In honor of Memorial Day, Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Jack Jacobs joins us for a discussion about leadership on the battlefield, at work, and in life.
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We were so honored to be joined by Colonel Jack Jacobs, who joined us to talk about leadership on the battlefield, at work, and in life. A quick overview about Jack Jacobs:
- Military career: Platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division, executive officer of an infantry battalion in the 7th Infantry Division, and commanding the 4th Battalion 10th Infantry in Panama. He was in Vietnam twice, both times as an advisor to Vietnamese infantry battalions, and he is among the most highly decorated soldiers from that era, having earned three Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars and the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest combat decoration.
- Civilian career: Jack was a founder and Chief Operating Officer of AutoFinance Group Inc, a Managing Director of Bankers Trust. He is a principal of The Fitzroy Group, serves on a number of charitable boards of directors, and is the Vice Chairman of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. He is also a military analyst for MSNBC.
- Author: Jack is the author of a memoir, If Not Now, When?, a story of heroism, honor, and the personal code by which he has lived his life, and expounds with blunt honesty and insight his views on our contemporary world, and the nature and necessity of sacrifice.
WIZDOMS FOR LEADERSHIP ON THE BATTLEFIELD, AT WORK, AND IN LIFE FROM COLONEL JACOBS
- Courage is site specific: it depends on circumstance, and it not always about being in a dangerous situation
- Moral courage: stand up for what’s right, get the right thing done or do the right thing when it’s not comfortable to do so, even if embarrassing or not socially acceptable to do so
- We must be a part of something that is greater than oneself: “We must hang together or we will surely hang separately” (-Benjamin Franklin). You think about your fellow soldiers and that you owe each other to do whatever you can to keep everyone safe.
- It’s important to instill social values in your kids.
- It’s important to be good at what you do, to gain confidence. Training and education is paramount.
- You need an objective: Decide what you are trying to do before supplying resources to it. Start at the end and work backwards to plan it out. Always keep the end goal and core principles in mind to keep you on track and aligned to meeting your goals. “If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.” (-Lewis Carroll)
- Seek out responsibility and hard work: ““If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” (-John E. Lewis). “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when?” (-Hillel)
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