You Can Be a Leader: Leadership Principles to Achieve Excellence

Forward

FORWARD

I had the pleasure of meeting Tim at the storied Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Georgia where we were making the transition from Chief Warrant Officer and NCO leaders to officer leaders. Tim was coming from quite a bit of experience in aviation, whereas I'd had just a couple years in the Artillery Corps. For me, this was really the start of my career in leadership, first for several years in the military, followed by several more years in the corporate and non-profit world. If someone asked me now; if I knew what I was getting into, I'd have to respond that I didn't have a clue. But for all the ups-and-downs of what it means to be in leadership, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's safe to say that for both of us, and thousands of others over the years; that was a formative time in our lives and set the stage for a wide variety of phenomenal, challenging opportunities in our careers.

What I take away from this book is reinforcement that leadership is a contact sport. It's filled with moments of anxiety, internal questioning, and often the need to stand for what you believe. As you take on more senior roles, you probably find it true that there are times when it can be lonely at (or even near) the top. This all really gets to the heart of why leadership isn't easy and why every organization works so hard to find great leaders. Those who are willing to work hard at doing the right thing and being the right person aren't commonly found.

But therein lies another lesson from this book. Like Tim writes, we've all seen the leaders who make it look so easy. Sure, there are those men and women who have a terrific balance of smarts, people skills, and the right amount of healthy self-confidence. But from all the great leaders I've had a chance to meet and work with, when I asked the question, "How do you do it?", not a single one has ever replied with anything other than a humble response: It takes a lot of hard work. In fact I've frequently heard that the trick is to make it look easy. So how do people get to become Captains, Sergeants Major, Vice Presidents, Shift Leaders, Managers and CEOs? Well, for many of us it started in places like OCS or an NCO academy. But wherever someone gets their early training, the real learning happens on the job, in contact as they say. And all of us need the stories from our buddies, bosses, and mentors that tell us they went through it to and here's what they did. It also helps a lot, more than is given credit for, to hear what someone learned and what they would do differently next time. In my career, so many of my very best bosses were the ones who were very happy when I was able to share a true learning following a mistake or poor result. Of course, it's always best that the mistakes not be too big!

You hear it a lot these days that a critical skill to have as a leader is the ability to tell stories. It's an ambiguous, fast moving world out there and people are trying to make sense of it all. That's where leaders and books like this come in. It's for the curious, the hungry, and the humble who want to learn through the tips and experiences from someone who's done a whole lot and has great stories to tell. And trust me, it's a whole lot more fun reading leadership lessons from crossing into Iraq as part of a battalion of Blackhawks than it is sitting in an OCS class after not having had much sleep and a pretty good physical training session that morning.

Enjoy.

Chris Honsberger

Vice President

International Rescue Committee

Tim Goloversic's diverse experience from military, to corporate, and to the halls of academia combined with his independent streak provide interesting perspectives. His stories and wisdom can help you become a better leader. He's seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, and understands the challenges of overcoming institutional inertia better than anyone. Prepare to challenge conventional wisdom and split from the herd mentality!

Jeffrey Girouard

Chief Warrant Officer Five, Retired

Emergency Medical Service Helicopter Program Manager

Former Chief Instructor at the U.S. Army's Mountain flying school

"You can be a Leader" is a must read for anyone entering the work force or seeking personal development. This book explains the real difference between "manager" and leader. Mr. Goloversic's experience in the military and academia allows him to share a multitude of opposing leadership styles. His personal experiences are interesting and clearly illustrate the management concepts he wants the reader to understand.

He demonstrates the importance of strong leadership styles by stating the traits that make a strong leader and supporting these traits with stories from his time in the military and later in education.

His chapter on self-awareness resonated with me. This is often a characteristic that escapes a great deal of managers, often to their detriment. His narrative on this topic is interesting and cautionary. His ability to weave stories around the other characteristics of a great leader, allow the reader to understand the pitfalls of not working on these skills. One can learn a great deal from Mr. Goloversic's experiences and save themselves a great deal of professional grief.

Jamuna S. Kennedy

Regional Vice President

Axa Distributors