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ae_rollinson replied to the topic Inspiration for leadership, character and ethical development in the forum Junior Officer 7 years, 10 months ago
Here’s a few more ideas:
“Bad Leadership” by Barbara Kellerman – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/185913.Bad_Leadership
“Followership” by Barbar Kellerman – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2438898.Followership?from_search=true
‘Imbeciles’ by Adam Cohen – details the eugenics movement in the US in 1920’s, which is both fascinating to study as an interim war period in the US, and also a revolting example of what can happen when a strong argument is built and the moral compass is manipulated.
On the literary side, a few other recommendations:
“Ender’s Game” – follows the growth of what you could equate to a young platoon leader and how he realizes the effects of his decisions as they exponentially grow in consequences.
“A Clockwork Orange” – the question posed in the book is this: Is it better if a man is forced into good behavior, even has it literally beaten into him through torture and manipulation, or is it better if a man’s free will persists, but that man maintains his ability to choose to do bad things ranging troublesome to evil? I think when framed this way, this is a highly relevant question to a profession where we all agree to a certain degree of constant exposure to propaganda. What do we make of ourselves in that situation? What does this picture look like in terms of military service? Do we like what this picture of ourselves looks like?
“To Kill a Mockingbird” – What does the leadership of Atticus look like in comparison to what students are told what a hyper-masculine, strong, loud Army leader looks like? Can they be the same thing? How do they act the same? (this could be applied to various other characters in the book, too)