Category Archives: Military Leadership

Hero’s Journey Home Step 4: Mentors, Challenges, Trials and Descent

Posted on July 15, 2019 by psessum

By Peter Sessum Week four of the Veterans Administration therapy program. So far in our Hero’s Journey we have answered the call to adventure, crossed the threshold and now found mentors. Using the Matrix example, as the book often does, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge, Military Leadership | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, Army, Blogging, Combat deployment, Deployment, Experiences, Hero's Journey, Khost, Matrix, Military, Mission, My Deployment, PSYOP, So There I Was, Soldiers, The hero's journey, the hero's journey home, Veterans Affairs | Leave a comment

Three Guiding Principles of Enlisted Leadership

Posted on July 5, 2018 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum I’ll bet if you put the authors of books on military leadership in one room you would get a bunch of former field grade officers jacking each other off about how great they are. Every book on … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Military Leadership | Tagged Army, Fort Knox, Leadership, Life Skills, Military, Military leadership, Service | Leave a comment

Random Memory: The Power of the Sham Shield

Posted on November 6, 2015 by psessum

By Peter Sessum A recent post on social media about the attitudes of the enlisted ranks in the Army prompted me to write this. The breakdown of ranks were pretty accurate but I thought the Specialist one was too limiting … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge, Military Leadership, Random Memories | Tagged AR 670-1, Army, CSM, dogtag chronicles, E-4, E4, Enlisted, Experiences, Germany, Leadership, Life Skills, Management, Military, Military leadership, Rank, Rnadom Memory, Sergeant Major, Sham Shield, So There I Was, Spec-4 Mafia, Specialist, Veterans, Vets | Leave a comment

Shinseki Resigns but Problems Remain

Posted on May 30, 2014 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has resigned but veterans are not celebrating like the Munchkins singing Ding Dong the Witch is Dead. The resignation is isn’t bitter sweet it is just bitter. As much as his resignation … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Military Leadership | Tagged American Soldiers, Army, Barack Obama, Beret, current-events, dogtag chronicles, Eric Shinseki, Gen. Eri Shinseki, Leadership, Life Skills, Management, Military, Military leadership, Officers, President Bush, President Obama, Ranger, Rangers, Secretary Shinseki, Shinseki, VA, VA Scandal, Veterans Affairs, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki | Leave a comment

Military leadership: Lessons in Military Leadership for Civilians

Posted on May 14, 2014 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum Many techniques of military leadership that translate into the civilian world. It is why many corporations like to hire vets. Even though the day-to-day activities are different, anyone that can lead a team into combat can lead … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Military Leadership | Tagged Army, BG Swan, Combat Zone, dogtag chronicles, Experiences, Germany, Infantry, Leadership, Life Skills, Management, Military, Military leadership, mortar, Mortar platoon, Mortars, My Deployment, Officers, Robin Swan, Veterans, Vets | 2 Comments

My Experience with “Toxic Leadership”

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Archie

By: Matt Archibald Recently the media has been paying attention to the issue of “Toxic Leadership” within the military. An article in the Washington Post cited several examples involving verbally-abusive generals, DoD Senior Executives, and various other examples. However, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Military Leadership | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, British Army, British soldier, Canada, Canadian Army, Combat Zone, Corporal Neathway, current-events, Daily Mail, dogtag chronicles, Enlisted, Experiences, Helmand, Helmand Province, Leadership, Military, Military leadership, NCO, Parachute Regiment, Regimental Sergeant Major, Toxic leadership, Veterans, Vets, Wounded warrior | 1 Comment

Hiring a Vet part 3: Leading Veterans in the Workplace

Posted on December 31, 2013 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum Many companies like the good press that comes from saying they like to hire veterans. Some companies even follow through with that. Unfortunately, many civilian supervisors do not understand how to lead veterans. Mostly it is due … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge, Military Leadership | Tagged ACAP, Air Force, Army, dogtag chronicles, Employment, Enlisted, Experiences, featured, Grunt, H2H, Hire America's Heroes, Hiring, hiring veterans, Jobs, Leadership, Life Skills, Management, Marines, Military, Navy, Sailor, Soldier, Training, unemployed vets, Veterans, Vets | Leave a comment

Random Memory: Breakdown of a leadership challenge

Posted on August 18, 2013 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum How someone handles an issue will determine if they are a leader or a manager. Everyone wants to think they are a leader, but in reality, few actually are. Here is an issue that I encountered as … Continue reading →

Posted in Kicking Some Knowledge, Military Leadership, Random Memories, So There I Was | Tagged 1-5 Inf, 25th Infantry Division, AR 670-1, Army, Experiences, Fort Lewis, Grunt, Infantry, Leadership, Leadership v. Management, Management, Military, NCO, PFC, platoon sergeant, Private, Private First Class, Promotion, So There I Was, Soldiers, Squad Leader | Leave a comment

Military Leadership part 3: Stories Out at Sea

Posted on July 17, 2012 by psessum

By: Sean Peters Date-time group: 211831Z MAR 88 Location: 2102N5 15807W1 – Pearl Harbor OPAREAS Scene 1: USS Brewton (FF 1086) operations office. ENS Peters, the Electronics Material Officer (EMO) is having a discussion his department head, LT Brown (OPS), … Continue reading →

Posted in Military Leadership | Tagged Coffee, Enlisted, Leadership, Leading, Life Skills, Management, Military, Military leadership, Navy, Officers, Sailor, Watch officer | Leave a comment

Military Leadership Part 2: Officer v. Enlisted

Posted on May 8, 2012 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum If I were a human resources manager and had to fill two position in a corporation, one for CEO and one for a factory shift leader and only had to choose from an Army Staff Sergeant and … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Military Leadership | Tagged Air Force, Army, current-events, Enlisted, enlisted soldier, Kicking Some Knowledge, Leadership, Leading, Management, Marines, Navy, Officers, politics, Punishment, Rank, Soldiers, Veterans, Working With Vets | 2 Comments