Book review: Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis and Bing West

Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead

Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead by Jim Mattis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I’m not typically a fan of military books on leadership as I often find that the traits that make for strong and capable leaders in the military don’t always translate to the private sector. This book is an exception to that assumption. While Jim Mattis (and his skillful co-author Bing West) draw upon Mattis’s experiences with the Marine Corps to convey their ideas of successful leadership, a surprising amount of their wisdom can be applied to the private sector. Specifically, Mattis’s leadership fundamentals of competence, caring, and conviction ring true as necessary for leaders in all organizations. In addition, his emphasis on recruiting for attitude (rather than skill), transparent communication, and tolerance of mistakes (on the theory that if risk-takers are punished, then only the risk-averse remain) are all values that companies would do well to follow.
And his final point that leaders should shelter non-conformists and mavericks who make institutions uncomfortable is almost comical coming out of an institution better known for conformity, and I appreciated the point even more because of that.
The writing is easy to follow, and the book is a quick read. (Never mind that it took me a couple of months–I was busy!) 🙂
There are interesting examples from his own career that are compelling from a historical perspective, but there’s no doubt that the conclusions he draws about successful leadership are principles that can be used anywhere today. I highly recommend!



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