Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Don't Just Read—Study!

"For all the ‘4th Generation of War’ intellectuals running around today saying that the nature of war has fundamentally changed, the tactics are wholly new, etc., I must respectfully say, ‘Not really’: Alexander the Great would not be in the least bit perplexed by the enemy that we face right now in Iraq, and our leaders going into this fight do their troops a disservice by not studying — studying, vice just reading — the men who have gone before us. We have been fighting on this planet for 5,000 years and we should take advantage of their experience. ‘Winging it’ and filling body bags as we sort out what works reminds us of the moral dictates and the cost of competence in our profession." --Major General James Mattis

Studying is not a waste of time as some people think. Rather it is an investment of time that pays off in the military, in your personal life, in the corporate world. The return on investment is saved time, saved money, and saved lives. It is said that 'readers are leaders', but it is those readers that study and learn lessons from what they read then apply those lessons that really succeed.