trained officers to embed in the US coalition.

"What Marcus does so well is to describe the day-to-day activities of an embedded staff officer on a major coalition HQ.  He talks about the big issues of combat and operations, the ebb and flow of public opinion, the mundane but essential people-focused activities, the morale raising visits of US personalities, all against the background of the violence that continued...In this book, w see Colonel Fielding and his fellow colonels, assisted by majors, solving the myriad day-to-day problems in a way that contributes so markedly to success in wars."

As a reviewer, I copied almost verbatim the above words from the introduction by Major General Jim Molan AO, DSC(retired) because I cannot say it any better.  For me personally, Colonel Fielding wrote the book almost like a day-to-day diary, giving us not only clear descriptions of the good and bad events that occurred, but also kept it in sequence with the events in the US either about or closely affecting the war in Iraq.  Many of the political ramifications, although I was aware at the time the news showed them, either forgot about them or was unaware of their effect for both the military and the Iraqis.  Colonel Fielding was most complimentary about our military and also about the truly desperate lives of the Iraq civilians.  I honestly believe this book should be included in our high school libraries for it is so explicit in the events and conditions of those times between 2007 and 2008.  I heartily recommend it to all those Americans who would appreciate another viewpoint of this war.

This book was voluntarily reviewed by Joan Adamak [...] (5 e-books)
55719
This book is fantastic.  I have read quite a few leadership books as an army captain and this one is the best.  It was recommended to me by a brigade commander in the 101st airborne.
3076380
Resiliency is the Army's new watchword. No matter how resilient a Soldier is, every deployment has trying times, for the men of the 4th Battalion 31st Infantry, Operation Iraqi Freedom was extremely trying. In these pages, the unit's Chaplain, Jeffery Bryan, has provided his personal perspective on both what it means to minister to men in combat, and what it takes for each to 'soldier on' in spite of loss and tribulation. As a member of the unit at that time, I too bear the emotional scars of the losses we faced. This book has been a great touchstone in my healing and I have faith that Jeff's words will be a help both to other Soldiers who face the ghosts of their deployments and to anyone seeking an honest perspective of the trials of combat.
1724435
Dr. Heavey writes a thoughtful, insightful, honest account of his experiences in Iraq.  He is able to relate the feelings that he experienced as he journeyed from the comforts of professional life, through training in preparation for war, his time "outside the wire" and his time after he returned.  His writing captures a realistic experience of war while challenging the reader with thought provoking experiences with the bureaucracy and frustrations of operating within that bureaucracy.  His accounts of the carnage of war are relayed in a blunt way without being gratuitous.  His compassion is conveyed in the most humble way as he describes his attempts to help children in the war zone obtain desperately needed medical care.  His allegiance to his comrades in the US Army is undying. Based on his experience, he has all credibility in his discussion and views.  The book is quite funny at times as Dr. Heavey uses wit and sarcasm in his conveyance of his thoughts.  This book is a no holds barred account with deep and intimate insight into a great man and his experiences.
3927833
This book was written for officers in the United States Army.  It gives officers an idea of how to manage and develop the soldiers under them.  Particularly it gives good advice on how to recognize and deal with certain types of soldiers based on a skill, will, and teamwork scale.  To tell the truth, I'm not in the army, but I bought this book to gain some insight into the army's way of managing and developing soldiers.  I believe that if you are a businessperson or a teacher, you can learn a lot about how to treat different employees or students.  Each person has individual needs that need to be handled in different ways, and I think this is something that this book does a good job of introducing.  If you're in the army, you definitely need this, and if you're not, you can still gain a lot of knowledge by reading this.
4863935
Honest and inspirational. This book is an excellent read. It gives an insight into Ant, military life, ourselves and leadership.