Jul 12, 2017
Summary & Ideas for Action
Kyle Lamb, President of Viking Tactics, talks about military and
business leadership behaviors — what works and what doesn’t — with
entertaining stories along the way. His authentic conversation
reflects lessons learned that he energetically shares with others.
He tells how his entrepreneurial journey started on the
family farm, continued through the military, and takes full form in
his company, and in writing his books. His main focus is
unflinching honesty when appraising team member and mission
performance. He talks about his team-building training exercises,
and how they are not for feeling good, but for learning to execute
the mission with excellence. He uses humor, but keeps the serious
moments completely serious. He stresses the importance of the
debrief. He tells how his wife debriefed him after reading the
final draft of his book, and made him improve it. Listen in to
learn how mission skills apply to every endeavor, and in your
organization.
Key Takeaways
[5:15] First, know your mission. In business, some people do not
understand what the mission is. Teamwork starts with the
mission.
[16:05] Kyle talks about dads, needing to be there for their
kids, and making sure they perform. Dads should have their children
play in very competitive sports. People need to put forth 110%, and
win. If you lose after your best effort, it is better than getting
a participation trophy for little effort.
[20:41] Kyle has always kept his sense of humor. He disrupted
school with pranks. Kyle sees humor as a part of quick thinking. He
points out sports heroes who have a great sense of humor.
[28:24] Kyle explains that his team-building seminars teach you
how to do your job. He uses the basics of gear, respecting the
team, planning, execution, “hotwashing” (debriefing), and repeating
with a different leader. Team-building helps weaker leaders grow
stronger. Kyle recalls an interaction with a troop commander who
needed to learn the value of the skills of his team.
[33:18] Kyle is very serious during the hotwash. He asks, “Do
you understand where I’m coming from with this shortcoming that you
have?” If they say no, Kyle continues to explain it until they do.
Be honest with people. If they bail, that is better then continuing
with incompetence. Don’t be mean, but honest.
[37:07] Kyle puts mission over money. VTAC builds the best
products for their customers. If you’re about the mission, you’re
ultimately going to be successful. Kyle reminds his military
friends that when they’re out of the Army, they’re no longer
commandos, and no one cares what they did as commandos. They have
the skillsets to be successful as civilian entrepreneurs, if they
apply them to their new mission.
[44:00] Kyle’s his first two books trained him for writing his
third book, Leadership in the Shadows: Special Operations
Soldier. He was unimpressed with leadership books about
clawing to the top. A friend offered to help him write a
leadership book in return for three V-back T-shirts. So he did.
Then his wife read it, and told him to re-write five chapters, this
time with a positive attitude.
[48:17] Kyle wanted a book to read in five-minute windows. It is
a book for busy people. He was inspired by The Warrior
Ethos, by Steven Pressfield, that can be read in bits. Kyle
includes a hotwash at the end of chapters.
LinkedIn: Kyle Lamb
Facebook: Kyle
Lamb
Facebook: Viking
Tactics
Instagram: @vikingtactics
YouTube: Viking Tactics
Twitter: @VikingTactics
Website: Vikingtactics.com
Website: Leadership in
the Shadows