dispatches from the new world of work

Last Word From Me ... For Now

Our debate/my position is in no way, as someone suggested, a Jim Collins tirade. It is my Raison d'etre ... which predates Collins by more than 20 years. Forty(!) years if you go back to my Navy Seabees days in Vietnam. I had two commanding officers. Boss #1: "Shut up and build! Get into the field. Now. Stay there until you're done!" #2: "Produce great reports on the stuff we never built. Be careful, men."—I exaggerate, but not much. (Not so incidentally: no surprise, given leeway and room for initiative we were far more careful under Commanding Officer #1.)

Attached as a Special Presentation is a major update of my Grant-Nelson-et al. PPT. These were all men who had a direction in which they were heading to be sure—but always believed vigorous action came first; and that the action per se reshaped the plan, often dramatically, more than the "vice-versa" (plan-shapes-action).

Off to Norway, without much carry-on, in two hours.

[I think this is really the last post before Tom leaves.—EH]

Erik Hansen posted this on 08/11/06.

Comments

Great slide show Tom....it's fired me up in my current business project.

Posted by Brett at August 14, 2006 4:14 AM

We like to think of Grant and other leaders as the ultimate individuals, the "lone wolves." But we can not ignore the critical importance of others who share the vision so deeply they are extensions of one will. Friendship and loyalty were paramount qualities among the ranks and senior sub-leaders these men commanded. The importance of having loyal friends by your side that immediately and intuitively understand what your vision is can not be over-stated.

Illustrated by Sherman about his friendship with Grant: "He stood by me when I was "crazy" and I stood by him when he was "drunk" and now we stand together--always."

Posted by Mike at August 15, 2006 8:50 AM

Great slide show but with only a passing reference in the Grant section to my favorite Nelson story. At the first Battle of Copenhagen (1801), Nelson was under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker. When Parker ran up the signal to disengage Nelson put his telescope to his blind eye, saying, "I have the right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see the signal!" Of course this is a great story because Nelson prevailed. Had he not, it might have been a CEM (Career Ending Move).

Posted by Wally Bock at August 20, 2006 4:19 PM