Judgment, Leadership, and the OODA Loop

Heard a great presentation this week at the Technology Executives Network from Major Matt Tracy, USMC, a decorated officer with some recent combat experience, notably in Haditha.  One of his main points had to do with the OODA Loop popularized by fighter pilot (Col) John Boyd in the 80's.  

Tracy is by current MOS (profession in civilian-speak) a recruiter, but his premise was that this kind of fast, ultra-dynamic, guerilla-warfare mindset is highly valuable in the corporate marketplace as well.  I also appreciated his emphasis on character in both worlds, which you would expect from an officer in the corps of course.

Making good decisions involves exceptional judgment and a willingness to take responsibility for them (as opposed to being hired as an axe-man to carry out a RIF and then skating off with a big cash bonus from Houston). Good judgment is not leadership though. Great leadership inspires ordinary people to do extraordinary things. And it is much more rare.

And because of that unfortunate paucity, (have you noticed?) people are sometimes put in management positions who have more judgment than leadership. Let's avoid that when we can.

i.c. stars Hits An Even Dozen in 2007

What better way to start off the new year than by finishing a thousand hours of training and getting off to a fresh start in a technology career? Last week the twelfth group of interns in the i.c. stars program were all smiling bigger than Robbie Gould as they spoke passionately about the world of opportunity opened up to them through their four-month experience in learning about business, leadership and technology. What a great program -- and with perfect timing a new $25,000 scholarship fund has just been announced in partnership with Geneca and DePaul University. See this week's Yahoo! story here.