How I Keep Up with an Unrelenting Work Pace

This article first appeared on LinkedIn February 1, 2016, under Stan McChrystal's profile as a self-published article.

With the author's name being Stan McChrystal and the articles premise being one of sustained personal endurance how could anyone not be curious? I certainly was. In this brief glimpse into a well known and successful professional's pattern of life, I was most intrigued with the connection that what one does outside of the workplace has a direct effect on their performance inside. To this day I struggle with what I feel I "should be" doing in my off time. What "could be" better preparing me for the next event? Moreover, with how interconnected personal and work life and work have become (nonstop cellphones, email, text messages, etc.) the challenge becomes where does one generate energy and drive to move forward with both work and life? In "How I Keep Up with an Unrelenting Work Pace," author Stan McChrystal describes how disassociated activities and study both reinforced and strengthened his abilities to maintain an unrelenting work pace.

Photo from Stan McChrystal's personal collection

Photo from Stan McChrystal's personal collection

 

The Surprising Reason You Should Stop Trying To Be So Productive

This article first appeared in Forbes, August 8, 2016.

"The Surprising Reason You Should Stop Trying To Be So Productive," Jessica Amortegui discusses the ever-present struggle organizations have with the outcomes of categorizing and separating "high potential" from the "strong contributers," an experience many are familiar within hierarchical organizations.  Jessica's foundational argument is built upon the research of William Muir, a biologist from Purdue University who studied the production of egg production in two classes of chickens 1) an average producing group and 2) a super chicken group of top egg layers individual selected for their production abilities.  Curious as to what this research found and what path this article travels, guess you will have to read the article.

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk

 

How We All Can Fight Misinformation

This article first appeared in the Harvard Business Review, July 23, 2018 under a project titled Reality Wars that spanned July 17 to July 25.

Words have meaning.  Titles have meaning.  And in her article, Claire Wardle discusses the complexities found in the minimization of information pollution.  She even refers to such a challenge as a "Wicked Problem."  Claire is quick to point out and help define the differences in information pollution.  She defines the differences between "fake news", misinformation, and disinformation.  All words many of us are familiar with but, one might argue, the definitions remain unfamiliar and steeped in nuance and thus misused.  There is no easy solution to information pollution, especially in today's age when so many people struggle to just keep relevent on the goings and comings.  Yet, Claire is very clear, change is needed. Where might you fit in?

Illustrations by Ryan Olbrysh

Illustrations by Ryan Olbrysh

 

The Army Reading List: Annoying Habits, bad choices and very wooly thinking.

This article first appeared in Foreign Policy on September 21, 2017 under the channel Best Defense, Tom Ricks's take on foreign policy.

The first step in the Ancient Greek model that provides the backbone and inspiration for this site is to READ. Here, authors Tom Ricks and Mike Hennelly pressent an article that criticizes, possibly for all the right reasons, the most recent Army Chief of Staff's reading list. On Facebook, Doctrine Man counters this article by saying that it is not precisely the book one reads. Instead, it is the act of reading, reading often, and then reading some more that carries merit. Possibly there is room for both truths. I am of the opinion that the Army as a profession is under-read. We are so caught up in the daily grind that reading becomes an afterthought. How many have read the new FM 3-0? For us, aviators, how many have read FM 3-04? I throw out this challenge to each of you, 1) read the Foreign Policy article, 2) look up the Chief of Staff's reading list and scan the titles offered and 3) contemplate the comments from Doctrine Man and generate your own opinion. We await your return.

Photo credit: J-R Drahi/Armée Terre.

Photo credit: J-R Drahi/Armée Terre.