Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and renown author Dave Grossman essentially created the field of killology. His books On Killing and On Combat have made an entire generation of military, law enforcement, and first responders more ready for the stressful, sometimes violent situations they face. In this episode, you discover what happens in the body during combat, including visual distortion, auditory exclusion, memory distortion, vasoconstriction, and loss of bladder control.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a leader who is more dedicated to the profession of arms than LTC Matt Hardman. His recent experience as Battalion Task Force and then Brigade Trainer at the National Training Center has made him one of the most tactically competent leaders in our Army today. He has a high standard for what it takes to make a unit ready for war and demands commitment. In this conversation, you'll also see that LTC Hardman genuinely cares about "the man behind the rank."

People who have worked with CSM Schroeder know he is a Soldier’s Soldier. His 34 years in the Army culminated as Command Sergeant Major of US Army Forces Command, a 4-star level command of over 750,000 Soldiers.  Through leadership positions at multiple echelons, CSM Schroeder grew into the iconic NCO leader that the Army is designed to grow. He is passionate about reclaiming the role of the NCO and advises that NCOs should leverage the authority and responsibility inherent in their rank. 

This third bonus episode on the topic of luck features an article by Nate Finney. Just like Steve Leonard in the last episode, Nate says that you can make your own luck. But Nate goes a step further to recommend deliberately shaping that luck, as one would in a military operation.  In the military profession, however, this approach may seem careerist and self-serving. To that, Nate has some great recommendations to help success-seeking leaders stay grounded.

In this bonus episode, I share Steve Leonard's response to "The Role of Luck in Becoming a Successful Officer." In "Luck Be a Lady," Steve reminds us that there is no luck without the team and that the team must make its own luck from time to time. If you're not yet a Doctrine Man fan, head over to Facebook and Twitter to get Steve Leonard's critical, sometimes snarky look at current events and military news.

Some people say that their success arose because they "just got lucky." Others say they made their own luck. No matter how we view luck, none of us can deny that luck has played a role in whatever success we've been able to achieve.  Here is a bonus episode about the role of luck in a military career and be sure to look for a couple more episodes on the topic before I share my conversation with Command Sergeant Major Scott Schroeder. Thanks for listening and lead well!