Podcasts about angry staff officer

In war, leadership matters. Poorly trained or outnumbered armies have often been led to victory by the sheer brilliance of their leaders. Celebrated or criticised, loved or hated, those who forged their legacies on the battlefield are some of the most famous people in human history. But what makes them great? Is it the reverence they inspire in their troops, or their aptitude for logistics and supply? And how did their legacies influence one another?For this episode, Dan is joined by an anonymous guest, author of the blog The Angry Staff Officer and commentator on all things military history. By studying the achievements of everyone from Alexander the Great to Dwight D. Eisenhower, they'll put forward their picks for history's greatest commanders.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.PLEASE VOTE NOW! for Dan Snow's History Hit in the British Podcast Awards Listener's Choice category here. Every vote counts, thank you!We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

According to the writer of the best selling crime novel ever to have been published in the city of Ankh-Morpork, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse. We are joined to discuss Snuff by Angry Staff Officer (either a nom de plume or nom de guerre, we're not sure which). Angry Staff Officer is an on-again, off-again angry staff officer, who made the odd jump from enlisted infantry to engineer officer and is now meandering the warrens of Army doctrine, one dog-eared page at a time. Most often focused on historical events, national security, and occasional rants on Army doctrine. He can be found being cynical and jaded at the Twitter handle @pptsapper and writing at Point of Decision, as well as on Facebook and Instagram. He is a proud member of the Military Writers Guild, winning the Military Writer's Guild award for most active member in 2015. His other key accomplishments include an intimate knowledge of far too many gins to be healthy, and having once live-tweeted the entire Star Wars saga.----------------------------------------------------------Check us out on twitter at @atuin_podHelp us keep the lights on via our Patreon!Follow individual hosts at @urizenxvii, @The_Miannai, and @JustenwritesWe can also be found at www.compleatdiscography.pageOur art is by the indomitable Jess who can be found at @angryartist113Music is by Incompetech and used under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution license.Take a Chance by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4457-take-a-chanceFuzzball Parade by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5044-fuzzball-paradeLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Links1. USS Constitution Museum.2. USS Constitution U.S. Navy Website.3. "Conning the Constitution," Chris Peters, CIMSEC, September 3, 2012.4. "Sea Control 153: USS Constitution with Angry Staff Officer and Dr. Claude Berube," Jared Samuelson, CIMSEC, January 20, 2020.5. A Call to the Sea: Captain Charles Stewart of the USS Constitution, Claude Berube and John Rodgaard, Potomac Books, 2006.

This episode is broken into three parts: What's new, with Defense One's Patrick Tucker (at the 1:31 mark); What's old, with Angry Staff Officer (at 15:01); What comes next, featuring Army Gen. Mike Murray and Lt. Gen. Jim Richardson of Army Futures Command (at 36:36). Extra reading: "The Biggest Lesson from the Army's Connect-Everything Experiment," by Patrick Tucker on Oct. 2021; "China Features Heavily in the Army's Next Big Emerging Tech Experiment," also via Tucker in April 2021; "It's Time for Another Louisiana Maneuvers," from Angry Staff Officer back in April 2016. Find a transcript of this episode here.

Are you or have you ever been a boss or been someone who has a boss? Chances are, the answer is yes. If so, then this series of essays is for you.Way back in March 2021, a Twitter user who goes by “Angry Staff Officer” (@pptsapper) posted a pithy and insightful list of “Rules for Army Leaders.” As I am sure you have already surmised, these rules, though specifically addressed to Army leaders, readily apply to any military leader, such as Navy leaders or Space Force leaders (though Space Force rucksacks may be weightless), but did you guess that they also apply just as well to any leader in any walk of life, including civilian bosses?Over the past weeks and concluding today we have taken a look at each of these rules in turn and applied them to your experience with daily bossing, be you a bosser or a bossee. Find the previous installments here.Rule 5Always Train Your Replacement Since You Will Be ReplacedThis one is particularly addressed to the bossers, but you bossees should find much to divert and delight you.Leadership development among staff is often neglected in organizations of all types and sizes. One reason is simply that people are too busy. Bosses and leaders have too many distractions and responsibilities to worry about frills such as staff training, and staff members have too much on their plates to worry about their greater role in the present and future of the organization. In addition, many bosses themselves are not good about seeking the ongoing leadership training they need to remain agile and effective leaders. Worst of all, many leadership programs are abysmal. You, like me, have probably sat through more than your share of misguided leadership trainings featuring speakers whose canned talks were so generic as to resonate with no one or so banal as to lull everyone into a stupor. As I age, I really, really wish I could have all those hours back. Then again, some of those talks included a fine selection of unripe sliced fruit, rubbery cheese cubes, and weak coffee, so there's that.Nonetheless, there are many reasons why leadership development for both bosses and staff is vital for a healthy workplace. I may sound self-interested here since this is the very service I offer to mission-driven leaders and their people, but, then again, I may just know what I am talking about for that precise reason. Leadership skills revolve around human skills, what are sometimes called soft skills, and these are necessary to function successfully in any workplace, a topic I have discussed elsewhere. Angry Staff Officer, though, offers another compelling, even preordained, reason to develop staff leadership. If you are a boss, one way or another, you won't be some day. If you care about the future of your organization and its mission, you will assure that someone is waiting in the wings, prepared to take your place when you accidentally step in front of a speeding bus — in other (duller) words, succession planning. Need convincing?A Selection of Reasons Your Bossdom Won't Last Forever Despite Whatever Deal You Cut with the Devil to Become a Boss(To help these these scenarios go down more smoothly, try visualizing a loathsome boss of your own, past or present.)Some of the Most Common Reasons Your Bossdom Will Someday CeaseRetirement: This just in! You will get old… unless, of course, you suffer the only proven alternative. (Hint: not Botox) You may even be old right now. It is healthy to consider taking a permanent break at a certain point in life from the hustle and bustle of toil and trouble and to leave it all to the next generation to muck up. Some bosses never want to retire, which is universally unhealthy. No one, no matter how much they protest, wants you to never retire. Trust me. Except maybe your spouse.The Alternative: Whatever the means, if you don't get to reach retirement age, and I hope this will not be the case, it is axiomatic that you will then no longer be a boss. If, on the other hand, you are one of those codgers who hangs onto work with a death grip, it is also axiomatic that your death grip will be relaxed someday — ironically by death.Firing: This one sucks overwhelmingly although you may find some joy in your sudden release from a horrible situation. As traumatic and humiliating as being fired is, you can always take great comfort in knowing you no longer have to deal with that nonsense, those idiots, that backstabbing colleague, … You get the idea.Resignation: This may take place for a variety of reasons. You may find another job or just not want to be a boss anymore. Note that your “resignation” may not be a voluntary resignation at all, a circumstance traditionally signaled by the euphemism, “I want to spend more time with the family.”Illness: Not quite as bad as death usually, but again I do not wish it on you. It happens though.Some Slightly More Exotic Reasons Your Bossdom Will Come to an EndComa: Related to illness and heartbreaking for your loved ones but maybe not so bad for you if you are lucky enough to be fully unconscious and blissfully unaware or are even luckier to be semiconscious and able to eavesdrop on the drama of the medical staff. Then again, it could be you are actually in a comma, in which case it is probably just a typo.Kidnapping: This one sucks, particularly if it means you don't get to go back to your bossdom because, you know, the ransom was delayed or not paid or things “went sideways” or something. There is one other option here. See Patty Hearst.Elopement: An elopement could be a pleasant turn of events and a cause for celebration, particularly with a hale, young trophy spouse. Then again, if your elopement is the very reason you must leave your job to flee the state, perhaps you should have actually finalized (or even initiated) that divorce with your first spouse before getting hitched to another. Happy trails, bigamist!The Heartbreak of Psoriasis: See illness.Agoraphobia: This is the fear of public places, and, more precisely, the people therein. Agoraphobia may keep you from heading into the office, but there are workarounds. See claustrophobia.Mid-life Crisis: See elopement, add a red sports car.Incarceration: The good news here is that, even in this age of mass incarceration, if you are some lucky combination of rich, prominent, or white, you likely will never have to deal with being incarcerated no matter how heinously you have behaved. On the other hand, if you are not the appropriate combination of these qualities, your chances of incarceration increase significantly no matter how innocently you have behaved.Some Ultra-exotic Reasons for Terminating Your BossdomAlien Abduction: Some say this never happens while others say it happens all the time. Given the prevalence of invasive probing in accounts of alien abduction, this one may be most unappealing to some. It really comes down to your individual taste, I suppose.Ascension/Divine Intervention: This bears a superficial resemblance to alien abduction. I have never witnessed it, but some books reference it. Ascension may add another alternative to getting old. See Deus ex machina. Demonic Possession: All in all, this one could be fun depending on the demon.Stranding on a Desert Island: However unlikely you are to ever be castaway, it is still a good idea to hone your survival skills, such as how to make a fire with two sticks or how to make a radio out of coconut shells. Bon voyage, Gilligan.Witness Protection: There was a time when I considered this a pretty attractive option. The government takes control of you and your family, gives you a whole new identity, and whisks you away to a distant locale to live out a totally different life. Sound great! Let's go! Then I saw the ending of Goodfellas. Given the choice between egg noodles smothered in ketchup and the vengeance of the mob, I will take my chances with the mob.So there you have it. You can see that there are many reasons why your bossdom will come to an end, so best to prepare your organization for a future without you by training your people. It is not enough, though, just to teach people the day-to-day aspects of the job. They will also have a critical need to know how to lead, a skill you and all leaders must hone continually as well. And be vigilant. Your future departure may be lurking right around the corner in the form of a highly localized quantum singularity or an errant scooter driver.Having perused all these possibilities, perhaps you still feel I have not sufficiently convinced you of the fleeting nature of bossdom and the need to prepare your organization and successors, so let me add one more reason. Even if you don't feel it at the moment, some day you really will want to spend more time with family — despite their objections.Query of the WeekThe Leadership Development ChallengeHow do you prepare colleagues and employees for future leadership? How do you assure that you are continually honing your leadership skills?Share your thoughts on this topic or participate in a discussion by leaving a comment below or by contacting me directly by email: Let me know what you think. I welcome your comments and questions. Please click on the button below or, if you prefer, email me at jim@jimsalvucci.com.Post this essay on social media or send it by email to someone you want to intrigue/annoy.Subscribe to receive my weekly newsletter and special editions directly to your mailbox.You can improve your ability to achieve your mission of your organization.Visit my website and reach out to me to learn how. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimsalvucci.substack.com

Are you or have you ever been a boss or been someone who has a boss? Chances are, the answer is yes. If so, then this series of essays is for you.Way back in March 2021, a Twitter user who goes by “Angry Staff Officer” (@pptsapper) posted a pithy and insightful list of “Rules for Army Leaders.” As I am sure you have already surmised, these rules, though specifically addressed to Army leaders, readily apply to any military leader, such as Navy leaders or Space Force leaders (though Space Force rucksacks may be weightless), but did you guess that they also apply just as well to any leader in any walk of life, including civilian bosses?Over five consecutive weeks we will continue to take a look at each of these rules in turn and apply them to your experience with daily bossing, be you a bosser or a bossee.Rule 4Knowing When to Leave Is More Valuable than Never QuittingA Narrative Written in the First-Person Dysfunctional VoiceThey say you always remember your first time. Do you remember the first time you chose to quit something? I remember mine.I was in fifth grade when it was announced that some local boys track team was looking for runners. I have never been much of an athlete, but my big brother was. I guess I wanted to be more like him, but I was a small kid and young for my grade. I may not have cut an impressive figure, but I was pretty fast. When we played tag in the schoolyard, I could evade being “it” effectively, much to the frustration of my older, bigger classmates. When we raced, the longer-legged kids could beat me, but not by much.So, track, why not? I loved to run. Running was fun. What could ruin running? I went to the first evening practice in a park by the school and had the distinct impression that I had missed a few meetings. The coaches (I have no idea who these guys were) had already divvied the boys into the runners and the others. The head coach was a crotchety old guy with a stogie and a hip flask named Cranky McGrump. Okay, perhaps my memory is embellishing one or two details, but you get the idea. He was not a people person, which may be why he chose to hang around a bunch of preteen boys. After a half glance at my skinny frame, he banished me to go stand with a handful of kids far away from the actual runners. My small group consisted of the non-athletes, the youngsters, the wiry small kids, the nerds, the losers. We weren't JV. The JV kids were with the runners, the older kids, the tall kids with antelope legs and an athletic bearing, the ones that looked the part. The coaches put the real runners through several drills before they remembered my forlorn group. One luckless young coach, Short Straw we'll call him, was assigned to work with us. Coach Straw had us run a few sprints to see what we could do and showed admirable restraint by refraining from burdening us with any hint of actual coaching or commentary or enthusiasm. Then he set us up for a half-assed relay. After a few minutes of this, he had had enough and abandoned us to continue our awkward standing around. We never had a chance.Over the next weeks, Short Straw led us in a few more lame practices, which always consisted of a single, non-competitive relay. This method meant we each got in a bit of a practice run before he turned back to the real athletes. The only instruction we ever received was on how to pass the baton, which Coach Straw had us drill a lot.At some point I was handed a uniform kit of shorts and a tank top. That made it official I suppose, but the whole affair was disheartening. Quitting, though, was not on the table. It was a matter of commitment, or so my well-honed fifth-grade sense of pride told me.Finally the day of our first meet arrived. The head coach, Cranky McGrouch, asked if any of our parents could drive, and I guess I volunteered my mom to carry a load of kids to some school track.The meet was awkward and uninteresting. We sat together as a team, but the difference in status was evident even in how we piled onto the bleachers. The athletes clustered together close to the track, supporting each other and showing off despite the fact that they performed poorly.In the meantime, my little group sat up at the top of the bleachers goofing off, barely engaged in the proceedings and more interested in the thrilling crack of the starter pistol. Toward the end of the meet when we were longing to go home, old Crusty McGrump, the head coach, chomping on his stogie, suddenly called my name in his best Burgess Meredith voice: “Rocky!” He clearly had no idea who I was as he scanned the bleachers, and he certainly had never once seen me run. I raised my hand, and he told me to get into the next relay.I had worn jeans over my shorts against the fall chill and struggled to pull them over the white hightop All Stars I stupidly had not removed. A couple of my fellow outcasts had to help me defeat my pants. We wondered why I was the only one of us who was selected to run, and they concluded, wisely, that it was because my mom drove, which obligated Old Crabby to have me appear in an event. Full of all the enthusiasm that revelation inspired I stumbled onto the track for the first time in my life.The other runners on my relay team were all athletes, of course, and had had some instruction in stretching and running. For my part, I had learned my single lesson well. I knew how to handle the baton. Someone directed me toward the third leg of the relay where I could do the least damage to the team's chances. As we got into position, Mr. McGripe, Short Straw, and the other coaches offered advice to my fellow relayers. No one said a word to me. My role was clear. Don't fall down and don't drop the baton.The pistol fired, and the relay began—my first competitive race. I watched anxiously as the baton loped relentlessly closer.I prepared for the transfer as my teammate lurched toward me, but he loosened his grip on the baton too soon, which made it droop before it reached my outstretched hand. It was a rookie error if there ever was one, and his sloppy delivery cost me a moment before I could secure the baton. As luck would have it, all my intensive practice in baton handling gave me the wherewithal to recover from his blunder.And I ran. As best I could I ran. I had no technique. I had no preparation. I had no idea what to do or even where to look. I just ran. Hard. Wanting to do my best to support a team that had done nothing but fail me. All I had was instinct and spirit and a stupid baton, which, by the way, was significantly more solid than the one we practiced with. I realized then that our practice baton was probably just a piece of broom handle wrapped in tape. By the time I passed the baton to the next runner, cleanly by the way, I just wanted to go home. I had put more heart into this race than this team would ever deserve.After the race, which we lost, the athletes in the lower bleachers started loudly asking who “that kid in he middle” was who “lost ground” and cost them the race. They meant me. I was solely to blame for that one loss even though none of them had won a race all day. My fellow outcasts assured me that I did fine, but I wanted to cry. I found my mother in the stands, and she comforted me, saying that I had held my own.None of the coaches, not old Crankshaft or even Mr. Straw, so much as looked at me after that. As far as they were concerned, my mother had provided transportation for some kids and had gotten to see her wimpy son run. Transaction complete.A few days later, it was time for our next practice in the evening after dinner. I was sick to my stomach with anxiety, and I sat there picking through my food. My parents wanted to know what was up, and I told them, in my best fifth-grade articulation, how much I hated being on that track team, what a horrible experience it was, how humiliating and pointless. They had had no idea, so I guess I had hid it well. My mom asked, “why don't you quit?”What an absurd question. “I am not a quitter,” I declared, looking to my dad for support.My dad was no good. He stated flatly, “if you are so miserable and hate that track team so much, just quit.”I could not believe my ears. Quitters! I came from a family of quitters! So far as I was concerned I had never quit anything! Who were these people?My parents persisted, though, and I must admit that the idea grew on me—rapidly. I went and gathered my little track kit, and my dad drove me to the park where we practiced. We arrived a little late since it didn't matter now.I guess to preserve a semblance of self-respect, I chose to do the deed myself. I walked up behind Coach McGruff as he presided over the runners. I could see my fellow outcasts in the distance as usual, tossing the baton back and forth for entertainment. I would not miss their company. I was nervous, tears welling in my eyes. It was scary to quit. I called Coach McGrinch's name, and he turned on me. I am sure I heard the liquid in his hip flask slosh. He stared at me with incomprehension and was clearly wondering who this little boy was.I told him bluntly that I was quitting and handed him the uniform. I wish I could say he was gracious. Hell, I wish I could say he was contemptuous. I wish I could say he insulted me, called me a quitter, berated my cowardice. Instead, he silently accepted the uniform with perfect indifference. I was nobody, and this was nobody's uniform once and again.Despite the final indignity of old Cranky McGrump's apathy and despite the humiliation and despair I felt as I handed him my kit, the instant I spun around to head back to the car, my tears dried and my heart lifted. A great weight rose from my shoulders on angel wings and fluttered into heaven forever. I could make out the distant chords of a celestial chorus, and the warmth of the sun poured over me despite the fact that it was a brisk autumn evening. I was giddy with relief, the first time I ever felt such a pure release as a full rainbow appeared in the cloudless sky, not with the normal eight colors but with nine or ten. I swear I spied a band of chartreuse and maybe magenta among the rest.In that moment, I realized that sticking it out in such a dismal situation held no virtue. There was nothing on that team for me, no character to build nor any chance to really run. We didn't even have a decent baton.I learned then that quitting is neither good nor bad in itself. Knowing when to quit, though, is a vital skill and a great virtue. I have not always recalled this lesson perfectly, having stubbornly stayed with hopeless situations far too often. Still, whenever I have applied it, I have avoided much heartache and wasted time. As a fifth-grade track washout I imbibed perhaps my first bit of life wisdom. It is better to choose to walk away than to stick with the misery of never quitting.Next Thursday: Rule 5, “Always train your replacement since you will be replaced.”Query of the WeekThe Quitter's ChallengeWhen was a significant time you quit? What were the results?Share your thoughts on this topic or participate in a discussion by leaving a comment below or by contacting me directly by email: Let me know what you think. I welcome your comments and questions. Please click on the button below or, if you prefer, email me at jim@jimsalvucci.com.Post this essay on social media or send it by email to someone you want to intrigue/annoy.Subscribe to receive my weekly newsletter and special editions directly to your mailbox.You can improve your ability to achieve your mission of your organization.Visit my website and reach out to me to learn how. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimsalvucci.substack.com

Are you or have you ever been a boss or been someone who has a boss? Chances are, the answer is yes. If so, then this series of essays is for you.Way back in March 2021, a Twitter user who goes by “Angry Staff Officer” (@pptsapper) posted a pithy and insightful list of “Rules for Army Leaders.” As I am sure you have already surmised, these rules, though specifically addressed to Army leaders, readily apply to any military leader, such as Navy leaders or Space Force leaders (though Space Force rucksacks may be weightless), but did you guess that they also apply just as well to any leader in any walk of life, including civilian bosses?Over five consecutive weeks we will continue to take a look at each of these rules in turn and apply them to your experience with daily bossing, be you a bosser or a bossee.Rule 3Always Carry Your Own RuckI wrote an essay back in December 2020 called “Stuff Your Ego in a Sack and Throw It in the River,” which will have some pertinence here. This time, though, rather than a container for self-conceit, the metaphorical sack is a burden to bear, a military rucksack. I am not sure why both Angry Staff Officer and I settled on wildly divergent metaphors involving sacks to argue for suppression of the ego, so I will leave that observation for others to contemplate.Speaking strictly as a chronic civilian here and with all the knowledge and authority that status conveys, I imagine that in the military the ruck represents both burden and sustenance. One would not want to undertake an extended adventure on foot without one's ruck and all it bears, but the more plentiful and indulgent its contents, the heavier it gets. In saying “Always carry your own ruck,” Angry Staff Officer's point is that Army leaders should take responsibility for and bear the burden of their own needs and conveniences.Same goes for leaders in any walk of life. We all know the stereotype of the overbearing, self-important boss who will not even deign to make his (yes, his) own coffee. The type is a standard in movies and television. His secretary is supposed to drop all her (yes, her) work and fetch him his beverage—“Don't forget this time, that's two sugars and some cream, and would it kill you to get me a cruller?”Perhaps, though, those days are long past.(Pause for laughter.)Whether you perceive that scenario as Paleolithic or as immediate, most bosses are not so directly demanding, yet they still regularly insist that their people do their fetching. I am not focusing here on the worst-case jerks, the ones who have their staff members pick up their dry cleaning or walk the mangy mutt they insist on dragging to the office. What about the more mundane indignities bosses inflict on their underlings, such as dumping difficult work or even their dirty work?Now, sometimes it is necessary for bosses to delegate their dirty work to an employee so that the boss can rise above the politics of a situation. For instance, a boss may have an underling deliver minor bad new of the your-office-will-be-downgraded variety. I have had to deliver that news, and the effect was such that the employee blamed me and not my boss, which was probably good for the organization at that moment. Other times, perhaps not so much.But some bosses use their employees as shields, which is precisely the opposite of what a boss should do as the first installment of this series argues. Bosses who avoid confrontation (a mark of rank incompetence) or who are just plain lazy (a mark of rank laziness) will dump that nasty business on others indiscriminately. One great example of this is the CEO who decides on a major and unpopular policy shift but leaves it to middle management to present to staff. Neat. I say if you are so committed to your new direction, you should want to crow about it, right? Otherwise, if you broke it, you own it.That's the thing about bosses and rucks. Bosses not only should carry their own ruck, but they also own what's in it. If you filled it with garbage, then that's your garbage—carry it. If you stuffed it with your gargantuan ego, then toss it in the river.And make your own damn coffee. Oh, and here's an idea, serve it to others. I knew a boss who had an espresso maker and would serve espresso at meetings. Afterward, his people, usually hyped-up and wild-eyed with caffeine, would offer to wash the cups, but he would just tell them to leave the dishes. Some assumed his assistant would clean them up. After hours, though, you could find him in the office kitchen doing dishes, and when asked why, he would explain that it was his daily reminder that he was not all that. Doing dishes gave him a a brief respite from his sense of self-importance and a wee bit of perspective at the end of the workday. The dirty espresso cups may have been a small item in his ruck, but he made a point of carrying them.Importantly, carrying your own ruck has nothing to do with effective delegating. Good leaders delegate wisely, with an emphasis on that qualifier—wisely. Delegating is not dumping work. Delegating is a way to involve employees and develop new talent. It is also a way to innovate and learn for both the boss and the employee (assuming you are not already working them to death, and shame on you if you are). I will leave my thoughts on delegation for a future essay.Carrying your own ruck, though, is entirely different. Your ruck contains your stuff, the stuff you should handle. It's your burden to bear, not your people's. Perhaps you have had to carry your current or previous boss's ruck, and you think that is how it is done. After all, you get more respect (however grudging) if you are too important to carry your own ruck, right?Don't be a jerk. Respect is earned. It is not an imposition. Employees who truly respect their bosses are going to be more productive and loyal. Esteem is grown organically, not dropped like manna or meteors from on high. Employees who have to carry their boss's ruck may do so out of fear or in order to kiss up to the boss (bosses beware!), but they don't respect the boss. This point should be obvious, but it escapes so many.So, carry your own ruck, and if you think it is too heavy for you, stuff your ego in it and see what real weight feels like. Now march. If you find your ego is too much to bear, go throw it in the river.Next Thursday: Rule 4, “Knowing when to leave is more valuable than never quitting.”Query of the WeekThe Rucksack ChallengeWhat's in your ruck? Who carries it? Why?Share your thoughts on this topic or open a discussion by leaving a comment below or by contacting me directly by email: Let me know what you think. I welcome your comments and questions. Please click on the button below or, if you prefer, email me at jim@jimsalvucci.com.Post this essay on social media or send it by email to someone you want to intrigue/annoy.Subscribe to receive my weekly newsletter and special editions directly to your mailbox.You can improve your ability to achieve your mission of your organization.Visit my website and reach out to me to learn how. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimsalvucci.substack.com

Are you or have you ever been a boss or been someone who has a boss? Chances are, the answer is yes. If so, then this series of essays is for you.Way back in March 2021, a Twitter user who goes by “Angry Staff Officer” (@pptsapper) posted a pithy and insightful list of “Rules for Army Leaders.” As I am sure you have already surmised, these rules, though specifically addressed to Army leaders, readily apply to any military leader, such as Navy leaders or Space Force leaders (though Space Force rucksacks may be weightless), but did you guess that they also apply just as well to any leader in any walk of life, including civilian bosses?Over five consecutive weeks we will continue to take a look at each of these rules in turn and apply them to your experience with daily bossing, be you a bosser or a bossee.Rule 2Trust Lasts Longer than AmmoPerhaps you are thinking, “Gee, Jim, I lead an agency that that provides affordable housing to lower income families. I can't think of why we would have a need for ammunition.”Yes, perhaps that is true in a boring literal sense, but have you considered the exhilarating experience of figurative tropes?For the armed forces, ammunition is a quantifiable, finite resource that is indispensable to the military's ability to fulfill its core mission. A military without ammo will not be particularly effective as a defensive or expeditionary force. For our purposes, though, ammo can be any quantifiable, finite, and vital resource that you need to fulfill the mission of your organization. Call it an analogy if you will, which you should because it is.So, metaphorically speaking, what is your ammo? Money? Time? Equipment? People? Puppy kibbles? Information? What item or items, physical or disembodied, are fundamental to the completion of your goals? Think about it.Sure, you probably use computers and telephones and would struggle to do your work without them, but are they absolutely essential? Maybe you would have been able to meet your mission, albeit greatly scaled down, in a time before computers and telephones. Maybe others did. To identify your ammo, dig to pinpoint those resources that are truly key to your core mission, and keep in mind that your ammo may be hiding in plain sight. Hint: it's not those Post-Its on your desk.Have you determined your ammo? Good. Let's get back to Angry Staff Officer's main point regarding trust.Being an abstraction, trust can but never has to run out, and it is at least as vital to any mission as ammo (again, metaphorically). Without trust, nothing worth doing is possible. Trust holds organizations together and builds community. To fulfill your mission you will need some combination of trust among employees, leadership, board members, clients, and the larger community at the very least.Even the production and consumption of this essay requires trust. I trust you to read it fairly and respond accordingly (please) and share it with others (pretty please). You trust me to deliver something worth reading to the end if only to disagree with me or just to confirm that my head truly consists of one large knuckle. Whatever the case, the relationship between you and me — the relationship this essay fosters and mediates — is all about trust.When the logic of this essay has played itself out, when I am out of ammo, I trust that you will continue to consider my ideas and perhaps comment and share my link. If I have delivered enough here, you will trust me to deliver much the same level of engagement in my next essay. And so on.Therefore, as vital as ammo is, trust is more precious because it has more staying power. Also, while we must obtain new ammo from outside to keep ourselves supplied, trust is internally generated and, when tended properly, self-renewing.I have been a part of organizations where trust was lacking, and I imagine you have too. Sure, given ample ammo, such institutions may still limp along, usually on the plentiful resources and, yes, limited trust they have, but they can never fully live up to their potential nor their mission. Their shortcomings are usually abundant and apparent to all. Whatever its resource level, a trustless organization is a dysfunctional organization.In your organization, think of whom you must trust in order to do your job and make your mission work. Think of who trusts you. How do you nurture those relationships? Are they scalable? In other words, if the scope of your mission grew, would the trust relationships you share now be enough to stay on mission, or would you need to develop new relationships?Maintaining your ammo supply is absolutely critical, to be sure, but good leaders will be even more focused on fostering trust with and among their people. Otherwise, even with plenty of ammo, you will have no cohesive sense of purpose. Ammo is necessary, but only trust will keep you on mission.Next Thursday: Rule 3, “Always carry your own ruck.”Query of the WeekThe Trusty ChallengeThink of an organization you are aware of that seems to lack trust. How do they get anything done? How would the organization function if it had plenty of trust? How would it achieve that goal?Share your thoughts on this topic or open a discussion by leaving a comment below or by contacting me directly by email: Let me know what you think. I welcome your comments and questions. Please click on the button below or, if you prefer, email me at jim@jimsalvucci.com.Post this essay on social media or send it by email to someone you want to intrigue/annoy.Subscribe to receive my weekly newsletter and special editions directly to your mailbox.You can improve your ability to achieve your mission of your organization.Visit my website and reach out to me to learn how. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimsalvucci.substack.com

Are you or have you ever been a boss or been someone who has a boss? Chances are, the answer is yes. If so, then this series of essays is for you.Way back in March 2021, a Twitter user who goes by “Angry Staff Officer” (@pptsapper) posted a pithy and insightful list of “Rules for Army Leaders.” As I am sure you have already surmised, these rules, though specifically addressed to Army leaders, readily apply to any military leader, such as Navy leaders or Space Force leaders (though Space Force rucksacks may be weightless), but did you guess that they also apply just as well to any leader in any walk of life, including civilian bosses?Over several (uh, five) consecutive weeks we will continue to take a look at each of these rules in turn and apply them to your experience with daily bossing, be you a bosser or a bossee.Rule 1If You're Not Always Fighting for Your People, You're WrongIf you are a boss or any sort of leader, whether you are aware or not, a big part of your job is protecting your employees and colleagues. Some days, most days, doing so is the most important thing you can do. You fight to actively promote your people's ideas, work, and wellbeing, and you fight to protect them from outside menaces, including your own boss(es) and … wait for it … yourself. Good bosses put themselves out there for their people, and yeah it is hard. But that is why you get the big bucks right?If you are bossed, you have every right to expect to be championed and protected so long as you reasonably uphold your end of the bargain as an employee. Consider this essay and its successors a guide for what to expect from your boss. If you are doing your job up to snuff, and your boss is not fighting for you, get a better boss.Some time ago, I wrote about the debilitating effects of bosses who point fingers as a habit. Good bosses, I wrote, seek to solve problems first, and casting aspersions most often is neither necessary nor wise. Fighting for your people means not impulsively pointing fingers at them, but it also means standing between your people and anyone else who would unduly point fingers at them, even your own boss. I call it being a human heat shield, and, trust me, it can be painful. If it helps you bear the suffering, imagine instead all that harm being endured by someone even more helpless. Not serving as a heat shield, to quote a common but trenchant phrase and to confoundingly mix my metaphors, is throwing them under the bus. Don't.In another piece I advocated for always starting with yes. Bosses who approach their people and their ideas with positivity increase job satisfaction and, in my experience, get a lot more done better. Fighting for your people also involves fighting for their ideas, supporting and advocating, and giving sufficient credit where it is due.Above all, though, bosses need to be most diligent in protecting their people from themselves. All employees must recognize that everyone, even the boss, is entitled to be in a bad mood, a funk, a dark place. Everyone is entitled from time to time to be under the weather, under water, under the gun. It is called being human, and it is inevitable. A good boss, though, will actively monitor his or her behavior and check any nascent bad habits. One of the best ways to do this is to observe how others behave around you. For instance, if you notice that your people or colleagues are acting overly cautious in your presence, you might want to explore why. Are you behaving badly? Almost certainly, yes. Are you yelling? If so, then go to hell.Another trick for checking yourself is to ask trusted employees and colleagues to observe your behavior. By trusted, I mean the ones who have seen you at your best and worst and are most likely to speak the truth directly to your face. The ones you regularly turn to for advice. If such an empowered employee sets a mysterious meeting with you, be sure to wear your thick skin to work that day, but also be sure to allow the truth to enter your thick skull. Pettiness, knee-jerk defensiveness, and vengeance are never appropriate, and less so when a trusted employee intrepidly approaches you with constructive criticism or just to vent. Times like these are primed for you to stuff your ego in a sack and throw it in the river.Milquetoast or ToasterBosses who don't fight for their people tend to come in two categories. The first is more rare: the milquetoast boss who is afraid to upset or confront anyone, who thinks the best course of action is to pretend that everything is just a-okay all the time. These feckless bosses, though they mean well and are personable, inevitably expose their people to all sorts of harm from others to the extent that they may as well just commit the harm themselves.The other type is far more and far too prevalent. These beasts land somewhere on the spectrum between superficially nice but wholly about self-preservation to just plain mean. Whatever space they occupy on this spectrum, they are mere bullies even if they outsource their bullying to other employees. And, as we know, workplace bullies are definitionally incompetent. So that's the morality of bosses fighting for their people, but what of the practicality? What is the benefit? Bosses who fight deserve loyalty and respect and tend to get them, but they should not expect them. Yes, such bosses foster workplaces where trust, job satisfaction, dedication, creativity, and high productivity often prevail. But for the boss, it needs to be all about the doing, not the what for. Good bosses who fight for their people have one primary goal, one guiding philosophy that shapes their every move. There is one purpose to their treatment of their people and one treatment their people deserve, and achieving it significantly advances the likelihood that everyone will do great work.Just be decent.Next Thursday: Rule 2, “Trust lasts longer than ammo.”Query of the WeekThe Fight for Your People ChallengeHave you ever experienced a boss protecting you? If so, what did it do for your morale? Have you ever had a boss not protect you? What was the result?Share your thoughts on this topic or open a discussion by leaving a comment below or by contacting me directly by email: Let me know what you think. I welcome your comments and questions. Please click on the button below or, if you prefer, email me at jim@jimsalvucci.com.Post this essay on social media or send it by email to someone you want to intrigue/annoy.Subscribe to receive my weekly newsletter and special editions directly to your mailbox.Are you ready to improve your ability to achieve your organizational mission?Visit my website to learn what I have to offer. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimsalvucci.substack.com

A countdown to WWI and a bright, bubbly festive drink named after a killing machine. As the great old powers of Europe marched toward war the conflict seemed inevitable. But was it? Was there a way these men could have resolved their differences? Joining us on this journey is the French 75, a bright bubbly little drink named after a fearsome peace of WWI artillery. What can this drink teach us about fighting out our issues, and have we really learned our lesson from the past? Special guests this week are Zahra Bates of Courvoisier Cognac, Keli Rivers of Sipsmith Gin and Angry Staff Officer of the War Stories podcast.Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us every two weeks as we talk about history's favorite drinks and how what we drink shapes history. To see what's coming next follow Greg on instagram @100ProofGreg. #drinkinghistoryHeritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Back Bar by becoming a member!Back Bar is Powered by Simplecast. 

Links1. “Sea Control 153 – USS Constitution with Angry Staff Officer and Dr. Claude Berube,” Claude Berube, Angry Staff Officer with Jared Samuelson, CIMSEC (2020).2. “Sea Control 156 – Sink the Montana!,” Claude Berube with Jared Samuelson, CIMSEC (2020).3. The Preble Hall Podcast by the USNA Museum.4. Maritime Private Security: Market Responses to Piracy, Terrorism and Waterborne Security Risks in the 21st Century, edited by Claude Berube and Patrick Cullen, Routledge (2012).5. “Blackwaters for the Blue Waters: The Promise of Private Naval Companies,” by Claude Berube, Orbis (2007).6. “Standup a Joint Interagency Task Force to Fight Illegal Fishing,” by Claude Berube, CIMSEC (2020).7. Taste of War: World War II and the Battle for Food, by Lizzie Collingham, Penguin Books, (2013).8. “Sea Shepherd: The Evolution of an Eco-Vigilante to Legitimized Maritime Capacity Builder,” by Claude Berube, U.S. Naval War College (2020).9. “Leveraging NGOs and Volunteerism for Maritime Surveillance Against IUU Fishing,” by Walker Mills, Dylan Philips-Levine and Trevor Philips-Levine, CIMSEC (2020).10. “Advantage At Sea,” U.S. Tri-Service Maritime Strategy (2020).11. “Competition Continuum,” U.S. Department of Defense (2020).12. “Thunder Road: Outsourcing the Fight Against Illegal Fishing,” by Claude Berube, War on the Rocks, (2015).13. “Trump’s Gunboats: Achieving the Goal of 350 or 355 Ships will be Challenging,” by Claude Berube, The National Interest (2016).14. “Online Event: Strategic Perspectives on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing,” panel discussion with Craig Faller and Karl Schultz, Center for Strategic & International Studies (2020).  15. “The Maritime Story Missing in “Civilian Warriors,” Claude Berube interview with Erik Prince, CIMSEC (2013).16. The Aden Effect: A Connor Stark Novel, Claude Berube, Naval Institute Press (2012).17. Syren’s Song: A Connor Stark Novel, Claude Berube, Naval Institute Press (2015). 

As an armed mob broke into the US Capitol, Dan talked long into the night to his friend and star blogger known only as the Angry Staff Officer. He is a serving officer in the US military and is unable to use his own name for broadcasting. During the course of a long conversation they talked about the American constitutional experiment, the history of insurrection in America, the battle of Gettysburg, the meaning of the word militia and, yes, Star Wars. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As an armed mob broke into the US Capitol, Dan talked long into the night to his friend and star blogger known only as the Angry Staff Officer. He is a serving officer in the US military and is unable to use his own name for broadcasting. During the course of a long conversation they talked about the American constitutional experiment, the history of insurrection in America, the battle of Gettysburg, the meaning of the word militia and, yes, Star Wars. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There were a lot of crazy ideas in World War II. But possibly none more than dropping the 82nd Airborne Division on Rome in order to seize it after Italy capitulated. In this episode, Angry Staff Officer follows two US officers on their secret mission to Rome to negotiate with Italian leadership, and the result this would have for the airborne operation. www.warstoriescast.com

1. http://www.angrystaffofficer.com2. Preble Hall Podcast: https://www.usna.edu/Museum/PrebleHall/index.phpThe official podcast of the US Naval Academy Museum3. A Call to the Sea: Captain Charles Stewart of the USS Constitution. @cgberube and coauthor John Rodgaard chronicle the career of, arguably, Constitution's most successful captain.https://www.amazon.com/Call-Sea-Captain-Charles-Constitution/dp/1574885189/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=claude+berube&qid=1578502017&sr=8-3

This week on the program: • President Trump abruptly reversed course and now wants $750 billion for the U.S. military in fiscal year 2020 — a sudden $50 billion increase over his old plans. We’ll ask why the change might have happened, and what’s $50 billion really in the big picture? Global Business Editor Marcus Weisgerber posed those questions and more to Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (beginning at the 2:25 mark). • Then (22:10) we’ll mark the birthday of a very special organization that turned 382 years old this week. Angry Staff Officer joined us to celebrate with some history, an interesting new project he’s working on for NCOs, and why he likes Star Wars movies so darn much. • And we’ll end (35:25)with a short chat on the U.S. Air Force’s Kessel Run program with former enlisted man and current civilian supercoder Adam Furtado. *** • Read CSIS's series "Bad Ideas in National Security" here https://defense360.csis.org/series/bad-ideas/ • Find Angry Staff Officer's NCO Club online here https://angrystaffofficer.com/category/the-nco-club/ • And read more about the Kessel Run project online here https://kesselrun.af.mil/

To wrap up the season of Loose Rounds, Adin and Angry Staff Officer ventured to Washington, DC and the Association of the United States Army's annual conference. There, they held a live show, brought together by Nammo, which covers everything from what a trade show might've looked like before the Battle of Crecy to how the podcast came into being. www.warstoriescast.com/loose-rounds

Joe is joined by Historian, writer, and host of the War Stories Cast Angry Staff Officer to talk about the 100th Anniversary of the Meuse Argonne Offensive and the development of the US Army from a stick wielding joke to a super power. Follow the show on Twitter @lions_by Follow Joe @jkass99 Follow Angry Staff Officer @pptsapper and check out the War Stories Cast here https://warstoriescast.com

What's the simplest item that's changed the shape of warfare? The bullet? The boot? How about the humble wheel? In this episode of Loose Rounds, Adin and Angry Staff Officer trace the development of the wheel throughout history, and how it's shaped how wars are fought on and off the battlefield.   www.warstoriescast.com  

Members of the military oftentimes talk about how little they need to get by. Without the creature comforts the everyday person may come to expect. But there's one thing they've needed from the first days we fought wars. Food. In this episode of Loose Rounds, Angry Staff Officer and Adin take a look at the history of eating in the field and whether there's a higher purpose to field rations than jamming it full of calories, protein, and vitamins.    www.warstoriescast.com

Until someone invents a solution to time travel, distance on the battlefield will define how wars are fought. Communications have attempted to solve for this problem since wars first began: first with runners, up to the present day with radio communications. But how much have things really changed over those thousands of years? Angry Staff Officer and Adin take a look.   www.warstoriescast.com

For something so central to our lives, the role of blood wasn't something we could explain for much of our history. We knew it was important, and when someone was bleeding out on the battlefield, you needed to fix them, but just how you would go about doing that was a source of constant trial and error. In the second Loose Rounds discussion, Adin and Angry Staff Officer look at how blood transfusions came into being on the battlefield and how it changed how wars were fought. War Stories Loose Rounds

On this week's ZBT, Chaps, Cons, Kate and Pfc Bren discuss how badass eagles are and the USMC's new tattoo policy. Chaps interviews Angry Staff Officer about politics, guns, and more. Chaps also reads an emotional Facebook post from one of his former Marine's wives.

In a field otherwise centered around seriousness and a proud […]

In our second interseason episode, Angry Staff Officer and Adin look at the tragic decline of armor in the Star Wars universe and explore why it might have occurred. www.warstoriescast.com Become a War Stories supporter on Patreon