Thoughtful comments. Agree.

I am currently in Stuttgart engaged in Teams of Leaders implementation in US European Command working initially on Security Assistance/Security Cooperation in “new NATO” and frontline states. Timely re the Baltic States, Ukraine and the Caucasus with resurgent Russia. In that context I have become increasingly alerted to the importance of sensitivity to use of ROLODEXs and “workarounds” in building leader teams. Success in life tends to be generating teams to enable and execute workarounds. After all, after first contact with the enemy changes plans, winning is having better practical workarounds. All in the broader ToL context of encouraging initiative “bottom up”. We in the West tend to take this for granted – ” Yankee initiative” – yet in transforming former Soviet vassals, building expectations and “best practices” of personal initiative is central to transformation success.

I am completing a White Paper on Institutionalization of EUCOM Teams of Leaders (ToL) and should be able to provide to a broader audience as either a EUCOM or IDA document in several weeks. The focus is entirely ToL application joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational (JIIM).

Another relevant source should be several handbooks “How to” build high performing teams of leaders that are in preparation by the Army at Ft Leavenworth for application in TRADOC/Army force generation and initially EUCOM ToL application. I am returning from Europe to Leavenworth next week to review the products. If on track, I would anticipate these handbooks to be available by yearend – likely through the Center for Army Lessons Learned.