This is taken from the book About Face:The Odyssey of an American Warrior.

The author is Col. David "Hack" Hackworth, one of the most decorated

soldiers in the history of the United States. He served in post-WWII

Europe in Trieste, spent two tours in Korea during the Korean War, was

on the line in Germany during the Cold War, and fought in Viet Nam. He

was described by many as a "soldier's soldier." Unfortunately, Hack

passed away in May of 2005 due to cancer, possibly caused by Agent

Blue, one of the defoilants like Agent Orange used in Viet Nam.

This basic philosophy of soldiering comes from one of Hack's

commanders, Col. Glover S. Johns, whom Hack described as the finest

senior infantry commander Hack had ever seen. Hack took these bullets

from Col Johns' farewell speech. These are taken verbatim from Hack's

book because I doubt I could write them any better.

• Strive to be small things well.
• Be a doer and a

  self-starter - aggressiveness and initiative are two most admired

  qualities in a leader - but you must also put your feet up and think.

• Strive for self-improvement through constant self-evaluation.
• Never be satisfied. Ask of any project, How can it be done better?
• Don't

  overinspect or oversupervise. Allow your leaders to make mistakes in

  training, so they can profit from the errors and not make them in

  combat.

• Keep the troops informed; telling them "what, how, and why" builds their confidence.
• The harder the training, the more troops will brag.
• Enthusiasm, fairness, and moral and physical courage - four of the most important aspects of leadership.
• Showmanship - a vital technique of leadership.
• The ability to speak and write well - two essential tools of leadership.
• There

  is a salient difference between profanity and obscenity; while a leader

  employs profanity (tempered with discretion), he never uses obscenities.

• Have consideration for others.
• Yelling detracts from your dignity; take men aside to counsel them.
• Understand

  and use judgment; know when to stop fighting for something you believe

  is right. Discuss and argue your point of view until a decision is

  made, and then support the decision wholeheartedly.

• Stay ahead of your boss.

Most of these fit in with my own views of leadership from my four years

at The Citadel and from my four years of active duty with the US Air

Force. They also fit with many of the tenets my father taught me as I

was growing up. He is a retired Marine GySgt and spent most of his

career leading others in the NCO and staff NCO ranks. The profanity one

I'd toss aside, but the rest definitely make up a great philosophy.

This philosophy doesn't just apply to the military. It applies to

leadership in any arena.