It was customary in the Army to move from unit to unit - each one with its own rich history, identifying patch, and motto. We would 'soldier' in each one of them - 'soldier' meaning to do the rigorous work morning and night, laboring and sweating, and challenging oneself and others to be their very best in the name of the unit. We committed ourselves fully to each of these units we were in, repeating their motto and singing their song - "Oh yea, I was in the 505th! H-minus!" 

Two years of my 27-year military career - 2008-2010 were spent in Alaska. It was a hallmark assignment for me, commanding a cavalry squadron of about 400 men and women - paratroopers. I would prepare the unit for combat and deploy it to Afghanistan during the surge of forces under Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009. I share some of this story in my upcoming book, "Left and Right of the Boom. The Art of Leadership, Before, During, and After Crisis." Stay tuned! Left behind while we fought on the other side of the globe in the mountains of Afghanistan, were numerous families agonizing over our wellbeing and keeping us connected to the them, our families, and the world through mail and emails. They were led by these amazing women pictured above.

From a confused look to a clear set of verbal instructions, we communicate all day, every day in a variety of ways. George Bernard Shaw, an Irish playwright, critic, and political activist famously stated, "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." I love this quote as it forces me to examine what I have communicated and how it may have been received, if at all. As a leader, I have this internal voice which whispers to me, "answer the question," "seek or demonstrate acknowledgement," or "don't hit send yet." This voice is the discipline instilled in me in my Army training, for if my messages were not received - if I failed to communicate clearly, disaster could occur. Don't hit send yet.

We make decisions every day, all day, and while these decisions have consequences, most are small. When we were young, especially in our teens, we yearned for authority and autonomy. We have authority as adults save for laws and what rules we comply with at work. What authority do your people have?

Sam approached me and handed me the white paper he produced in preparation for my meeting with the board on Monday. Sam is a great teammate. We've been together almost four years. He is a father of three boys, two of which are deep into the school baseball season. He and I have a work relationship built on trust and mutual respect. You could say that Sam and I function very efficiently together - often knowing what the other needs and is thinking by just a glance. Sam is more efficient than I. He can take my guidance and deliver analysis or a product of high quality faster than I can. I bring experience, patience, and strategic perspective to our work relationship. It is rare when I have had to fix or change anything he produced.

Sua Sponte, defined in Wikipedia, is a latin phrase for, "of his or her own accord or on one's own behalf." Used often in legal or court language it means, "an act or authority taken without formal prompting from another party." In the U.S. Army, Sua Sponte is the motto of the 75th Ranger Regiment, a small, elite unit of highly trained soldiers, all qualified as rangers and paratroopers. Rangers accomplish tasks with little or no prompting. They don't sit idle waiting to be told what to do. In leadership, Sua Sponte is when the leader makes a decision without the input of the group or prompting or authorization from a higher authority. "I Sua Sponte'd," I often heard leaders state when they acted in such a way.

Ahh meetings... We love them, we hate them. Single panel comics and television shows such as "The Office" make fun of them, yet they are an essential part of any organized group of people gathered in support of a mission like sports teams or companies. Some meetings are formal with presentations, some are quick, informal sessions like when a sports team huddles during a time out. All require an agenda.