Overcome: Crush Adversity with the Leadership Techniques of America’s Toughest Warriors

by Jason Redman

 

I almost didn’t hear about this book, but I’m so glad Sean Parnell mentioned it in one of his post. As it turned out, Jason Redman was looking for advance readers, and much to my surprise, I was selected. This is a very interesting book for many reasons. One, the author is a former Navy SEAL, who was severely injured in Iraq. I admire all of the men and women who have served and who are serving in our military, and always find their stories educational and inspirational. So, on one level Overcome is inspirational because of Redman’s personal story. His determination to recover from his wounds was powerful. 

Second, Overcome made me uncomfortable, but in a good way. Redman used the military analogy of being stuck on the “X.” The “X” is that place where in combat you are under fire and if you don’t move, things are going to go badly for you. The problem is we can get stuck in our personal and professional lives, and while we may not be in a life or death situation, we can flounder and wallow in a situation until we decide to get off the “X” in our lives. This is where the book really shines, and is the place where I discovered I’ve been stuck on an “X” too. There are so many practical examples to learn from and some great exercises to help you evaluate your situation and come up with a plan to make positive improvements. 

Each chapter ends with a thorough summary of the key points, which I found very helpful. And each section (there are four) builds on the previous section. Part I is called Survive and in it, you learn a simple, yet powerful, way to get off the X. It’s called REACT. We have to recognize our reality, evaluate our position, assess possible exit routes, choose a direction and communicate it, and take action. This is a very strategic approach to creating a plan to move you out of your situation. 

Part II is Lead Yourself. If we want to lead others, we first must lead ourselves. In this section, Redman outlines the three rules to building the Overcome Mind-Set and the three rules of change associated with the Mind-Set. He also outlines what he calls the Pentagon of Peak Performance and shows how our spiritual, social, physical, mental, and emotional aspects affect our ability to lead ourselves.

Once you can lead yourself, then you’re ready to lead others, and that’s what Part III is all about. Redman spends a great deal of time on this point: There are no bad teams. There are just bad leaders. Good leaders will build trust and they do it by being humble, working hard, and failing forward. They also have simple, clear communication and good listening skills. And they know how to execute and follow through. 

The final section, Part IV, is Lead Always. In a nutshell, this is all about leading from where you are, avoiding complacency, and exercising self-discipline. 

Each section ends with an Immediate Action Drill that consists of several exercises you can do to hone the skills outlined in the book. If you take these drills seriously, you’ll learn much about yourself and create a solid development plan.

I received an electronic version to review; however, I did purchase the book.

 

What makes a book on leadership meaningful to you?