Emotional Intelligence – Social Awareness Strategies 4/12/17

Emotional Intelligence – Social Awareness Strategies* Unlike looking inward, social awareness is looking outward to learn about and appreciate others; it is your ability to recognize and appreciate the emotions of others. The skill has many components including: listening, reading body language (particularly facial expressions) tone of voice and many other less tangible cues. To do this you will use your five senses and your “sixth” sense, your own emotions. The seventeen social awareness strategies are: Greet People by Name, Watch Body Language, Make Timing Everything, Develop a Back-pocket Question, Don’t Take notes at Meetings, Plan Ahead for Social Gatherings, Clear Away the Clutter, Live in the Moment, Go on a 15-minute tour, Watch EQ at the Movies, Practice the Art of Listening, Go People Watching, Understand the Rules of the Culture Game, Test for Accuracy, Step into Their Shoes, Seek the Whole Picture and Catch the Mood in the Room. Of course most of these are not new, indeed Dale Carnegie and Emily Post both made careers out of teaching these principals. The book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 since it covers each of these in detail. ** Army Leadership Doctrine: From George Washington’s Rules of Civility to FM 7-21-13. DA PAM 600-60 and JPM-1 all these manuals are designed to guide leaders in the art of social awareness. These disciplines should be practiced (lived) at the lowest level so that they are not foreign to leaders when they reach senior levels. Please let me know if you have further ideas/comments on this subject. *This is a personal reflection on chapter 7 of the book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves – I heard Bradberry speak at an event called the Global Leadership Summit held in late summer each year. The next summit will be Aug 10-11 at 600 locations nationwide. ** For a religious thought on this reflection you may consider Proverbs 11:17 or for a spiritual one consult www.belief.net (search the term kindness). Thanks to all for thoughts and prayers during my emergency leave. My Mother-in-Law was promoted to heaven...Amen.

Emotional Intelligence – Relationship Management Strategies 4/18/17

Emotional Intelligence – Relationship Management Strategies* Managing relationships, over time, takes thoughtful effort. Everyone knows that relationships take work but we seldom think about what that really means. Relationships take three things; time, effort and knowledge. If any of these three things are cut the relationship will suffer. Time and effort are self-explanatory but knowledge requires thought and attention. Dr. Bradberry* lists 17 strategies for Relationship Management including: Be Open and Curious, Enhance Your Natural Communication Style, Avoid Giving Mixed Signals, Remember the Little Things That Pack a Punch, Take Feedback Well, Build Trust, Have an "Open-door" Policy, Only Get Mad on Purpose, Don't Avoid the Inevitable, Acknowledge the Other Persons Feelings, Complement the Person's Emotions or Situation, When you Care...Show it, Explain Your Decisions...Don't Just Make Them, Make Your Feedback Direct and Constructive, Align Your Intention with Your Impact, Offer a "Fix-it" Statement during a Broken Conversation, Tackle a Tough Conversation. As I said last week, most of these ideas are "common sense" and have been offered by relationship coaches for years. The book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 since it covers each of these in great detail. ** Army Leadership Doctrine: As an Army Chaplain I have used many of these ideas in my counseling for years. When I studied Marriage and Family Therapy these were a big part of teaching people how to get along better with their family and others. I think there has been an assumption on the part of many that these techniques are fine but not really important in the scope of Army Leadership Doctrine. However, I would argue that good people skills are an important characteristic of all great leaders. As we consider near peer competitors and we focus more on Human Terrain and the Human Dimension, I believe leaders who ignore relationship principals do so at their own peril (my opinion). Please let me know if you have further ideas/comments on this subject. *This is a personal reflection on chapter 8 of the book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves – I heard Bradberry speak at an event called the Global Leadership Summit held in late summer each year. The next summit will be Aug 10-11 at 600 locations nationwide. Google it for more info. ** For a religious thought on this reflection you may consider Galatians 5:22-23 or for a spiritual one consult www.belief.net (consider the article 5 ways to deal with difficult people). Unhappy people: Love things, use people. Happy people: Use things, love people.

Thucydides: On Leadership (Brasidas) 6/29/17

Brasidas: Creative thinker, powerful speaker, brave warrior, brilliant tactician.* The seminal study on war, politics and strategy is the book by Thucydides on the Peloponnesian war of 431-404 BCE. In addition to teaching important lessons on the civil military nexus, joint and combined operations and many other valuable concepts Thucydides teaches about leadership. He does this using a case history approach highlighting the strengths, weaknesses and challenges of numerous individuals throughout his history of the war. One of the key leaders highlighted in the Peloponnesian War is Brasidas the Spartan General (greek: strategos) who was not only a brave leader in battle but a diplomat and orator. Brasidas raised his own army and challenged his fellow Spartans to fund it. He cobbled together a rag-tag group of misfits and outcasts who then succeeded beyond everyone's expectations. In fact, Brasidas was often able to succeed without fighting, (such as with the Acanthians) through his persuasive speeches, and was also able to rally his troops to great feats of courage (as his speech to his troops at the Thracian Gates). Despite fighting with inferior numbers Brasidas often won the day with speed, audacity and cunning. The fact that Brasidas was one of only six Spartans killed in the pivotal battle of Amphipolis clearly indicates that he was a model of personal courage. Brasidas’ actions changed the strategic balance of the war which helped lead the Spartans to their ultimate victory.** Army Leadership Doctrine: Personal courage is one of the Army values that Brasidas modeled. Brasidas also teaches many other values including initiative and motivation (ADRP 6-22, 11-13). *This reflection is based on my own personal reading of Thucydides, see The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War, Robert B. Strassler ed. or The Peloponnesian War: Oxford World's Classics, Rhodes and Hammon Trans., or The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan or The Great Courses, Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers by Andrew R. Wilson, lecture 2 and 3. ** Charismatic leadership from a religious perspective can be either a power for good or ill. Consider both Saul and David (1 Samuel 15-1 Kings 2:12). For a spiritual view, belief net has an article titled The Pros and Dangers of a Charismatic Religious Leader

Thucydides: On Leadership (Cleon) 7/6/17

Cleon: Brave Warrior, populist, brilliant strategist, hawk, orator.* The seminal study on war, politics and strategy is the book by Thucydides on the Peloponnesian war of 431-404 BCE. In addition to teaching important lessons on the civil military nexus, joint and combined operations and many other valuable concepts Thucydides teaches about leadership using a case history approach highlighting the challenges of numerous individuals throughout his history of the war. Last week we looked at Brasidas who died at the battle of Amphipolis. The opposing general in that battle was Cleon who was also killed. Thucydides, another general (Greek: strategos) who was involved in that battle, was from Athens but seems to admire his enemy Brasidas yet have little regard for his countryman Cleon. This was probably because Cleon was what some today might call a demagogue but it may also relate to his morality. Cleon was a hawk who always advocated harsh policies (for example his push to kill the men and enslave the women and children of Mytilene. We will see this carried to even greater extreme later when we look at how Athens dealt with Melos, a neutral power). In the action that led to Amphipolis, Cleon, as a leader of the Athenian Assembly, had boldly supported and financed a move to take Pylos (right in the heart of Sparta). This action succeeded far beyond expectations when 120 elite Spartan warriors, from important families, were stranded and captured. Sparta immediately sued for peace, on excellent terms, but Cleon, no doubt puffed up with success, swayed the Assembly to push for even greater concessions. Unfortunately for Cleon, since he had convinced the Athenians to continue the war, he was now elected general with the expectation that he would force even greater concessions from the Spartans. Thucydides implies that this was the last great opportunity for Athens to have ended the war on favorable terms. In the end Athens not only lost the war but ended as slaves themselves.** (We will consider the moral dimensions when we look at the Melian dialogue). Army Leadership Doctrine: Cleon reminds us of the tendency to overreach in moments of victory. Colon Powell is said to have had the quote from Thucydides in his office both as JCS Chairman and Sec State, "Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most." As it turns out this is not an exact quote but does contain the same sentiment of Nicias' speech on the wisdom of attacking Sicily, the decision that eventually led to Athens defeat. Military leaders must know when pushing harder will lead to victory but also know when pushing too hard may lead to defeat. See ADRP 6-22, 6-5 to 6-11 for thoughts on how this may apply at the individual leader level. *This reflection is based on my own personal reading of Thucydides, see The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War, Robert B. Strassler ed. or The Peloponnesian War: Oxford World's Classics, Rhodes and Hammon Trans., or The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan or The Great Courses, Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers by Andrew R. Wilson, lecture 2 and 3. ** For a religious thought consider Colossians 4:5-6. From a human and spiritual perspective the issue of war itself is important, consider the subject at http://www.benning.army.mil/MSSP/MEPDOW/ including the psychological dimensions. There are many other links on this page worth considering.

Thucydides: On Leadership (Pericles) 7/12/17

Pericles: Politician, statesman, diplomat, strategist, orator.* The seminal study on war, politics and strategy is the book by Thucydides on the Peloponnesian war, 431-404 BCE. It teaches: the civil military nexus, joint and combined operations and other valuable concepts. Thucydides also teaches about leadership using a case history approach throughout his history of the war. In the last two weeks we looked at Brasidas and Cleon who both died at the battle of Amphipolis. Perhaps the hero who most typifies the triumph and tragedy of Athens is Pericles. For over 30 years he dominated Athenian politics during Athens "golden age." Born from an aristocratic family he was a patron of Greek art and culture and perhaps his greatest achievement still stands today; the Parthenon. Though a noble he nevertheless helped move Athens toward a democratic form of government that still influences democracies today, including our own. Pericles saw Athens dominate the known world of his day as it became a great sea power; what Andrew Wilson of the Naval War College calls "a whale" (fast & dynamic but a limited land power). Thucydides implies that the real reason for the war, that would ultimately destroy Greek civilization, was the constant expansion of Athens power and influence and the fear that generated in Sparta. (Some international affairs wonks today refer to this as the "Thucydides Trap.") Pericles, who was a child when the Persians nearly destroyed Greece, never came to trust Sparta and took numerous actions to protect Athens from the Spartans (Wilson calls them an elephant -lumbering, slow but powerful). The action that triggered the Spartan invasion was the building of a "long wall" that protected Athens and allowed them to withstand any siege since they could be supplied by sea. Unfortunately for Athens this strategy protected them from Sparta but not the plague that killed over a third of the city population and sickened their leader Pericles. Ironically the democratic institutions that Pericles helped create worked against him as the people tried him in the courts for Athens' situation. Though later reinstated as leader, Pericles was a "broken man." Thucydides writes, "the mastermind of Athenian glory, died." It seems that Pericles greatest weakness was his hatred for his fellow Greeks, the Spartans. His lack of trust clouded his judgement and led to an inability to see a way he could allow for Athenian expansion without triggering suspicion in Sparta. This is the first of many times that Thucydides seems to ponder a key decision point where war, and the destruction of Athens, could have been avoided. ** Army Leadership Doctrine: Pericles example could be seen as an argument for various points of view in the decision making process. Pericles so dominated the assembly and Athenian strategy that his mental block became Athens tragedy. Decision makers today also need a variety of diverse thinkers to avoid group think and free COA development to seek out creative solutions to wicked problems. ADRP 6-22, 5-12 recommends diversity in Army teams and 7-15 suggests inclusiveness to help create a positive climate. *This reflection is based on my own personal reading of Thucydides, see The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War, Robert B. Strassler ed. or The Peloponnesian War: Oxford World's Classics, Rhodes and Hammon Trans., or The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan or The Great Courses, Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers by Andrew R. Wilson, lecture 2 and 3. ** For a religious thought consider the Apostle Paul's description of the Church as a "body" 1 Corinthians 12: 12-27. From a human and spiritual perspective (non-theistic) consider the concepts of unity found in the teaching of the Dali Lama including his book "The Universe in a Single Atom. I will be TDY to Carlisle for a couple of weeks but will look at King Archidamus when I return.

Thucydides: On Leadership (King Archidamus) 8/9/17

King Archidamus: ruler, strategist, statesman, orator.* The seminal book by Thucydides on the Peloponnesian war, 431-404 BCE, teaches: the civil military nexus, joint and combined operations and other valuable concepts. Thucydides also teaches about leadership throughout his history of the war. In the last few weeks we looked at Brasidas, Cleon, and Pericles. The two central figures at the start of the conflict are Pericles the "Strategos" of Athens and King Archidamus of Sparta. Thucydides record of the pre-conflict speeches of these two rulers frame the history of the war that follows, what Wilson (see below) calls "net assessment." Today King Archidamus would be considered a realist since he warns the Spartans that, should they choose to go to war, they would "bequeath this to their children." He warns that, as a Soldier who has participated in many wars, that wars cause tremendous suffering and are unpredictable. He also cautions the Spartans about their strategic limitations; a weak naval force and uncertain allies, and about the dynamism of the Athenian empire, and the difficulty in ending a war, once begun. Alas, King Archidamus is unable to persuade the Spartans to postpone the war, and though against it, as king he would nevertheless lead the invasion. So the elephant (lumbering but powerful on land) went to war with the whale (dynamic and powerful on the water, and along its coastal provinces, but helpless on land).* The result was a war that would last for 27 years and ultimately destroy both Athens and Sparta. Of the leaders we learn about from Thucydides, King Archidamus is one of the most brilliant yet troubled. The king warns the Spartans of danger, nevertheless "fear, honor and self-interest" lead them to tactical/operational victory followed by strategic defeat. Thucydides explains that his history is intended as a "possession for all time" and implies that the lessons learned from his history can help strategic leaders make better decisions. The lesson of King Archidamus seems to be that careful assessment and wise judgement must precede a decision to risk war since the seeds of destruction can be found even in success.** Army Leadership Doctrine: Net assessment is important to decision making. ADRP 6-22 5-6, 7, 8 describe the qualities of sound judgement. It is instructive that 6-22 says that this comes from experience (trial and error) and by observing others. Thucydides is an excellent teacher who can still teach leaders today. * See Wilson below. **This reflection is based on my own personal reading of Thucydides, see The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War, Robert B. Strassler ed. or The Peloponnesian War: Oxford World's Classics, Rhodes and Hammon Trans., The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan; The Great Courses, Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers by Andrew R. Wilson, lecture 2 and 3. *** For a religious thought consider Luke 14:25-34. From a human and spiritual perspective (non-theistic) consider self-knowledge as taught by the Dali Lama including his book "How to See Yourself as You Really Are."

Thucydides: On Leadership (Alcibiades) 8/14/17

Alcibiades: bold warrior, brilliant naval leader, ambitious politician, turncoat.* The seminal book by Thucydides on the Peloponnesian war, 431-404 BCE, teaches about leadership through his history of the war. In the last few weeks we looked at Brasidas, Cleon, Pericles and King Archidamus. Today we consider Alcibiades. Alcibiades was a brilliant tactician and scholar but was also an unscrupulous egomaniac. Though brought up by his guardian Pericles and tutored by Socrates he rejected the integrity of these two men. He became a leader in the national assembly and was responsible for leading Athens into the ill-fated decision to open a second front in their conflict with Sparta. The new front in Sicily, boldly planned by Alcibiades but poorly executed by Nicias, turned into a disaster. Alcibiades, who had connections with Sparta, defected when the campaign went poorly and he was condemned to death. He defected and became an advisor to the Spartans, helping ensure Athens defeat. While in Sparta Alcibiades also found time to seduce the wife of the king who was away with his army. The Spartans now turned against Alcibiades as he stirred up an attempted coup in Athens with the assistance of Persia. However, Alcibiades ended on the winning side and was then asked to lead the Athenian fleet. He led Athens to a stunning victory over Sparta at the Hellespont but eventually his political enemies had him banished. His political maneuvering finally caught up with him after the destruction of the Athenian fleet, which he warned against, yet even in exile he had a disturbing impact on politics so the Spartans paid the Persians to have him murdered. Of the leaders found in Thucydides history, Alcibiades is arguably the most appalling. Though he was the most admired and gifted of his generation he was also the most vain, deceitful and utterly ruthless both in his personal and professional life. His brilliance and charisma led to dazzling exploits, but his narcissism and malevolence created enemies who were bent on his destruction. The story of Alcibiades is a reminder that brilliance alone does not guarantee success and that vanity and pride are often the enemies of self-awareness and relationship management (two pillars of emotional intelligence).** Army Leadership Doctrine: Humility and self-awareness are important keys to effective leadership. The latest draft of ADRP 6-22, 4-10 (Feb 2017) warns against the danger between lack of confidence or, the other extreme, overconfidence. "Even the most humble can experience an increase in feelings of self-importance when exposed to extra attention and special opportunities." 4-10 also adds the line, "An attitude of humility is a metering process to check overconfidence and arrogance." The story of Alcibiades teaches of the danger of an extremely talented person who, indulged by parental figures (Pericles) and teachers (Socrates), became a dangerous person whose talents served only himself and the plaudits of others. *This reflection is based on my own personal reading of Thucydides, see The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War, by Robert B. Strassler ed. or The Peloponnesian War: Oxford World's Classics, Rhodes and Hammon Trans., or The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan; or The Great Courses, Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers by Andrew R. Wilson, lecture 2 and 3. Much more about Alcibides is also found in the book by Plutarch by the same title. ** For a religious thought consider Phillippians 2:1-11. From a human and spiritual perspective (non-theistic) consider the Dali Lama: "How to See Yourself as You Really Are" which captures the Buddhist concept of compassion to guard against the misguided thinking of desire and competitiveness.