Nate’s Notes 95: Senior Military Strategist Steve Leonard | “Be Brief. Be Brilliant. Be Gone.”

Thanks for listening to this episode of Meikles and Dimes. What excellent leadership lessons from Steve Leonard, an excellent leader.

First, if you take care of people, they’ll take care of you.

Second, it’s sometimes better to beg forgiveness than ask permission, especially when commandeering enemy vehicles.

Third, don’t use the hammer unless you need to. And you’ll rarely need to.

Fourth, you can’t lead from under a truck…or from behind a computer monitor.

Fifth, remember the 3Bs: be brief, be brilliant, be gone.

And sixth, perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

What simple, practical, underappreciated lessons. Please take them seriously.

Steve Leonard Bio:

Steve Leonard is a former senior military strategist, strategic communicator, and logistician, who served three decades in the military, in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Far East, and all over the United States. Steve’s work as a strategist for senior leaders took him routinely to the White House, the Halls of Congress, and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Steve is also the creator of Doctrine Man, a defense and national security micro-blog with more than 2,000,000 unique visitors each week.

Steve is a non-resident fellow with the Modern War Institute at West Point; Co-founder and board member of the Military Writers Guild; Co-founder of the national security blog, Divergent Options; Co-host of the national security podcast, The Smell of Victory and author, co-author, or editor of ten books, and numerous articles, blog posts, and podcasts.

Steve also serves as senior assistant dean at the University of Kansas where he also teaches leadership.