McRaven’s ‘Simple’ Bullfrog Advice

Review by Bill Doughty––

Seventy-three years ago, September 15, 1950, Gen. Douglas MacArthur landed at Inchon, Korea. In the following weeks, U.S. forces began to rout the communist North Korean army and push them almost to the Yalu River near China. Then, in November the Americans encountered well-armed Chinese interventionists supporting the North Koreans.

“Hill 205 seemed an unlikely place for an Army legend to be born,” writes Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy, Ret.) at the beginning of chapter 7 of “The Wisdom of the Bullfrog: Leadership Made Simple (But Not Easy). McRaven recounts the actions of Army Ranger First Lieutenant Ralph Puckett, who in 2021 received the Medal of Honor, presented by President Joe Biden for actions in Korea. At great personal risk, Puckett helped his Rangers locate and attack camouflaged Chinese machine gun nests and mortar teams that pinned them down.

“Puckett, who had positioned himself at the front of the advancing Rangers, knew there was only one thing he could do. With complete disregard for his own life, Ralph Puckett rose from his foxhole and dashed out into the open field, forcing the Chinese to take aim at the young lieutenant. As the machine gunners began to fire a the sprinting Puckett, the Rangers spotted their positions and engaged them. Puckett returned to his foxhole only to catch his breath, and then leaped out and ran into the open again. With each dash by Puckett into the exposed terrain, the Rangers were able to isolate and destroy more enemy machine gunners.

“Having suppressed the small arms fire, the Rangers proceeded to take Hill 205. History would show that over the next two days, the Rangers under the command of Ralph Puckett would fight off wave after wave of Chinese assaults that took the lives of ten Rangers and left thirty-one wounded, including Puckett.”

Puckett would again serve with honor in Vietnam, where he earned the Distinguished Service Cross and two Silver Stars and was personally recognized by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

McRaven uses the story of Puckett’s heroism at Hill 205 to illustrate the Ranger motto “Sua Sponte” (“Of Your Own Accord”).  “In other words, doing what needs to be done without being told to do so,” McRaven explains.

“There is often the misguided belief that soldiers only follow orders, but the strength of the American military is that the great soldiers, the truly great leaders, do what is right without being told. They do what is right to protect their men and women.”

Senior military leaders expect even young and relatively junior service members to take the initiative when necessary. Such integrated empowerment is a cornerstone of leadership, and can be effective not only in the military but also in business, sports, medicine, citizenship, and developing a healthy family.

A simple, powerful concept. Which is also a good descriptor for this small but excellent book.

Memorial statue of Basilone in New Jersey

“Sua Ponte” is just one of the ideas presented here by the author of “Make Your Bed,” “The Hero Code,” and “Sea Stories.”

McRaven opens his latest book with a discussion with the most important aspects of being a good leader: Honor and integrity, captured in legendary United States Marine hero Sgt. John Basilone’s motto: “Death before Dishonor.” Honor and integrity are the foundation of a trustworthy leader.

Another motto explored in “Bullfrog” is the British Special Air Service’s Qui Audet adipiscitur: "Who dares, wins."

An honorable leader who demonstrates commitment, hard work, and initiative, will earn the trust of their followers, according to McRaven. Stamina, a willingness to sacrifice, and confidence, along with humility and the ability to make hard choices, are also important leadership qualities. Commanders “must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves.”

All the above qualities and more were personified by Adm. Chester W. Nimitz in World War II, particularly in the Battle of Midway: The great admiral faced a difficult choice about whether to ambush the Imperial Japanese Navy at Midway. “The fate of the entire Navy, and perhaps our nation, rested on this decision,” McRaven writes. “But history would show that the Battle of Midway was the single most decisive naval battle of the war and turned the tide in the Pacific.

Other legendary leaders highlighted in this outstanding book include father of the Navy SEALs, Adm. Chuck LeMoyne; WWII British officer and father of the SAS, Col. David Stirling; U.S. Special Operations leader Gen. Stanley McChrystal; Air Force visionary Billy Michell; Vietnam War hero Col. Elliot “Bud” Sydney; and former president Barack Obama, who, like Nimitz and Midway, faced a difficult decision, with uncertain information, about launching the mission to capture Osama bin Laden.

“It was an enormous risk, but one the president knew he had to take. I admired his guts –– Who Dares Wins –– but more importantly,” McRaven reflects about Obama, “I admired his intellect for understanding the nature of the risks he was assuming.”

Good leaders attack problems aggressively. “Mistakes of action are far less consequential than mistakes of inaction,” he notes. Hope, luck, and desire are important, but they are not a strategy. “Be a risk-taker, but manage the risk through extensive planning, preparation, and proper execution.”

All Hands: McRaven speaks to service members at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Thanksgiving Day, 2013. (Army Staff Sgt. Osvaldo Equite)

Each chapter features an insightful epigram quotation by well-known and sometimes surprising people: Abraham Lincoln, Marie Curie, Alvin Toffler, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, William Shakespeare, Tacitus, Booker T. Washington, Coach Mike Krzyzewski, and Taylor Swift.

Yes, Taylor Swift.

In fact, her epigram quote for chapter ten, titled “No Plan Survives First Contact with the Enemy,” is a found haiku:

Just because you made

a good plan doesn’t mean that’s

what’s gonna happen

McRaven discusses the importance of planning, inspecting, and always having a plan B.

When one of their helicopters became damaged in the bin Laden raid, the well-trained and ready SEALs adjusted, overcame, and accomplished their mission. Training mitigates risk and saves lives.

Importantly, McRaven notes that even the best leaders will have setbacks and seemingly insurmountable challenges. But how they deal with failures and obstacles makes all the difference.

This is a great book for any new leader, would-be commander, and anyone interested in the importance of character, competence, and ethical behavior –– integrity –– in military and national leadership.

There are many references in “Bullfrog” to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, Coronado, and San Clemente. But there is an unexpected thread throughout the book leading through Hawaii, which help illustrate key leadership principles.

“The Wisdom of the Bullfrog” concludes with a spotlight on Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy’s favorite book, “Gates of Fire” by Steven Pressfield. "Gates of Fire" is also a favorite of Gen. James Mattis (USMC, Ret.) and is a recommendation by Adm. James Stavridis (USN, Ret.). The novel is or has been on the reading lists of many military leaders, including the Commandant of the Marine Corps (currently a vacant position).

Pressfield speaks to Marines and fellow veterans at Camp Pendleton in 2011. (Sgt. Skyler Tooker)

“Gates of Fire” imagines the 300 Spartans who fought valiantly in the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE. In the fictionalized account, Pressfield, a former Marine, channels what the last Spartan may have said about his king, King Leonidas, and what made his king such a great leader: “A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall, A king does not command his men’s loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold; he earns their love by the sweat of his own back and the pains he endures for their sake. That which comprises the harshest burden, a king lifts first and sets down last. A king does not require service of those he leads but provides it to them…”

While not always easy –– and often extremely hard to live by –– McRaven’s leadership principles are actually “simple” he says. He offers a list of sayings taken from his chapter headings and a QR code at the end of the book for readers to obtain a printable version of the “Wisdom of the Bullfrog.” (The term Bullfrog refers to the the longest serving Navy SEAL on active duty, which McRaven once was for nearly 40 years.)

Sometimes advanced age has its leadership advantages.

Book Ban or Legitimate Political Discourse?

Review by Bill Doughty––

When some parents and politicians moved to ban Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” from school curricula and libraries, it moved me to read her award-winning novel about an escaped slave family and the nearly unimaginable horrors they endured.

“Beloved” contains references to explicit sex, violent rape, child murder, and bestiality. It’s definitely not a book for very young and immature readers. Some call it a “dirty” book. Others consider it a masterpiece of American literature by a Nobel Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winning author. 

The book is based loosely on a true story. According to essayist Walter Johnson, it is set in “the moment when the Indians were removed, the woodlands stripped of trees, and the Lower South put under the dominion of a single plant –– king cotton.” 

Johnson adds, “Morrison presents her readers with the terrifying excesses of violence imposed upon enslaved people.”

Essayist Tiya Miles writes, “‘Beloved’ is a spiritual and psychological drama about the lasting wounds of cruelty and the wrenching difficulty of holding together damaged selves and human relationships in the aftermath of unspeakable tragedy.”

The book depicts the depravity of slavery: “White wardens treated these black men worse than chattel, locking them up nights in wooden pens dug into a trench, forcing them to perform unwanted sex acts, humiliating them with caustic words of defilement, and working them in an unrelenting grind,” according to Miles.

In “Beloved,” Morrison describes how one chained man, Paul D, felt locked in one of those pens in a trench, along with 45 other slaves:

“A flutter of a kind, in the chest, then the shoulder blades. It felt like rippling –– gentle at first and then wild. As though the further south they led him the more his blood, frozen like an ice-on for twenty years, began thawing, breaking into pieces that, once melted, had no choice but to swirl and eddy.”

“All forty-six men woke to rifle shot. All forty-six. Three whitemen walked along the trench unlocking the doors one by one. No one stepped through. When the last lock was opened, the three returned and lifted the bars, one by one. And one by one the blackmen emerged –– promptly and without the poke of a rifle butt if they had been there more than a day; promptly with the butt if, like Paul D, they had just arrived. When all forty-six were standing in a line in the trench, another rifle shot signaled the climb out and up to the ground above, where one thousand feet of the best hand-forged chain in Georgia stretched. Each man bent and waited.  The first man picked up the end and threaded it through the loop on his leg iron. He stood up then, and, shuffling a little, brought the chain tip to the next prisoner, who did likewise. As the chain was passed on and each man stood in the other’s place, the line of men turned around, facing the boxes the had come out of. Not one spoke to the other. At least not with words.”

Morrison further paints the scene, within nature but unnatural: “Chain-up completed, they knelt down. The dew, more likely than not, was mist by then. Heavy sometimes and if the dogs were quiet and just breathing you could hear doves.”

Those who seek to ban Morrison’s book(s) and other works of art base their opinions on alleged "sexually explicit language,” "LGBTQIA+ content," "anti-police messages,” "divisive language,” and themes of race, according to the American Library Association. 

Another of Morrison’s books, “The Bluest Eye” is on the ALA’s top ten list of challenged books. So are Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.” Mark Twain’s works have long been “canceled” before “cancel culture” was part of the vernacular.

Last month Art Spiegelman’s “Maus,” a graphic novel about the Holocaust, came under attack. And last week, a Christian pastor led a book burning in Tennessee. Books thrown into a bonfire included young adult fantasy fiction including from J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series.

Book burnings: Germany 1933 and Tennessee 2022.

‘Beloved’ Found Haiku

On my Navy Reads blog I've featured unintentional "found" haiku from Senator John McCain, President Abraham Lincoln, Coach Mike Krzyzewski, and others. I found this Toni Morrison haiku from “Beloved”:

Who would have thought that

a little old baby could

harbor so much rage

That quote is used as an epigraph to a chapter about Morrison’s novel in the funny and rewarding “25 Great Sentences: And How They Got That Way” by Geraldine Woods (Norton, 2020): Woods picks apart the words and focuses understandably on the phrase “little old baby.” The baby and its spirit is at the heart of Morrison’s magical and “impossible” realism.

After reading “Beloved,” I turned to a relatively recent book of essays edited by Davîd Carrasco, Stephanie Paulsell, and Mara Willard titled “Toni Morrison: Goodness and the Literary Imagination” (University of Virginia Press, 2019). The collection contains the Walter Johnson and Tiya Miles quotes at the beginning of this review.

Another “found haiku” by Toni Morrison comes from the "Goodness" collection. It is from Morrison herself, captured in her Ingersoll address of 2012, and it happens to be a pivotal point arguing against book banning and for teaching about slavery, racism, and other evils of America’s past:

Thinking about good-

ness implies, indeed requires, a view

of its opposite

The argument for studying the past while not wearing rose-colored glasses is this: confront what was wrong in order to do what is right. Reject racism, misogyny, and imperialism; embrace equality, respect, and freedom. Repel hate; stick with love.

A slave cabin in Barbour County, Alabama (LOC)

On Feeling Uncomfortable

Book-banning groups want to protect children’s self-esteem and not make them uncomfortable: White children should not be made to feel bad that their ancestors may have been oppressors, and children of color should not be made to feel like victims. Children (even, apparently college advanced-placement literature students) should be protected from what they consider obscene “dirty” books.

But, isn’t it necessary to know where the real dirt is in order to become clean?

Jonathan L. Walton explores the Morrison concept of "dirty" in his essay “Luminous Darkness.”

“…Morrison refers to the dirtying process of slavery in her novel 'Beloved.' Black Folk are dirtied, first by the racial imagination of white supremacy. Racial visions are then transformed into laws, statues, and cultural practices that dehumanize and dirty their targets. These are the conditions from which those on the underside of freedom and autonomy, and power seek to break free. These are the conditions from which Morrison seeks to reconsider goodness by reframing who and what we deem as inherently evil.”

The institution of slavery, itself, was a dirty shame. Some could argue that we didn’t start to live up to the ideals in the Constitution until the mid-1960s with the passing of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act, which were brought about by President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson (both U.S. Navy veterans).

      From Civil War to Civil Rights (NPS)

Parents and politicians who want to ban books say teaching about slavery will divide people along racial lines. But studying the truth of the past can show how much progress we’ve made in the past hundred years –– which can be a uniting force.

Tenured Professor of Women and Gender Studies Brittney Cooper appeared on Ari Melber’s “The Beat” on MSNBC on January 28 and spoke about slavery, book banning, and what makes people uncomfortable. She notes that black people were kidnapped and brought to America to make white  people “more comfortable.”

Brittney Cooper

Cooper says, “Sure, racism –– learning about racism –– is perhaps uncomfortable. But you know what`s more uncomfortable? Racism. Learning about slavery might be a bit uncomfortable. But you know what was more uncomfortable? Slavery.”

Fighting the Civil War to end slavery was more than uncomfortable. Marching for civil rights and voting rights was uncomfortable.

Cooper adds, “Learning that one is ignorant might be a bit uncomfortable. But you know what`s more uncomfortable, ultimately? Remaining ignorant, even as these problems continue to encroach upon our lives.” Legislating against books and learning, she says, “is nothing but a return to the very history we fought to get out of.”

Shouldn’t the freedom to read and discuss literature be protected as truly “legitimate political discourse?” Choosing to learn more about Toni Morrison and her books is especially legitimate during Black History Month.

‘How to Lead’ -– Attributes

Review by Bill Doughty

What makes a good leader? What attributes can be found in successful ethical leadership? Listen to this.

David M. Rubenstein hears from renowned leaders in “How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEO, Founders and Game Changers” (Simon & Schuster, 2020). He interviews people like Bill and Melinda Gates, Gen. David Petraeus, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and President George W. Bush, and others. He arranges the interviews in six categories: visionaries, builders, transformers, commanders, decision-makers, and masters.

According to Rubenstein, here are attributes of a good, successful leader: luck, focus, persuasiveness, a desire to succeed, pursuit of something unique, willingness to work long hours, ability to keep learning (“nothing focuses the mind like a good book”), integrity, humble demeanor, credit-sharing, ability to keep learning, responding to crises, and rising from failure.

“Failure teaches humility and exponentially enhances the desire to succeed the next time,” he writes.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, interviewed in this book, gives this advice about good leadership: “You don’t dictate to people. But if you let them know what your vision is, hire the best people, and then don’t get in their way, those are the qualities of a good leader.”

As for other advice in responding to crises, Rubenstein writes:

“Leaders are most needed when crises occur, as we have been reminded this year during the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd. Rising to the occasion when an existential crisis occurs can mark a leader forever –– Lincoln holding his country together during the Civil War or Churchill rallying his country to fight the Nazi attacks.”

Powell, Bush and Schwarzkopf attend a memorial service in Kuwait, Jan. 26, 2001. (Sgt. B. Beach)

In an interview with Gen. Colin Powell (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and former Secretary of State), Rubinstein listens to how the United States responded to a crisis –– Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait leading to the first Gulf War during George H. W. Bush’s administration.

Powell said every good leader must have a strong vision and understand “why we are here” and then instill that understanding of “why” through all levels of the organization or team. 

“That’s what leadership is all about –– inspiring others,” he says.

Powell discusses how United States Marines achieved the mission in the first Gulf War, not only following their initial orders but also seizing an opportunity to advance when they saw the chance. Agility and nimbleness are good attributes for any leader.

Powell also takes questions head-on about his role in the second Gulf War, in which the CIA provided information Powell then relayed to Congress about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq –– as justification for an invasion. He offers a thoughtful and critical analysis.

Cadet Dalton MacAfee receives the Mike Krzyzewski Teaching Character Through Sport Award May 6, 2019 at West Point Military Academy. (PO1 Bryan Ilyankoff)

Interviewing Coach Krzyzewski (“Coach K”) of Duke basketball, Rubenstein asks about what he rightly calls “one of the greatest games ever played”: the 1992 semi-final game between Duke and Kentucky. Kentucky scored an improbable basket in the last seconds of overtime, putting them up by one point. With 2.1 seconds left in the game, Duke had the ball and called a timeout.

Coach K  remembers, “The very first thing a leader has to show is strength, so I met them as they were coming to the bench, and I said, ‘We’re going to win. We are going to win.' Then he called up a creative play –– Grant Hill passing 75 feet to Christian Laettner at the top of the key for a turnaround jump shot. Duke won the game and went on to win the championship thanks to their leader’s confidence.

Among this book’s eclectic group of leaders –– including Condoleeza Rice, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Yo Yo Ma, Robert F. Smith, and James A. Baker III –– is an unexpected but rewarding choice of subjects: Lorne Michaels, creator and producer of Saturday Night Live. SNL has catapulted the careers of Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Amy Poehler, Kristin Wiig, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Kate McKinnon, and scores of other comedians, talk show hosts, and actors.

Second Lieutenant Leah Davis speaks with actor Bill Murray, at the Wrenwoods Golf Course, Joint Base Charleston, S.C., Aug. 17, 2012. Murray participated in the golf tournament sponsored by the Airlift/Tanker Association. (SSgt. Katie Gieratz)

Michaels discusses the challenges of leading generations of creative people. “You try to create a culture where everyone feels they’re heard,” he says. “You lead by example.” He admits to being “ruthless” in ensuring the show is good. He is equally ruthless in ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and in being flexible enough to adapt quickly to change. He listens. To everyone.

It’s interesting to hear also about the history of how SNL got started; its ties to Johnny Carson, Howard Cosell, and first host George Carlin; and how the show and comedy itself has evolved over nearly 50 years.

Most of the very best leaders, by the way, have another important attribute: a sense of humor.

Robert M. Gates praises this book in a prominent blurb: “A wonderfully entertaining book about leaders from very different professions and walks of life … Rubenstein discerns the attributes of leadership they all have in common. ‘How to Lead’ is an exceptionally instructive and inspirational book.”

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday uses the 1MC to address the crew aboard the Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15). Gilday visited Naval Station Mayport Mar. 3, 2021 to engage with Sailors, speak to local Navy leaders, and tour a number of commands in the area. (MC3 Austin Collins/Released)

Kobe Bryant: Self-Reflection, Work Ethic, Reading

By Bill Doughty

Kobe Bryant at Arlington, 2012.

Star of Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, NBA rookie Kobe Bryant was interviewed by anchor Tim Russert on Meet the Press in 1998. In the interview, the future #24 Lakers superstar spoke about what it takes to be a better individual in today's society: self-reflection, a strong work ethic and reading.

"I was fortunate to have a family ... a strong family background, wonderful mom and dad, two older sisters," Bryant acknowledged.

Russert asked him what advice he had for other young black men, many who did not have fathers living at home.

"In some cases they don't have somebody to love, to latch onto," Kobe said. "So I think they have to be strong individuals, dig deep inside themselves, look inside themselves, and not look for other venues, other negative paths to walk down, because there are so many of these in today's society."

He added, "So I tell them to dig deep inside, be patient, be strong, hit the books and work hard and continue to dream."

Kobe encouraged young people to follow their dreams and stand up to people who block those dreams. "If you have a goal, if you have something you want to accomplish, they put limits on you; they tell us what we can and cannot do. So I tell them to have faith in themselves."

Kobe Bryant of Team USA meets service members at a Hoops for Troops event in 2012.

Kobe Bryant became an NBA icon with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played on the U.S. national team at the Olympics. And he participated in Hoops for Troops, honoring the military and military families.

In 2012 Kobe, along with the United States Olympic men's basketball team, visited Arlington National Cemetery.

As part of the dream team led by Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Kobe acknowledged the importance of good coaching, respect, commitment, and devotion to his country. In his autobiography, "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play" (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2018), Kobe writes:

"Our nation means so much to Coach Krzyzewski. He really hammered home the significance of getting to represent our country. Everything he did – from having generals come to speak with us, having soldiers be a part of our preparation process, having us take tours of national monuments – was aimed at increasing our admiration and love for America. You could sense that in the way he had us playing, in the intensity we showed."

"The Mamba Mentality" offers advice and strategies, tactics and priceless insights and memories for young basketball players. Kobe writes, "What separates great players from all-time great players is their ability to self-assess, diagnose weaknesses, and turn those flaws into strengths."

Years ago, when asked what his son was like as a child, Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant said Kobe was studious and hardworking. “He was a good kid — he even cleaned his room,” Joe Bryant said, reminiscent of Navy Adm. William H. McRaven's advice in "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... and Maybe Change the World." 

Joe Bryant has a strong connection with Japan. He even gave his son a Japanese name.

Kobe's dad coached the Tokyo Apache and other teams. He visited military bases, including Yokosuka naval base several times in the 2000s and practiced with Sailors of USS Kitty Hawk as well as speaking to young athletes and military families. 

Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, father of Kobe Bryant and coach of the Tokyo Apache basketball team, signs autographs and talks to fans after the game Feb. 7, 2007 at Yokota Air Base's Samurai Fitness Center. Bryant also played during the last half of the game. Tokyo Apache, a Japanese professional basketball team, took on the Yokota Warriors varsity team here and walked away with the win, 96 - 74. (U.S. Air Force photo by Mark Allen)

According to Pacific Stars and Stripes, Joe Bryant "has a message for everyone: 'To have a dream, to have a fantasy and to have a goal.'" 

His words are echoed by his son in Kobe's interview with Tim Russert. So are his words about hitting the books:

“Once you have that, all it takes is a work ethic,” Joe Bryant said. “If you don’t have homework, then you read ahead in your textbook. You do the next page in your workbook. In school, as in life, you have to do the extra work to get better in anything.”

Our thoughts, memories and condolences are with the Bryant family and the families of all those lost in the tragic helicopter crash Sunday that killed Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan.

Kobe Bryant and Jerry Colangelo place a wreath on behalf of the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball team at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer, Va., Jul. 15, 2012. (Department of Defense photo by D. Myles Cullen)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, left, and Kobe Bryant talk at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, July 15, 2012. (Department of Defense photo by D. Myles Cullen)

Navy SEALs, Pixar, Spurs and Storied Cultures

Review by Bill Doughty

Former Marine Al Haynes had the controls of United Airlines 232 out of Denver heading for Chicago when he and first engineer and flight engineer heard an explosion – the tail engine had blown. "Shrapnel had sliced the main and backup hydraulic control lines through which the pilots operated the rudder, ailerons, and wing flaps." The pilots could not fly the plane and seemingly could not land.

Tail section of the DC-10 after UA-232 crashed July 10,, 1989.

The plane danced and porpoised thousands of feet each minute, wobbling above Iowa. Attendants moved through the cabin and tried to restore calm. In the cockpit Haynes and his first officer wrestled with controls, fighting a complete hydraulic failure.

Fortunately for the crew and passengers (185 people in all), United pilot trainer Denny Fitch happened to be aboard. He offered his help: "Tell me what you want, and I'll help you." Captain Haynes welcomed his and others' input: "Anybody have any ideas?" The team communicated in short bursts, called notifications.

The open, honest communication and willingness to express vulnerability built a team able to tackle the unbelievable challenge they faced. "They chose routes, calculated descent rates, prepared for evacuation, and even cracked jokes." Through it all, Captain Haynes remained calm and cool.

As they attempted to land Flight 232, "A wingtip dipped and dug into the runway, sending the plane into a fiery cartwheel. The crash was terrible, but 185 people survived, including the entire crew. Some walked out of the wreckage into a cornfield. The survival of so many passengers was termed a miracle."

This chicken-skin true story of an event that occurred nearly 30 years ago is one of several great stories and numerous examples presented in "The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups" by Daniel Coyle (Bantam Books, 2018). The stories reinforce Coyle's points.

"What matters is telling the story. We tend to use the word 'story' casually, as if stories and narratives were ephemeral decorations for some unchanging underlying reality. The deeper neurological truth is that stories do not cloak reality but create it, triggering cascades of perception and motivation. The proof is in brain scans: When we hear a fact, a few isolated areas of our brain light up, translating words and meanings. When we hear a story, however, our brain lights up like Las Vegas, tracing the chains of cause, effect, and meaning. Stories are not just stories, they are the best invention ever created for delivering mental models that drive behavior."

Coyle's great examples and the quality of his storytelling show not only how one person can make a difference, but also how a group can come together to excel. He discovers and shares how to foster trust, keep people close, make connections and build belonging in a group. He reveals why it's important for leaders to be humble, honest, gracious and good listeners.

Examples include NBA coach Greg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and NCAA coaches John Wooden (UCLA) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke). Coyle references former USS Benfold CO Michael Abrashoff, author of "It's Your Ship," who made a concerted effort to listen to every crew member and get their perspectives and suggestions. We are reminded of the Johnson & Johnson Tylenol crisis and how a corporation responded correctly to a crisis by sticking to its credo to always do the right thing: Core values.

Coach Greg Popovich (second row, second from left) and San Antonio Spurs visit with staff and Wounded Warriors at Brooke Army Hospital, Oct. 21, 2015.

Coyle compares the cultures of two seemingly related groups, Air Force Minuteman missileers and Navy submariners aboard nuclear-powered submarines.

The missileers "are part of a system designed in the late 1940s by General Curtis LeMay, a larger-than-life figure..." Coyle rolls out a litany of failures over the past decade-plus. "Everyone agrees that missileer culture is broken," he writes.

"It's useful to contrast the missileers' dysfunctional culture with that of their navy counterparts who work in nuclear submarines. At first glance, the two groups seem roughly similar: Both spend vast amounts of time isolated from the rest of society, both are tasked with memorizing and executing tedious protocols, and both are oriented toward Cold War nuclear deterrence missions whose time has passed. Where they differ, however, is in the density of the belonging cues in their respective environments. Sailors in submarines have close physical proximity, take cpart in purposeful activity (global patrols that include missions beyond deterrence), and are part of a career pathway that can lead to the highest positions in the navy. Perhaps as a result, the nuclear submarine fleet has thus far mostly avoided the kinds of problems that plague the missileers, and in many cases have developed high-performing cultures."

Leaders must understand the importance of trust and proximity to achieve group cohesion, creativity and toughness. Good organizations value their history, heritage and artifacts.

SEAL training in TRIDENT 18-4 July 7.  (Photo bySSgt Corban Lundborg)

Coyle talks to Navy SEALs and Pixar executives and shows how their common approaches to building teams and creating the right environment contribute to mission success. "Showing fallibility is crucial." "Support, save, trust, listen." "Rank switched off, humility switched on."

This book is filled with military and civilian stories of how to build and maintain a team in order to meet a mission.

WWII veterans of USS Indiana (BB 58) salute at commissioning of Navy's 16th Virginia-Class fast-attack submarine USS Indiana (SSN 789), Sept. 29. 

Retired Navy SEAL CO Rich Diviney, director of outreach for the Barry-Wehmiller Leadership Institute, endorses "The Culture Code," saying, "Daniel Coyle has a gift for demystifying elite performance and breaking it down into empirical facts. This book is indispensable for anyone looking to lead, built, or find and elite culture."