Donovan Campbell has taken his experiences as an officer in the Marine Corps and struck at the heart of what troubles America today.
"America suffers from a leadership crisis."
Look around you, look at Congress and what they have(n't) accomplished.
Leadership begins with the individual and "The Leader's Code" will step you through what it takes to be a leader! This is an eye opener into what is lacking in our society today.
The Leader's Code consists of 3 basic concepts:
"Accomplish a worthy mission."
"Puruse character above all else."
"Serve others before serving yourself."
Campbell breaks it down further into seven areas (chapters); mission, humility, excellence, kindness, discipline, courage and wisdom.
He gives us concrete examples from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan that clearly show what it takes to accomplish a worthy mission.
Here is an excert from his chapter of Humility:
Humility
"It would seem that if we want to gain a place of prominence, if we want to lead, then we must be supremely confident in our superhuman abilities. Humility is perhaps seen as nice in theory, but besides the point and maybe even dangerous when it comes to the business of life.
But, in fact, the opposite is true. Humility in a leader is one of the few indicators of true strength and genuine confidence. A lack of humility only signifies weakness, insecurity, and a brittleness that is unable to admit to and cope with mistakes."
Giving us examples such as Jeffrey Skilling, CEO of Enron; Michael Milken (former junk bond king) sports stars lionize for the godlike athletic abilities later indicted for rape and more, Campbell shows us what true humility is.
Each chapter explores the topic at hand with great examples, followed by a summary and reflection on the key points you need to consider.
Campbell uses the after-action process as a learning tool, showing us how to apply it to our business and personal life.
"There are many ways to make the after-action process relevant to our context. We can do it at work with our teams, and we can do it around the dinner table at night by asking each child to list one thing that went well in their week and one that went badly and then exploring the results together. We can do it with our spouses by asking them the same question once the children go to bed. We can do it with our friends after a major social event, or (less pleasantly) a major confrontation. Wherever two or more are engaged in an enterprise together, the after-action process can keep teams accountable for adhering to a clear set of standards."
"Public opinion polls show that there is one institution that still commands widespread respect because of its commitment to character and sacrifice: the United States military."
Campbell sums it up with:
"There are many committed leaders who want to make life better for their fellow man, who want to be significant, who want to leave a legacy behind that is far more than an inheritance. If you are one such person, then I hope and I pray that this simple Leader's Code may be of some service to you. And I hope and I pray that together we can lead well and hand to our children a future brighter than the one handed to us."
No doubt some might call this a self-help book, but if so, it is unlike any I have ever read. I would highly recommend this book as a means to explore ones beliefs and attitudes about their life.
Stumble It!
