Chairman’s Leadership Library: January 2024

Published 22 Jan 2024

Joint Teammates,

As we move into 2024 and beyond, it is an opportunity to start anew and find ways to better ourselves. As a learning leader, I have always valued different perspectives to broaden my knowledge. In this first iteration of the Chairman’s Leadership Library, I have chosen a few titles that I hope will expand our outlook. Every quarter, I will offer books, podcasts, articles, and documentaries designed to challenge our thinking, enhance our perspective, and make us a stronger Joint Force.

Sincerely,

CQ BROWN, JR.

General, U.S. Air Force

21^st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Below is a synopsis of this quarter’s Leadership Library additions:

One key skill that can always be improved upon is our ability to communicate concisely. In Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less, we can learn to better communicate in today’s professional environment where there are increasing demands for our time and attention. 

Deepening our understanding of world leaders and their path to leadership is a prerequisite to deterrence. The Economists’ The Prince: Searching for Xi Jinping podcast is a perceptive and compelling eight-episode narrative that lifts the veil behind the PRC leader’s early life and rise to power. By scanning one’s past for indications and trends, we increase our knowledge and ability to identify opportunities to gain competitive advantages in a dynamic strategic environment.

How we respond to difficult challenges and failure determines how we progress.  In the article Strategies for Learning from Failure, a culture to admit failure is encouraged as a pathway towards learning and enlightenment. Every failure is an opportunity to learn and to push the envelope of what is possible.

Lastly, in The Grand Strategy that Won the Cold War, a case study is offered of what steps the US government took that integrated the diplomatic, informational, military, and economic instruments of national power to overcome the national security issues presented by the Soviet Union. What we learned during the Cold War has applicability now and into the future.

The appearance of material on this list in no way implies official endorsement or support for any particular author or speaker or for their views.  This list is intended to be a sampling of ideas and viewpoints for professional development and to stimulate thought and discourse.