Tag: Offensive Mindset
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“You all laugh at me because I’m different; I laugh at you because you’re all the same. “ Jonathan Davis
“Make it happen” 2d Force Recon Co Master Sergeant Wendt USMC Ret mentoring me as a young Staff Sergeant as acting Intel Officer on the importance of execution regardless of the obstacles.
“I want train drivers, not train riders” – Master Gunnery Sergeant Mobley USMC Ret of 2d Marine Division on selecting me to be the intelligence chief for the newly formed 2d Recon Bn. Circa 1995. Side note… he kept a small bottle of whiskey in his desk drawer back in the day…Vietnam Vet… straight talker and a$$ chewer. Awesome man.
“To be or To do” Late Col John Boyd USAF Ret. On being one of the crowd and being one of the guys, or choosing your own path to make a difference… often working in the shadows and/or without accolades. Link to his speech sits below.
“If you want a new idea, read an old book.” General Al Gray USMC Ret. 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps at my masters commencement ceremony at Norwich University in 2016.
Read… act… do…
The common denominator amongst all these leaders is they acted… contended with risk… but executed with vigor and impact.
“Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” – Alfred Lord Tennyson.
From me to you….
Have an outstanding day.
Bob#innovation #execution #grit #offensivemindset #traindrivingversustrainriding
John Boyd’s Roll Call: Do You Want to Be Someone or Do Something? -

Marine Corps British Bulldog What is an Offensive Mindset? It’s a mindset whereby you take a disciplined approach to designing and executing your life on your terms.
Some core elements of this mindset follow:
- Identify Opportunities and set conditions to exploit them.
- When pitted within a constraint, exploit what you can do until you work your way out of the constraint. You can create new opportunities through the limitations.
- Internal Locus of Control – critical…. be centered… you can only control what you can control… remember you always have maneuver space whether it be physical, mental and/or spiritual… identify, exploit and expand the maneuver space… create new opportunities, exploit them and move forward.
- Opportunities/Dilemmas – they come together. Learn the art of turning lemons into lemonade.
- Combined Arms Approach – think in terms of forward movement and affecting your will as often as possible… using multiple capabilities in a symbiotic way along the time, spatial and perceptual continuum.
- Offensive Action is decisive action; Defend only enough to consolidate resources and position for another offensive attack, or counter attack. Have a bias for action.
- Speed, flexibility, adaptability, agility and offensive… are as important, if not more, than being strong and intelligent in terms of survival.
