Command Personality

About the Book

“A must for those aspiring to a career as a military officer and for those interested in the dynamics of the uniformed services.”

John Brunelli, Rear Admiral [retired] US Navy

“Command Personality teaches skills that future leaders must master by building on the lessons learned from those who have led others successfully in challenging circumstances.”

Earl Johnson, Captain [retired] US Navy

In July of 1863, a Confederate Army Sergeant from Tennessee was very far from home. He owned no slaves, was poorly educated, knew nothing of the changing economic patterns which increasingly favored the Northern States, and had no idea that he was part of a desperate drama, a vast gamble to win foreign recognition for his infant nation by invading the North and possibly capturing a major city. But he did know that he had marched thousands of miles, mostly barefoot, and without proper food and clothing, to stand in a copse of trees on a small hill known as Seminary Ridge just outside the Pennsylvania college town of Gettysburg. A battle had been raging there for several days and the Union Army had resisted many bloody attempts to pierce its line by the Confederates and yet one more attempt, to be led by Major General George Pickett, would prove to be the bloodiest yet. Sergeant Kimble, looking across a wide open valley to where the blue coated enemy stood toy-like on a distant ridge known as Cemetery Hill, was so shocked as to what was soon to be asked of him and his comrades that he exclaimed aloud, “June Kimble, are you going to do your duty?”, and even answered in an audible fashion, “I will, so help me God.”

Kimble and almost 12,000 other Confederates did march across that field into history on the day that ruined the Confederacy. Most did not return, yet the survivors would fight on for almost two more grueling years. Why? Because they fought for Robert E. Lee, “Mars Robert”, often referred to as either the greatest traitor or hero that ever lived. A patrician, middle aged man who had little in common with his subordinates but who seemed to be special in a manner that mattered most in that most bloody of all wars involving the United States. He had the ability to secure commitment from others, to have them transcend their capacity to overcome fear and to withstand hardship. At Gettysburg, Lee was to ask a great deal from his troops, more than ever before and more than they were capable of giving. The subsequent retreat marked the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. The Army of Northern Virginia had been beaten badly but in a war in which private soldiers of both sides often ridiculed failed generals and newspapers openly called for such individuals to be sacked, Robert E. Lee only grew in the esteem of everyone concerned. Why? Why was he able to motivate individuals so strongly, to impress even his enemies to the extent that they attributed to him numbers of troops which were very often double the reality of his actual strength available for duty?

Robert E. Lee was a leader, he possessed characteristics and traits which were personified in times of crisis, when stress was the greatest and the ability to solve problems was critical. He had shown extraordinary ability to be flexible and creative, decisive and audacious. In fact he was at his best when orchestrating a counter-stroke in the midst of an enemy attack. But even such characteristics and traits were not sufficient to the extent that Lee had to be successful. In addition to everything which he brought to the field there had to be something else which became a central ingredient in his success, he had to know how to build and nurture an organization. His army sometimes numbered over 60,000 individuals and the logistics, training, personnel selection and assignment, and the discipline and reward systems were extraordinary burdens, even more so because there was no precedent for a

About the Author

Dr. Joseph Picogna has served as a management consultant since 1976 and is the Principal of Joseph Picogna Associates. He first started teaching at Temple University in 1970 and currently concentrates in the area of organizational development. He has taught classes at the M.B.A. level in effective organization communication, negotiations, power and influence, leadership and supervision, organizational design, staffing, and macro-quality design. Dr. Picogna is a retired Naval Reserve Officer. He served six tours at OPNAV 08 working on operational and financial issues, was the consultant for the NAVICP “interweaving” reorganization project, and, served as the consultant for the reorganization of FISC San Diego. He currently offers a number of seminar topics which are designed to increase the productivity of organizations by increasing the capacity of the people they employ by strengthening the leadership. His client base numbers over 60 organizations in the public domain and private sector. He is the author: of Personality Sex and Behavior, Total Quality Leadership: A Training Approach, and, his latest work, Command Personality. Look for: Life on the Public Dole, his forthcoming book.