
Small unit leadership
by Dandridge M. Malone · first published 1983
7mentions
5recommended by
6HN commenters
2009–2023first – last mentioned
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical, commonsense guidance on leading small military units, with lessons that carry over to business teams. It covers new managers and leaders, and handling people who underperform.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…in 2005: http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... 1. On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz 2. Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey 3. Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone 4. The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough 5. The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand…
on “Ask HN: good books about military strategy?” ↗I would also strongly recommend "Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach": https://www.amazon.com/Small-Unit-Leadership-Commonsense-App...
on “Military Reading List” ↗Here's the list of books I've been recommending new managers and leaders read: Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach https://www.amazon.com/Small-Unit-Leadership-Commonsense-App... The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable https://www.amazon.com/dp/0787960756/?coliid=I12MQNI6MIK6JR&...…
on “Ask HN: What makes a good technical leader – any recommended books?” ↗I really liked "Small Unit Leadership" as having some good lessons for business leaders as well. One thing that stuck with me is how the military can't just fire the people that don't work out, so there's significant time spent on how to…
on “US Army Field Manual on Leadership (1990) [pdf]” ↗"Small Unit Leadership" is also excellent and also from the US Army. Good ones are also: "Duty" (Robert Gates) "Call Sign Chaos" (Mattis) "Extreme Ownership" The one about Mattis has a very long list of book recommendations…
on “Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?” ↗I loved the SUL book, and it's on Audible too: https://www.audible.com/pd/Small-Unit-Leadership-Audiobook/B...
on “Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?” ↗Small Unit Leadership - Col. Dandridge M. (Mike) Malone, US Army (Ret.) Just something I picked up in a thrift shop. It’s alright.
on “Ask HN: What books have you read recently?” ↗