Universal
A brief holiday message
Happy Fourth of July to my fellow Americans! Our Declaration of Independence laid out a radical vision for humanity—a vision of universal human equality and a belief that the power of a government is only just and righteous when it is derived from the consent of the governed. These principles are the foundation of American government and liberal democracies around the world. As a professional soldier in America’s Army, I believe these principles are worth fighting for and, yes, worth dying for.
But, as General Patton said, “No dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making some other dumb bastard die for his country.”
The Distro is my effort to help American and Allied military leaders make their organizations more effective and more lethal, so that when we deploy in defense of the universal principles laid out in the Declaration of Independence, we’ll be better at making the dumb bastards that oppose us die for their country.
The ideas laid out in The Distro are unique in that they challenge much of the conventional wisdom around how organizations should be led, trained, administered, and prepared for the rigors of combat. Every time that I send out an essay, I get comments, messages, and emails from people saying that they have found my writing useful. What has surprised me is that the majority of these messages come from people in the business world. When I started writing on Substack three years ago, I never would have guessed that The Distro would have the impact that it has had—both in the military and the civilian world.
I have a lot more writing coming down the pike, and I hope to continue making an impact by giving people an alternative perspective on how organizations should be run.
If you’re new to The Distro and haven’t read some of my foundational essays, I encourage you go through them and share them with others. Some of the most important ones are:
You can also check out my YouTube Channel where I have posted a handful of videos on leadership.
Thank you for subscribing to The Distro and for sharing it with others!
If you have found The Distro helpful, comment below to let me know which essay you have found the most useful.
Happy Independence Day!
