Leadership Lessons of the U. S. Navy SEALS : Battle-Tested Strategies for Creating Successful Organizations and Inspiring Extraordinary Results

by Cannon, Jeff; Cannon, Jon

• ISBN13: 9780071408646
• ISBN10: 0071408649
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-12-11
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

The authors of this book have reverse-engineered the leadership techniques and strategies used to lead SEAL teams in combat and applied them to the business world. The lessons they present'¬”lessons that focus on the ability to create, manage, and lead effective teams'¬”are as appropriate in the boardrooms of New York as they are on the battlefield. The book will teach leaders how to:· Effectively communicate objectives in a way that builds loyalty, and educates and motivates your workforce.Construct and re-enforce organizational structures that optimize communication and decision-making processes.Acquire and keep essential team members without resorting to pay increases.Train and maintain an effective, market-leading team.Leverage team members to expand and contract a workforce rapidly without business risk.Turn an employee into a profit entrustingg real-life stories from the front lines to illustrate their points as well as examples from the business world, the Cannons'¬" book will provide valuable guidance to managers and leaders.

Author Biography

Jeff Cannon is the senior vice president of Draft Worldwide's Interactive Department in New York. He is a popular speaker and veteran of the advertising industry.

Lieutenant Commander Jon Cannon is a Navy SEAL with experience in Latin America, the Far East, Eastern Europe, the Persian Gulf, and Africa. Cannon has also worked to develop new product launch strategies in Europe and determine marketing strategies for companies in the Middle East.

Table of Contents

Preface: The Quiet Professionals	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction	1	(10)
Setting Goals
Choose a Path or Take Your Chances	11	(4)
Get Specific When You Define Your Problem	15	(2)
When You Can't Get from A to B, Go to C	17	(4)
Your Specific Problem Defines Your Mission	21	(3)
Plan Ahead---Prepare for a New Situation That Has Not Yet Been Identified	24	(3)
Build Your Goal around a Problem, Not the Other Way Around	27	(2)
Avoid Creating a Capability and Then Looking for a Mission to Justify It	29	(2)
Define Mission Success	31	(3)
Compare the Risks of Alternative Missions	34	(1)
Does the Risk of Doing Nothing Outweigh the Risk of Going Forward?	35	(2)
Plan Your Team around Your Mission	37	(2)
When Time Is an Issue, Plan Your Mission Backward from Your Objective	39	(7)
Find Out What the Big Dogs Want	46	(2)
Prioritize Long-Term over Short-Term Goals	48	(2)
Don't Wait for the No-Risk Solution	50	(2)
Take It in Small Steps	52	(5)
Organization---Create Structure or Fight Alone
Even a Circus Has a Ringmaster	57	(2)
The Key to Accountability Is Structure	59	(4)
There Is No Team Unless Everyone Knows the Team Colors	63	(3)
Ship Attacks or Ambushes? Choose a Structure That's Based on Your Mission	66	(9)
Lines of Communications Equal Chains of Command	75	(2)
Limit Access to Your Office	77	(3)
Build Boundaries to Prevent Infighting and Cannibalism	80	(2)
If a Meeting Is Going Nowhere, Kill It	82	(3)
Leadership---The Hardest Easy Thing
Forget the Village Concept---One Person Has to Be in Charge	85	(2)
State Your Mission	87	(2)
Choose Your Option While the Choice Is Still Yours	89	(2)
Stand Up and Take the Hit	91	(2)
Make a Goddamned Decision	93	(5)
Put Your Stamp on Things Right Away	98	(1)
Give Them the Big Picture	99	(2)
Point the Boat in the Right Direction	101	(2)
Get Comfortable with Chaos	103	(3)
The Vast Majority of the Time, You Know What You Should Do	106	(2)
If You Think No One Else Can Replace You, You're an Egotistical S.O.B. Who's Failed	108	(2)
There's No ``I'' in ``Shut Up and Do the Work''	110	(2)
Don't Become One of the Following Stereotypes	112	(4)
Know Which Leadership Style to Use	116	(1)
Ensure That You Possess the Three Primary Leadership Tools	117	(2)
Increase Your Number of Leadership Vehicles	119	(4)
Assign an Honest Broker to Bring You Back to Earth	123	(2)
Then Seek Out and Listen to the Rest of Your People	125	(1)
Be Unapologetic When You Fire Someone	126	(2)
Enforce Your Chains of Command	128	(3)
Don't Make Work Your Employees' Life	131	(2)
There Is a Fine Line between Tradition and Obsolescence	133	(1)
Let Them Be Angry When They Have a Right to Be	134	(2)
Tell Them When the Ship Is Sinking	136	(2)
Communicating Hysteria Won't Drive Production	138	(3)
Communicate That You Trust Them	141	(3)
Kicking Them Unnecessarily Reveals Your Incompetence	144	(5)
The Thundering Herd
Realize That Nobody's Forcing You to Be Here	149	(4)
If You're New, You Have to Shut Up and Learn	153	(2)
You're the One Who Can Make It Work, and That's Often Thanks Enough	155	(2)
Your Value During the Battle Has Nothing to Do with How Close You Are to the Front	157	(2)
Help Your Boss and You Help Yourself	159	(3)
It's Okay; You're Supposed to Fight with Your Boss	162	(2)
Cowboys and Cogs Don't Have Job Security---Team Members Do	164	(2)
You Can't Fool People about Being a Team Player	166	(2)
There Are Probably Good Reasons Why Your Marching Orders Seem Screwed Up	168	(2)
Build Your Team, Build Your Resume	170	(1)
It's a Small World, and It's Getting Smaller	171	(2)
There Aren't Many Ways to Radically Change a Proven System	173	(3)
Own Everything You Do	176	(2)
Sweat the Small Rituals	178	(3)
Bring Me the Problem Along with a Solution	181	(3)
Building a Thundering Herd
Do You Really Want to Build a Quality Team?	184	(2)
Continually Set High Standards	186	(2)
Retain Your Best People or You'll Pay through the Nose	188	(3)
If You're Hiring, Make Them Come to You	191	(3)
Your Own People Are Your Best Recruiters	194	(2)
Give Real Rewards for Real Achievements	196	(1)
Identify Your Lead Dogs, Feed Them Well, and Build a Pack around Them	197	(3)
Find Out What Makes Them Tick	200	(2)
If You Can't Give Them Fresh Meat, Give Them Reminders of What Fresh Meat Tastes Like	202	(3)
Provide Those Other Things So That They Can Focus on Their Jobs	205	(5)
If Sharks Stop Swimming Forward, They Stop Being Sharks	210	(1)
Let It Be Known That You'll Get Rid of People Who Just Shouldn't Be Part of the Team---Even the Nice People	211	(3)
Save Them If You Can, but Recognize When You Can't	214	(4)
Now Maintain Your Momentum
If You Need to Scream, You Need to Practice	218	(5)
Index	223