Strong Ambassaddor and Team Work
John
Absolutely correct: a strong Ambassador who is focused on the team is the key
A weak Ambassador means the childrendon't play well together.
But a strong Ambassador focused on himself is just as bad. Then the bad "kids" play to egos and that usually means trouble.
Best
Tom
I could not agree more. That is the situation we have in the Philippines. Not only is the Ambassador focused on the team, more importantly she is focused on the entire spectrum of missions, including the military mission. Her support to the JSOTF-P mission is a key component to our being able to successfully execute operations.Originally Posted by Tom Odom
David S. Maxwell
"Irregular warfare is far more intellectual than a bayonet charge." T.E. Lawrence
Tom and Max--
My, but we are in violent agreement! I especially want to echo Tom's second point. But I would also note that a strong but self centered leader will generally screw up any endeavor.
a strong Ambassador
Good Evening John and welcome !
Tom and I were somewhat lucky. We would taste failure and victory in less than a one year period dealing with CTs and egos.But I would also note that a strong but self centered leader will generally screw up any endeavor.
Perhaps why this thread is smoking along !
PS
An embassy and its CT are at times intense. We all begin being measured as individuals, but we are supposedly part of the team. An intelligent leader will use those individual traits where most appropriate. However, some of our leaders choose to ignore those specialties and/or unique qualities because their views differed (read agendas). If we let that happen with say DHS, the info becomes vague and from there, nothing you report will be taken seriously.
Regards, Stan
Last edited by Stan; 02-12-2007 at 07:48 PM. Reason: forgot something !
A good friend (even if he was in the Army) while looking around the sad state of leadership in the corporate world said to me, "A bad platoon commander can screw up a unit faster than the clap".
You can't breed for leadership and you rarely reward it.
Sam Liles
Selil Blog
Don't forget to duck Secret Squirrel
The scholarship of teaching and learning results in equal hatred from latte leftists and cappuccino conservatives.
All opinions are mine and may or may not reflect those of my employer depending on the chance it might affect funding, politics, or the setting of the sun. As such these are my opinions you can get your own.
Frozen on the Porch
For you Joe Dirt fans, for the last 4 days I have been like the dog on the porch, hence a lack of posts--it hurt too bad to reach for the computer in Toto-land where it was 0 to 5 degrees every morning.
But anyway.
The team leader comments are all spot on but I would add one--you cannot train experienced leadership. You can teach leadership as a subject and we have to; history is always my favorite lab for that.
To me the sign of an experienced leader is one who can recognize his own shortcomings even as he sees the strengths of others. CTs and platoons are alike in that they are small and you have to maximize the benefits of your collective strengths as you minimize the effects of individual or collective weaknesses. Egos are by defintion potentially crippling weaknesses.
The smallest possible team is 2 (unless you speak to yourself and answer in a different voice); one of the most arrogantly stupid moves I ever witnessed was my successor in Zaire's (Congo) decision to put Stan Reber back behind a desk. One of the smartest I ever saw was Ambassador David Rawson's decision to turn over security arrangements for the National Security Advisor's visit to Kigali to my Navy chief--I was in DC and returned the day before the visit.
Best
Tom
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