Patrol Debrief #3 — The Iron Major Author

LTC David W. Dunphy, The Iron Major Survival Guide

The past two Patrol Debriefs focused on sharing with you knowledge gained by senior MP leaders. In this Patrol Debrief, we interviewed a leader and author from outside the MP Corps, whose shared knowledge provides wisdom for leaders regardless of branch or service.

Several years ago, I read the “Iron Major Survival Guide” (IMSG) before I took a position as a battalion S4, realizing that if I were going to work for Majors, I might need to understand how they thought. But little did I realize, how the simple text of that .pdf file would do more to inform my interactions as a staff officer, and later as a company commander than many other leadership courses I have taken in my career.

Just last week, as I considered my pending return to a brigade as one of those once-fabled field grade officers and contemplated what I needed to prepare mentally, I searched online for a new version of the IMSG and found that the author himself, LTC David W. Dunphy, was in the same local area. Serendipitously, the brand new book edition of the text was released that same week. LTC Dunphy graciously agreed to chat with two Majors, an MP and an infantryman, over a beer to discuss the Survival Guide, the Army, and leadership.

The Iron Major Survival Guide is much expanded from the original version of a couple dozen pages. The broadened perspective incorporates more short vignettes and easy illustrations. The book is snarky and sarcastic, witty and insightful, while staying honest and humble. The author’s leadership examples across the spectrum are not limited to just his observations, but also highlight his own application and talk through his thought process. He points out his own stumbles with humility and candor. At the end, the overall impression is overwhelmingly honest and sincere.

Talking about the genesis of the IMSG, Dunphy recalled, “I was teaching tactics at CGSC [Command and General Staff College], and realized that, as the course went on, the students’ attention span was moving more towards concentrating on their field grade time. I would sit in the back of the class when I wasn’t teaching, jotting notes on ideas of what I could share with them, and one day I realized I had 30 post-its of all these ideas.” He compiled them, and the IMSG was born.

“The only constraints on a good staff program are those created by your own lack of imagination, motivation, or mismanaged priorities.” ~ LTC Dunphy

“The problem with Majors,” Dunphy says, “is that the stakes are higher — you’re invested in a career now and it counts for more. You decide what information you keep and share, when keeping it gives you the advantage.” His recommendation is simple. “Share. That’s what brigade commanders look for, and it will pay off.” As the Iron Major, your contributions to the higher headquarters are more important than to your direct unit, he says, making the recommendation to be humble and share success stories as well as ass-chewings.

“To divide your time, for every ten hours (or ten minutes) you spend, focus nine of them looking down at your unit, and one looking out. Look up at the higher headquarters, but also look left and right.” See where you can help, Dunphy says, and see where you can learn. “Looking out for the higher headquarters is of equal importance, not necessarily greater importance than one’s own unit.”

Equal parts candid and introspective over a couple IPAs in an Old Town Alexandria bar, Dunphy spoke about his time serving as the J3 at Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF GTMO). While he was permanently assigned, he worked with several staffs that rotated through consecutively, and appreciated the challenges of the continual development of the staff teams. He says that the “synapses connected” about staff leadership, and he saw the opportunity to learn important lessons.

Dunphy saw leaders take a different, adversarial direction towards working with staffs, projecting “I don’t have to take care of you, I can grind you into dust in the interest of this unit,” and that, somehow, the staffs were less important than the units they were supporting. Dunphy challenges that perspective in the IMSG, and his lessons focus on how to lead within the organizational climate of staff.

I asked him about the different tone in this book, which is more personal than the original, but cuts to the point. “Yes, I guess I felt more free to try and change people here, using sarcasm to change the culture. Shame them in to leading, not just managing.” It’s effective. Dunphy’s book is direct, to the point of being abrasive at times, but it comes from a very real place.

Beyond the honesty and the simplicity of the IMSG, is the applicability of its message, which transcends the specifics of branch or unit. I read the early version many years ago, as a pre-command Captain, and its message resonated with me as both a staff officer and as a company commander. The book is directed towards the Iron Majors, but anyone that is working on or with a staff will reap benefits from its lessons, too. (Pro tip: it’s not just for officers, either.)

“Many a good junior officer has decided to bail on the Army because of a bad experience on staff, most of which were instigated by a manager who didn’t care enough to lead them.” ~ LTC Dunphy

Dunphy shares some very real experiences throughout his career — victories and heartbreaks — and at the end, I am both inspired and optimistic. His advice covers topics such as “counsel your minions,” “pick your battles wisely,” and “don’t estrange yourself from your senior leader.” The topics look inside the organization, to relationships outside the organization, as well as personal officer maintenance. The advice is simple and accessible, without being overwhelming. It is something that I could easily take a piece of, work on that topic, and integrate it into my job, on any level.

This accessibility speaks to Dunphy’s skill as a communicator, but also his ability to pick out key lessons that are applicable to leaders on many different levels. I learned something different reading the book now, than I did reading the text several years ago. I’m sure that if I were to pick up IMSG a year from now, my perspective will have changed, and something else would jump out at me.

It’s hard not to believe in the sincerity of a guy who published a book the week before and was already talking about potential updates to a new version — not for glory or self-benefit, but for real love of the game.

I have my copy and will draw heavily from it in the future as I did in the past, heartened beyond the content within the book now that I know the author behind it.

https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Major-Survival-Guide/dp/0991238281