Read2lead: The Professional Reading List

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To: Company Commanders From: Company Commanders Read2Lead: The Professional Reading List By and for Company-level Officers What is one book that has made a practical impact on your effectiveness leading a platoon or company in the Army? Picture hundreds of company commanders and platoon leaders answering that question and including a comment about a specific way the book made a difference for them. Read2Lead, a Web page launched in 2010, does just that. It is situated inside the Platoon Leader/ CompanyCommand online professional forums where members can vote for and comment on books as well as recommend books that are not yet on the list. The most recommended books rise to the top of the list, making a dynamic professional reading list…show more content…
It is by far the finest book I have read, and it continues to impact how I lead. 2. We Were Soldiers Once … and Young by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway Pete Kilner: I read this while at the Infantry Officer Advanced Course. I was struck by how Hal Moore and his commanders knew their Soldiers, by the things Moore did to create a winning culture and by how unpredictable war can be. Another big takeaway was that despite the brutality and emotions of combat, a leader must remain calm, see the big picture, and anticipate the “next steps” for his unit and the enemy. Tom Hiebert: We Were Soldiers was published just as I was getting ready to take command. The timeless value of the book then, as it remains to me to this day, is in demonstrating to young leaders the value of setting and maintaining standards and discipline in training as these translate directly to success in combat. Also, LTG Moore compares and contrasts the effects in combat of good solid leadership (and, again, standards and discipline) with the lack thereof in the second part of his book concerning the exploits of McDade and 2-7 Cavalry at LZ [landing zone] Albany. I tried to carry these lessons with me everywhere as a company commander. Anthony Passero: I read this while I was a platoon…show more content…
It pointed out several very pertinent leadership lessons, which I followed and which were successful. They seem like simple lessons from Ranger School, but they can be easily forgotten when times get really tough. The first lesson was to take the tough route when the easy one is readily available. The enemy is probably waiting for you on the easy route. The second lesson was that a leader needs to be seen as someone who is thriving under a difficult circumstance. This will inspire Soldiers to do their best because they will push themselves if they see you doing the same. As I said, easy lessons, but they need reinforcement. 3. Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat by James R. McDonough Corey James: There are other books out there that pertain to our current operational environment, but not many that cover leadership like Platoon Leader. A relatively short book, it covers many timeless leadership principles from the perspective of a platoon leader in Vietnam. From this book I learned the basics of what it means to “take care of Sol52 ARMY I February
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