I have a fascination for military history. It is just budding in the last couple of years and has been coupled with my desire to learn more about and improve in my own leadership. When I picked up The Way of the Warrior, I figured that it was a great blend of these two areas. In the United States, our military has developed some of the best leadership training and experiences available. I have much to learn and I seek to glean from our military as much as I can.
I do not want to confuse authority with leadership. Authority is positional where leadership is influential. Just because someone is in authority it does not mean that they know how to lead. Leadership principles have been around since the dawning of time. No one has created or discovered them. They just exist. Some leaders have used these principles more effectively than others. This book shows leadership principles used by people in authority, but these ideas apply today to all of us.
This book highlights 12 military leaders (11 from Western cultures and 1 from the East). These leaders had their faults and many did some inscrutable things, but that is not the focus of this book. The authors sought to highlight key principles from each military leader, which helped them become successful. Some of the men in the book are Alexander the Great, Genghis Kahn, Gustavus Adolphus, Napoleon, Ulysses S. Grant, and Norman Schwarzkopf. Each of whom had strengths in key leadership principles and learned how to employ them effectively. Some of the key principles discussed are around ideas like communication, courage, building alliances, vision, decisiveness, training and discipline, and leading by example.
I enjoyed gaining a better understanding on how others in history have found success in the applying of their leadership strengths. Many of these individuals also had high level subordinates who filled gaps of their own leadership weaknesses. This highlights the importance of mentors and surrounding yourself with people you trust, who will challenge you to grow and continually improve. Reading this book can fulfill a piece of what a mentor does, but it does not provide the proper follow up and proper direction in application to your personal situation.
I have been truly blessed to have two key mentors in my life over the past few years. Also, in this time of endless opportunities to learn, podcasts have become an additional tool for my personal leadership growth. I am consistently seeking to learn from people who are psychologists, pilots, retired Navy SEALs, and many more areas of expertise. The more I learn, the more I realize that I am only at the beginning stages of exploring leadership principles.
I seek to be a better leader, not only for my own personal growth and achievement, but also to help others strive to be better leaders themselves. If you are a parent, teacher, physician, plumber, or any other role as an adult, you are also a leader. I believe you must first lead yourself, then you can lead others. Without leading yourself it may be impossible to effectively lead others. I seek to lead myself by pursuing discipline in physical fitness, active mental engagement, learning to listen, seeking mentorship, and improving my communication. I encourage you to do the same.