Wild at Heart

"I am looking for my Heart."

This is what the book Wild at Heart is about how we as men in this modern world have forgotten how to be men and how it is killing us. When I read this week I am reminded of how my heart is wasting away in the smooth even, controlled, neat, clean, safe and secure life that I live. When I think of all the things my heart longs to do, it makes me want to cry and all that I have not done and desperate to not miss any more opportunities.

I want to explore the out doors, hike for days, scale mountains, ford rivers, survive off the land. I want to go on road trips; I want to dance until I can no longer stand.

I want to be dangerous. I do not want to be known as a nice guys I want to be known as a dangerous man. as a man who when there is something crazy to be done I am the one who will never day no. my heart cries out to live the life that Jesus gave me to the fullest but my mind tells me to be safe to not take the risk, to not going camping this weekend because I have to study, to not get out and go dancing because I will make a fool of myself and be hurt my rejection. My mind tells me it is better to stay where it is safe and I know I have control than to step out into the unknown. BUT I WANT TO LIVE IN THE UNKNOWN!!!!

I have spent the last 10 years of my life in the known, but more like 22 years in the known and I am tired of the safe and secure, of the predictable and controlled. My heart longs to be one with God's heart and is searching after him and it was made by him God wants me to live as I was created to. I cannot control anything so why do I even pretend to try. Jesus did not live life in the safe lane nor did his disciples, who goes into a town where you know your message is hated and starts to preach, then when warned to leave you do not so you get wiped and stoned.

God designed us to be adventurous to be lost in His heart and to follow where It leads us no matter how unsafe it looks. But we have to practice…..hiking anyone?

Awesome moment

So you know those points in the day where you are not really flat lining but you are really close to it. Well I was having one of those moments and I knew I had to get back to work but really did not want to...then out of the blue someone told me something that just lit up my day and made me smile. It is completely conceited of me but it lit up my day and I am going to start working as soon as I spell check and post this.

If you want the story you are going to have to ask me ;)

West Point….why

Some times when I am up at 0300 in the morning working on a problem set for my major Civil Engineering I wonder why I am here, why I put myself through all of this. Then I remember why I decided to apply to this school, why I raised my right hand on R-Day, why I did not give up plebe or yuk year, why I went to class on the first day of cow year, and why I am dedicated to doing my best no matter who painful it is. I do it because I want to lead men and women. I do it because I said I want to serve my country and stand up and lead those who are in the line of fire everyday protection the innocent.

I see West Point as a giant leadership laboratory a place where you can try out different leadership ideas and theories in a attempt to figure out what type of leader you are. The purpose of West Point is develop leaders of Character. There are other hard school in the nation and around the world but there are no other schools in America that have as rigorous an academic load coupled with high military demands along with high physical requirements and demands. The sum total effect of this is that at the end of four years here you as a leader have been in numerous leadership positions under extreme amounts of stress and have understood how to survive and thrive under those conditions.

YES, Sometimes I wonder why I am here at West Point going through these painful times but I never hate this place or wish I was somewhere else. I do not understand people here who have a bad attitude and view this place as a burden and a bunch of BS. For the first thing they volunteered to come here and volunteered to stay so they can leave when they want. The people who complain do not see the bigger picture and truly understand why they are here and what the purpose of the academy really is. I feel sad for these people sometimes because I see so clearly what I the purpose and why I am here and why and how these four hears of tough times has changed me and developed me into a leader I think I ready to face the challenges of real world leadership.

The attitude you go into anything with will determine how much you get out of it. You can go into a sucky situation with a great attitude open to learning and bettering yourself and you will learn a lot and grow. However you can go into an amazing situation with a bad attitude and you will learn nothing. Because you have closed yourself off to any benefit that you might have gathered.

Every day when you wake up your attitude is the only thing that you decide. You cannot effect how the days goes or what happens but you can decide to have a good attitude and to be joyful in the life that God has given you or you can have a bad attitude closed off to the world and at seeing the beauty of God’s creation and the situations you are placed in.

Vision (part 1) – why is it so hard to share

So as a leader sometimes you have an idea and it is great and you want everyone under you to understand and see your vision but here lies the rub. Sharing a vision is one of the hardest things to do. The skill and practice required to truly pass on a vision only comes through much practice many failures.

I struggle with this because sometimes I have an idea and it is an amazing idea that will help people and make things run smoothly or get us to a desired out come. However when I talk to those under me I tend to am unsuccessful at passing it on in such a way that is actually meaningful.

I think some of the keys to passing on a vision:

1.       Clear intent – why is this vision important to me as a leader and a follower. What is the purpose of this action or direction

2.       Value – if a vision does not have value then to the individuals who you are trying to pass it on to they will not embrace it as their own. For a vision to be embraced it has to reach into the hearts of those it is meant for and grab them.

3.       Clear guidelines (left and right limits) – when passing on a vision it is very important to make sure that the range limits are set and clear. Because when the person(s) executing the vision are moving ideally you want them to figure out their own plan for reach that vision and that means letting them go and execute. This means that they have to know their constraints.

4.       Trust – you have to fully trust those you are passing the vision onto. Because a vision is a very valuable thing, and fragile. When you share your vision with another there is always a fear that why will drop it or reject it. Trusting the competence and ownership of those who follow you is very important. Because nothing kills a vision more than second guessing your followers and not trusting their plans for reaching the vision, because theirs will look different than how you would do it. However assessing progress and direction is very important in keeping a vision alive and well.

At the end of the day what is a vision…it is a dream…it is an idea….it is a fire…it is the beat of your heart…it is the very reason you do what you do….it is your motivation and driving force.

I really believe this. I truly believe that a vision that is embraced and believed is something that is one of the quintessential factors in a healthy and successful organization.

When I developed the Axe Vision for my company with the help of my 1SG and my PLs I was looking for something that encompassed who we were as Axmen and what we were about. I wanted a set of words that were more than words but the reasons why we are here at west point and why we stay. I poured hours and hours into the vision and at the end of the day my command team and I came up with this.

A1 Lead the Corps in Word, Deed and Character. Together we, daily toughen our bodies and prepare our minds to be READY WARRIORS worthy of leading American’s Sons and Daughters.

leadership = love

My leadership philosophy is that as a leader you are a servant. Lead by example and you care for those you lead.

When I say you care for those you lead that is not a surface caring it deeper. For you to truly care about someone you have to have a vested interest in their person and their wellbeing. Only then will you be able to make decision and choices that are in their best interest. Because you now have the big picture in mind and you love them and want them to succeed and reach the end they desire most. Sometime this means that you as a leader may have to make decisions that are not popular and make people uncomfortable. However the point is not that these punishments are mint to hurt anyone on the contrary they are meant to redirect and correct the path of those you are leading and caring about.

for me when I make a decision I look at first what will the individual people think about the decision will they like it will it make them unhappy, then I step back and look at if the decision is the right one for the direction of the unit of the persons under my command and where we as a company want to be and they as future leaders want to be. This is what I weigh more heavily in my decision making process. The big picture.

As I have been looking at my company and the direction I want to take them my heart hurts at times because I want to influence these people  and help them to become the leader they want to be. I am not saying that I have all the answers but I do have a very healthy effective view on leadership I think and I love to talk to people about it.

My personal goal this semester is to do my best at my job as I can. However on a more selfish note my goal for this semester as A1 company commander is to be a Dave Penskar to at least one person. Dave was my squad leader during second semester plebe year and he impacted me in ways that have influenced who I am today. He was over me almost 3 years ago and still I remember him as one of the best leaders I have ever seen. He changed and influenced my life that is what I want to be in one person’s life. I do not know if it will happen but that I what I want. I am going to go about my job to the best of my ability and do my duty and above all care and love my people. Because at the end of the day that is what Dave did. He cared about all of us and we could tell and that is why when he talked we listened and why I still remember him because he cared about us on a personal level.

I think leadership is love, a love that goes beyond a casual interest but a consuming love for that person and their development and for what is best for that person or group of people.

Leadership is love….I think it is that simple and that complicated.

A1 Company Commander

My name is Joe Lambert. I am the A1 Company Commander at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. I started this blog IOT (in order to) have a history of my time as CO and to think through some of the leadership questions that I will face and deal with.

This is going to be a really long semester. I am a civil engineering major and that keeps my busy and with this position it keeps me running and on the move. So these posts at time will be written from the perspective of a man who has had little or no sleep and who perspective is slightly squired. But I view this as a forum to vent thoughts and ideas. To step back and understand the circumstances around me and what is actually going on.

I am a Christian and when I took command of this company I threw down the gauntlet and said I would lead this company as a Christian so my perspectives will all be from a Christian world view and understanding the leadership from the eyes of Jesus and the example that he set for us.

I have gone through a lot in my 3.5 years at West Point that has shaped me into who I am today. Some good and a lot bad but through and only through the grace of God I am here today to say that I am not afraid of what tomorrow brings even if it does look like it will crush me.

This poem says it all, Foot prints in the sand.

http://www.footprints-inthe-sand.com/index.php?page=Poem/Poem.php

I can promise nothing in regularity of posts, it comes and goes as the mood strikes me but I feel that this website is very important not only to my development as a army leader but to those around me to learn from my experience. That is if anyone but my mom reads it.