Courage to Execute

How to build a culture of high performance within your organization The U.S. military in general, and its many elite organizations in particular, possesses a culture of high performance. Courage to Execute outlines the six basic principles that operate at the foundation of high performance, which include leadership, organization, communication, knowledge, experience, and discipline, known together as LOCKED. When all are practiced effectively, teamwork emerges. But the most elusive quality that exists at the heart of all elite military teams, the element that organizations and businesses deeply desire to perform more efficiently and effectively, is trust. Trust is easily spent, but hard won. Author James Murphy, an employer of approximately fifty senior military officers that have served in elite units such as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, U.S. Navy SEALS, and U.S. Army Rangers, shares a multitude of personal leadership stories that illustrates the principles of LOCKED. Shares compelling anecdotes from leaders in elite units of the U.S. Military Written by James D. Murphy, founder and CEO of Afterburner, Inc., which has trained over 1.5 million executives, sales professionals, and business people from every industry in Afterburner’s Flawless Execution Model, and its unique, high-energy programs Courage to Execute will help you develop effective leadership skills and build high-performance teams that out-compete your rivals every time.

Preface vii Acknowledgments xi Chapter 1 The Military Response to a Complex World: The New Value of Effective Execution 1 Chapter 2 Basic Training: Indoctrinating Your People with Values and Skills 13 Chapter 3 Team Alignment: Connecting the Troops with the Leader’s Intent 37 Chapter 4 Mission Preparation: Moving from Strategy toward Accountable Actions 63 Chapter 5 Battle Rhythm: On Track, On Target, and On Time 89 Chapter 6 Continuous Improvement: The Debrief Imperative 119 Chapter 7 Leadership on Purpose: Developing Teams and Leaders from Day One 143 Chapter 8 The Courage to Execute: A Smart Bias toward the Right Action 163 Appendix: Mission Checklists 171 Bibliography 179 Index 183