BRER RABBIT

TEAM OF TEAMS

Upfront, I need to announce that I don't like Generals. Why? More philosophy  than actual. I haven't had good experiences with the "stars." Most of the time, I've seen that generals begin to believe their own press. I think that McChrystal is one of those. I confess too that I haven't read the book, rather this long review in the WSJ. I will not bore you with my view of the "Journal" either. 

 

I don't doubt that some of his/co-authors view of good leadership is OK but not much. It is hard not to look at several decisions in Iraq where the public, because they didn't know or understand, just accepted decisions at face value. The so called "surge" is one. First of all, it wasn't some general's idea, rather a young battalion commander who had the idea of separating the factions. And it didn't involve new tactics. Simply, it paid off the Sunnis who were killing us. They switched sides, the killing stopped and all was great until we stopped paying them and they switched back; the killing started again. What a way to fight a war!

 Where, from The Review, it seems that military style leadership can be added to a civilian mix. Noway. There are too many variables. Danger and killing or dying just to name a couple. Being in combat is no day at the beach and not a time to test leadership principles. 

From the "Review," there's a really good example from Starbucks. Since I am writing this at SBs, not sure where this is suppose to go. I do know that SBs is a business that "gets it." If SBs is a "Team of Teams," example, they've nailed it. 

I hate to put the bad mouth on my fellow North Carolinian but I laughed big time as I had a conspiracy theory about how McChrystal lost his job. He set it up. Bad mouthing the Prez in front of a reporter. He knew Iraq was a "fast train to nowhere," which has proven to be true; and he wanted out. Talk about Brer Rabbit in the Brier Patch.