Welcome to The Three Meter Zone, the zone where first-line leaders accomplish an organization’s most vital work. The critical leadership in any organization is that provided by first-line leaders. In the military that responsibility falls to Noncommissioned Officers, the group of men and women considered the Backbone of the force. Daily, they train and mold soldiers through expert action and by professional example. Without rock-solid leaders in the Three Meter Zone, the strategic mission fails. The Three Meter Zone challenges you to assess your leadership abilities and provide the crucial leadership your organization needs.
The best way to understand the impact first-line leadership has on organizations and what it entails is to thoroughly study it where it occurs. In the Three Meter Zone.
Read the Foreword by CSM (Ret) Jimmie Spencer | Order from Amazon
*********Reader Reviews and Comments*********
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SGT Le Nutzman ************************************ COL Luigi E. Biever ************************************ Chief Warrant Officer Sean D. Clark, CD In his book, The Three Meter Zone, CSM (JD) Pendry takes a straight forward look at what you need to focus on as a NCO leader, regardless of your trade or rank. Each chapter rolls out like a wonderfully informal, but highly informative lesson on NCO leadership; the values, morals and traits needed to be an effective NCO. It reads as though JD was standing up delivering it to you personally. In typical NCO fashion, the summary at the end of each chapter confirms the main teaching points before moving on to the next topic. The stories and lessons therein provide an excellent stimulus for all leaders young and old to re-evaluate their own Three Meter Zone. This book is applicable to everyone who wears a uniform, regardless of service, branch or country of origin. ************************************ Steve W. Briscoe I want to tell you it was one of the best leadership books I have ever read... and I have read the FM 22-100 and assorted others. Been to all the Active Component NCOES as well as the FSC and, after reading your book would make it required reading for all NCOES schools - were it my decision. I will certainly be reading your book again. So much of what you have said I have thought about but never put it to paper. I went to basic training in 1972 and I remember all the classes that started with, "If you do not pay attention in this class you will die in Vietnam!!!" I remember the IG inspections of the early '70s and I helped the 1SG and Supply Sgt pack things away in the backs of trucks and "special" storage facilities (the garage at home) the day prior to the IG and helped return it the day after... I remember less being brought back than was taken out. Your book rejuvenated my desire to be a good NCO... I have never been satisfied with being a "tweener" and I hope I never will. ************************************ SGT (P) Reginald Cummings Hello I read your book awhile ago (Three Meter Zone) I loved that book. I recommended your book to the best of my friends in the Army. You honestly have changed my life just by the words you wrote. I just want to thank you. You have helped me become a better NCO. I am just an E-5, I read your book when I was an E-4 and every time I feel that I am in a dilemma I go to your book for help as it was the guide to me being an NCO. Do you have any other books that you have written so I can read them? Or do you have any other reading that you recommend? I am not a reader but once I read the first few pages of your book I had to read the entire book. Thank again. You are helping The NCOs Lead the Way!!! ************************************ Navy Chief Dave DiPietro This is an excellent book for anyone in a leadership position, especially in the military. It very clearly highlights the most important aspects of our job, whatever service you're in. Finally, another NCO that sees that taking care of our people doesn't mean spoiling them, while at the same time longing for some of the traditions of old. Although I'm a Navy Chief, the analogy of the three meter zone is easy to understand, and I was able to immediately place all of my Sailors into one of those three zones. I'm recommending this book to all of my new CPO selectees, and am going to buy another copy for the command. Thanks CSM Pendry. ************************************ Joey Recker, Plains, GA Thanks for your book. I bought my copy from Amazon.com about a year ago. I have been teaching NCODP at my unit every month since then and haven't run out of great quotes, and stories from your book since. It's very thought provoking. Forced me to look in the mirror, which in turn helped me be a better NCO. Deploying to Bosnia soon and will pack your book right along with my other reference material. Thanks again. ************************************ MSG Robert Cowens I attended the covey seven habits workshop approximately two years ago. I picked up a lot of information and insight from this, but something was missing. After reading your book I knew what that was. Thanks for filling the void and providing me with an NCO's view and some of the knowledge it has taken years of military life-lessons to learn. ************************************ SPC (P) Eric Robison ************************************ SSG Charles Moening When I went home that night, I pulled out the NCO Journal and had to check the author's name, which I couldn't remember. What to my surprise, this was the same man and I know I had to have the book. So using the computer in the office, I ordered it from an on-line bookstore, I will not use the name but it was the one that starts with an "A". Upon reading the book, I found some very interesting and useful knowledge and tools. I have read the book twice now and have made notes on areas of the book for my future use. But, then today I just read a piece that you did on the Black Beret issue. There where some very interesting points made in your article and I do feel ashamed for being on of those soldiers that said hey these are good ideas the General has come up with and I only hope they will work out, but I said nothing or did nothing about it. Looking back, I now see where no one sent one letter or email supporting the changes the General purposes. Upon looking at that article and seeing that you are now retired, I did a quick search of the net and found your bunker web site. I must say that I have always found your ideas and views to be pretty much along with my own and they have reraised attitudes and beliefs in me that I had let slip to the way side. I thank you greatly for the time and effort you have put forth to help your fellow soldiers and comrades, both while on active duty and now that you are retired. I look forward to returning to your site and searching it out completely. Again thanks from the bottom of my heart ************************************ SSG James Vance ************************************ MSG Abel Villesca, BNCOC Branch Chief, 2/515th Regt. NMARNG ************************************ SGM Rick Judy ************************************ SFC Mark Fogel, USAR CSM Pendry, ************************************ CSM David L. Lady, Command Sergeant Major,
US Army Armor Center, Armor Magazine, May-June 1999 CSM Pendry focuses first on the leader, and explains how he developed his own leadership style. He shows how he changed many of his opinions over the years, and how he critically examined his values to develop a solid foundation for his leadership style. He includes an interesting discussion on the need for counseling of the battalion CSM by the battalion commander, which can be read with profit by every NCO who intends to become a "command team" member. He relates that it was crucial to his own development to simply sit down and write out what the Army values mean to him (he includes, but goes beyond LDRSHIP). It was not easy for him to do, but when finished, he had his position, he knew where he was going, and he knew how he planned to get there. Another concept he found useful was the "personal battle focus," his own mission essential tasks, means of assessing where he was, and a plan to get where he wanted to be. CSM Pendry emphasizes the critical importance of being the example of what we want our soldiers to be - never easy, but absolutely essential to success within the three-meter zone. In the second half of his book, CSM Pendry focuses on standards and discipline for soldiers - knowing them, respecting and rewarding them, motivating them, training them, and physically training them. The longest and most important of these sections covers "knowing them." Here, CSM Pendry emphasizes that different styles must be used for different people, with the goal of moving the soldier out of the three-meter zone of constant supervision and detailed instructions, into the "fifty" or "one-hundred meter" zones of increased responsibility and autonomy. Readers will find his comments on the need to know and be partners with civilian employees, on the need to welcome newly promoted NCOs into the corps, and on the need to communicate with and participate in low-profile events with soldiers to be very thought provoking. Finally, every leader should read his comments concerning how too many NCOs and company grade officers have "willed" the Single Soldier Initiatives for Quality of Life to fail; he correctly indicts many leaders for willfully failing to support the program and our own soldiers as the best of them try to improve their style of life. CSM Pendry has no magical formulas for leaders. He has thought critically about how he leads; he has improved as a leader by applying his insights. Read this book, take up his challenge to critically examine ourselves and our styles. We can become masters of the "three-meter zone" as well. The entire Army will benefit. ************************************ SPC John D. Greer "Mr." Pendry, I recently requested and got your book as a Christmas present and was able
to read it while I was on leave. I just wanted to let you know that
I thought it was an insightful book. It's given me a few ideas now
for personal professional development, such as the "Personal METL" which I'm
now attempting to complete. It's nice to see emphasis on unit level leadership. I'm going to pass this
book along to my 1SG today as I know he will enjoy it as much as I have. ************************************ SPC Michael T. Krause, US
Army The normal "NCO guide" that is put out these days mostly focuses on getting the "right" schools, the "right" jobs, and overall instructing today's Noncommissioned Officer on how to "get ahead". Well, that is exactly what The Three Meter Zone isn't. Instead, this book presents exactly what the title states: common sense leadership. There aren't any tips in here about "how to max the board" or get all your "tickets punched". No, inside this book are hard, practical lessons on how to lead and train soldiers, and last time I checked that was the mission of the NCO. Punctuated and enhanced by real world scenarios, and seasoned by CSM Pendry's own philosophies, The Three Meter Zone is a veritable encyclopedia of the NCO's profession. I can only hope the NCOs in my support channel will get hold of a copy (I will certainly be lending mine out), and take to heart all the teachings inside of it. Brutal honesty and practical advice are the methods CSM Pendry uses, and they instruct well. I may not be an NCO yet, but when I do pin those stripes on, I can assure you my leadership will be heavily guided by a dog-eared copy of The Three Meter Zone. ************************************ Charles O'Brien, MSgt, USAF ************************************ SFC Patrick Dyer, Military Police NCO Academy ************************************ MSG Michael A. Haskins ************************************ 1SG Gerald J. Schleining Jr.,
Co C, 1-162 Infantry, Oregon National Guard I highly recommend this outstanding piece of work to all
Noncommissioned officers, it will get your head thinking and your leadership
moving in the right direction. CSM Pendry has set this up to ensure that we all succeed, especially
our soldiers. A must for every professional NCO's library. ************************************ 1SG Richard S. Rosen -
Fort Drum, New York ************************************ David Leung, MIT, Somerville, MA ************************************ 1SG James Haynes ************************************ SSG Joesph P. Ryan ************************************ M.D. Chiviendacz(CD),WO, CSM Admin Coy, 28 (Ottawa) Svc Bn, Canadian Army ************************************ The
Three Meter Zone A Review By Paul Schneidmill The Three Meter Zone is a leadership book for all soldiers (primarily
the Non-Commissioned Officer) that reads like a Field Manual gleaned from a
human heart, truly and unconditionally concerned for the Army and soldiers of
our nation. ************************************ MBdr (Master Bombardier) Mary Bornyi Sergeant Major, |
Sergeant Zachary Wriston Sergeant Major, ************************************ SSG JOHN E. BROYLES CSM, ************************************ SGT Jesse Hamilton CSM Pendry, I imagine you probably recieve many emails and letters regarding your book "The Three Meter Zone", so I will make this short and sweet. I'm a young and fairly new NCO and I would like to thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience in your book because it totally changed how I lead and train soldiers. I have taken much of your advice to heart and use it in my everyday life, both in the military and civilian sectors. More importantly though, the issues and situations you discussed forced me to do a "personal AAR" on my past experiences, thus generating a better leadership perspective so I can improve on how I handle similar situations in the future. I can't thank you enough Sergeant Major. ************************************ David G. Scott Sergeant Major, ************************************ The Three-Meter Zone I found the Three Meter-Zone to be simply one of the best books on leadership that I have ever read. And there have been many such books that I have read. This book clearly rates as one of the top two or three books that I could recommend on this topic. Although I have a military background (USMC, late 60s - early 70s), I spent my career in law enforcement. I retired a couple of years ago after almost 29 years, to include time as a “first line supervisor (Sergeant and Senior Sergeant) and commander (Lieutenant) in Patrol Operations and police tactical operations (SWAT). I found it to be very refreshing that this book was oriented “primarily” towards the first-line supervisor level. Although the principles and concepts outlined in the book were clearly applicable toward supervisory and management positions above that first line level, the thrust of its direction made it unique in that approach. Additionally, the use of “war stories’ to demonstrate specific examples of conceptual thoughts of principle allowed the reader a glimpse of practical applications of the various principles. It was quite strange that while this book was an easy read - easy to follow, well written, and by no means conceptually “hazy” - I found it hard to finish! And that was only because I found myself reading a section, putting the book down and mulling over what I just read (and sometimes mulling it over off-and-on for hours), going back and re-reading it, etc. before going on to the next section. As a result, it took me quite a bit longer to finish the book that I had (egotistically) first imagined! This book rates an “A+” for no other reason that the author’s identification of one of the key problems facing supervision AND management today: “The Three Ps” (I won’t ruin the surprise for future readers by identifying them). In fact, in my opinion, in today’s area of supervision and management (as I know from first hand observation in the law enforcement field and otherwise see both in the corporate world and in the military) the “Three Ps” is THE biggest problem. Until the cultural climate changes occur that effect the necessary changes in this area, I see no hope for an environmental affected change within the entire organizational structures. But as each great movement starts with individual “small steps”, it can only be hoped that enough supervisors (and commanders/managers) take this book to heart and begin the efforts to “Do The Right Thing”! And at the individual level you will - ultimately - feel much better personally for having done so. ************************************ CMSGT Gilbert Duenas, USAF, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Aerospace Power Journal Winter 2001 The Three Meter Zone: Common Sense Leadership for NCOs by J. D. Pendry. Presidio Press (http://www.presidiopress.com), P.O. Box 1764, Novato, California 94948, 2000, 256 pages, $24.95. The Three Meter Zone provides a comprehensive yet easy to follow review of several fundamental leadership principles for noncommissioned officers (NCO). Not only is the book a work of art, but also it has functional value for today’s NCO. The author addresses the principles of NCO leadership via personal and professional experiences, quotations from political and military leaders, historical military accounts, and extracts from US Army field manuals. Command Sergeant Major Pendry, USA, presents the material in such a way that NCOs in any military service can easily use it to take care of their people and accomplish the mission. The book is essential reading for the junior, mid- level, and senior NCO, offering a practical prescription for tackling leadership issues in the twenty-first century. The author candidly discloses personal experiences-each striking anecdote lends clarity and realism to leadership concepts such as selfless service, integrity, trust, and confidence. In a sense, Pendry invites the reader into a very natural discussion about leadership philosophy, one that underlies the NCO’s role as mentor, disciplinarian, motivator, and communicator. He declares that an NCO’s influence is indispensable to the character and growth of the military organization, insisting that the NCO is the backbone of the US armed forces. A second key strategy of the author involves the frequent use of probing questions to challenge the reader to carefully examine the implications of leadership decisions. This in-depth exploration of leadership issues suggests that the NCO may often confront situations which require more than a superficial solution. More importantly, NCOs may need to use a holistic approach to fully understand all facets of a leadership challenge prior to advocating or implementing a decision. Similarly, Pendry suggests that yesterday’s leadership solutions are not necessarily appropriate for today’s peacekeeping, humanitarian, or combat-superiority missions. Such constant questioning is not only welcome, but also essential to the continued physical, mental, and emotional development of the NCO. A third element that distinguishes this text from other books is the author’s unique writing style. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Pendry tells us what he truly feels about NCO leadership! He candidly discloses his personal and professional perspective on leadership and the role of the NCO: accomplish the mission and ensure the welfare of the soldier. These convictions reflect years of military tradition, tutelage under both good and bad leaders, and training in one of the nation’s finest military branches of service. Furthermore, end-of-chapter summaries effectively encapsulate the principles under discussion, giving today’s NCO the knowledge and motivation to lead, discipline, communicate, and motivate. The Three Meter Zone is an excellent book that will capture its readers’ attention and challenge them to examine their long-held leadership beliefs and practices. I encourage NCOs in any military service to invest a few hours of leadership-development time in reading this text. In turn, I challenge my fellow NCOs to test his ideas and instill fundamental precepts of leadership and followership. In the final analysis, our subordinates, our military profession of arms, and our great nation ask for nothing less! ************************************ SSG Ray Good I'm no PT stud, but I can grass drill and fireman's carry just fine. I have always liked doing something different for PT, something that breaks the rut and ties in directly to the mission. This has gotten me comments such as "Please, make the bad man stop" and "This is cool, this is really considered PT?". I will always have that love/hate relationship with running. But there's something great about dragging a buddy by his LBE through the grass during the early morning dew that makes you feel like you are training for something real. Your view on PT really struck a chord with me and I was glad to see there aren't just a select few who think this way. Some of us are out here, and we are trying to train for anything, not just a 2 mile run to the battalion aid station. Also agree with you on weight vs. fitness. I have seen some great, not good, great soldiers pushed out. They had 270's on their test, but they just never met the criteria of the program. And the knowledge they took with them when they left was irreplaceable. Your Bouncing Betty 3-50-100 meter ranges analogy in regards to choosing leadership styles, while not a fool proof solution, is the best guide I've seen ever. Enough said. One last note. Your book was fun to read. Not just another boring rehash of what we have heard before. It's challenging, interesting, makes you think, and funny. Your writing style is great, easy to track, and proof that we enlisted can occasionally posess effective writing skills.Your book is now making the rounds here at the office. ************************************ A Review By First Lieutenant Edward Luzadder Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Pendry’s book is a must read for any Noncommissioned Officer (NCO), as well as Officers, who are either early in the development stages of their leadership style, or reassessing their current style. His book is written in plain, down to earth terms, that make it easy to understand on the first, second or thirtieth reading. The explanations of each point in his book are reinforced by outstanding examples. At the conclusion of each chapter, he summarizes the main points discussed, reinforcing the point again. I have met many NCOs and officers in my 17 years in the military, and I have seen many examples, both good and bad, to illustrate the points made in this book. As young NCOs and officers read The Three Meter Zone, they should take to heart the many experiences CSM Pendry has referenced. Through good leadership, and training, soldiers will do all that is required of them as the time comes, but without the leadership to train them properly, many will not come home again. CSM Pendry has emphasized this point. As I re-read The Three Meter Zone, I did another self-assessment, or as CSM Pendry put it, a “Toolbox Inventory”, I realized that Leadership does mean many things to many people. To the average soldier, a leader is the soldier they most want to be like as they progress through their career. In my instance, I wanted to be like a Platoon Leader that I had in Germany as a private in 1985, and because of that, I am a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer 16 years later. I have been to leadership schools, both as an enlisted soldier and as an officer, and I wish that as I attended these courses I had a book such as The Three Meter Zone. ************************************ By SGM Richard A. Beal 8th Army Noncommissioned Officer's Academy CSM (Ret) J.D. Pendry’s shot group falls dead center of target issues facing the Army’s
NCO corps today. From the moment you begin reading his book The Three Meter Zone, you become
mesmerized by the obvious simplicity of his observations. There are no complicated theories
or formulas here, just common sense, sound experience and examples that clearly illuminate a
leader’s options and provide a clear sense of purpose and direction. This is a small book, easy to read and digest, but there are lessons to be learned on every page. Everyone can use this book - from those down at the dirty level of leadership to those at the organizational and strategic levels. CSM Pendry often refers to the NCO Creed and the Army Values, and ties in usable leadership lessons by citing specific incidents and examples. It is definitely the desk side companion of FM 22-100, Army Leadership and TC 22-6, The Army Noncommissioned Officer Guide. His book is packed with incredibly thought-provoking discussions of proven leadership examples such as those of the observations and quotes of 1SG Pedro Olivari and of Thompson’s Rules. He renders sobering and historic reminders of NCO leadership failures occurring when purpose and direction is lost, resulting in officers and soldiers loosing trust and faith in their NCO corps. His analysis of the zones of leadership and leadership styles is accurate and inspirational. If you are a leader or about to become a leader, you can’t read this book without it affecting the way you currently approach your leadership style and the many day-to-day leadership challenges you face. It will influence you to re-look the way you do business for those you serve and encourage you to keep going. I wish I had this book back when I was a Corporal. This book is a must to have and I highly recommend it. ************************************
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Naval Institute Proceedings Magazine, August 99 - If you ever wanted to get into the head of a senior enlisted leader, especially one that serves in a command position, this is the book that will take you on such a journey. The author does a superb job of relating his own personal experiences and tying them into everyday leadership and management principles. Although the book is written specifically for the U. S. Army audience, it's not difficult to transfer the understanding to any other military service or civilian application. CSM Pendry's title, "The Three Meter Zone" was chosen based on his experiences of defining "zones of leadership" from close in at three meters. He calls each level a style or task of leadership that should define from how much to how little attention is given to each. His interpretation of these "zones of leadership" can also be used as comfort zone levels from the perspective of an individual who mentors others. He defines that most important critical leadership takes place between the soldier and the first line noncommissioned leader. This is the "three meter zone." As such, he put the book in two sections describing leadership practices at both "The Leader" and "The Soldier." In the first section of the book addressing "The Leader," Pendry describes four parts of the leader, building the foundation, establishing direction, being the example and communicating. Each chapter within this section provides an ample amount of personalized examples both from the author's perspective and what he learned from his mentors. The author provides a summary at the end of each chapter, addressing key points. Part two of the book covering "The Soldier" gives good morsels of information on how noncommissioned officers (NCOs) have to know and apply leadership practices, when dealing with their subordinates. This section of the book covers seven chapters of applied leadership experiences, where the final chapter is Pendry's "final thoughts." Here he summarizes his writings with a final experience, and a brand of his theory on sharing his thoughts on leadership stating, "The noncommissioned officers of the army owe our thoughts on leading to the soldiers. The on-the-ground perspective is different from the bird's eye view the officers see. It's time to fill the void." What I found most enlightening throughout this book, was CSM Pendry's ability to keep you interested in what are normally considered as "dry topics" when discussing various degrees of one's philosophical approach to leadership. By focusing the reader on living examples of day to day interactions between a senior noncommissioned officer with his soldiers, every event provided plenty of opportunities to describe realistic applications of dealing with problems. A few sprinkles of a wide range of quotes from the Old Testament of the Bible, to "Peanuts" cartoon creator, Charles Schultz, Pendry captured the reader's attention without straying from the subject. There are several references to field manuals, regulations, and other specific documents that are exclusively Army. However, each reference provides enough understanding to lead you to follow through the rest of the book without being distracted, if you do not know the Army's system. The author quotes numerous passages from the Army's "NCO Creed," which defines the NCO's "condition of employment." Those quotes alone provide a non-Army reader to have a much better view and values of the soldiers' roles and responsibilities they are faced with today. The book offered five chapters I felt were well written and right on target with describing today's leadership challenges for any military leader regardless of the service. The chapters, "being the example. communicating, standards and discipline, know them," and "motivate them." Provided the best descriptions of common sense approaches without adding abstract theories or personal opinions. The author steers away from providing many solutions to problem solving situations. Instead, he offers enough thought-provoking interests allowing the reader's own personal experiences to apply for a given situation. The approach here is to formulate some ideas and approach a given problem, and use them as the situation dictates. The book is an easy to read 256 pages. If you're interested in the subject, you can get through it in two to three days. Good advice would be to have a highlighter handy, as you may very well find some good suggestions to use in a leadership discussion forum. Though the book is written with the senior enlisted NCO in mind, division officers, executive officers, and commanding officers from any military service may also find it helpful to use as well. ************************************ SFC
Thomas J. Vajentic, Army Magazine, June 1999 This book based on experiences throughout a long and successful career, is about leadership from the NCO perspective. It is about time that we NCOs police ourselves instead of allowing others to do it for us. I found The Three Meter Zone easy as well as interesting to read. I was able to relate to most of the circumstances that were described in the book. The views of CSM James D. Pendry are the same as those shared by many NCOs today. The author has eloquently described the meaning of LDRSHIP (loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage). CSM Pendry takes real-life situations in which he participated, and explains and evaluates what happened. This will enable others to apply what they read in this book to everyday situations in their own working environment. The author emphasizes the importance of leading by example throughout the entire book. I have read plenty of leadership books and find this one to be the most realistic, without the million-dollar words and the psychiatric approach to problem-solving and leadership abilities. This book is down-to-earth, with plenty of scenarios, quotations and situations that can easily be related to a reader's past, present and future. I highly recommend this book to all noncommissioned officers and commissioned officers; they need to read it and use it as a guide. The Three Meter Zone will not collect any dust on the bookshelf, for it will be referred to in many situations. ************************************ Leadership in The Three Meter Zone Book Review by Ned Christensen Command Sgt. Major Dave Pendry paid attention when he attended all those schools that lead to the top rung on the military ladder. He read all the pamphlets and field manuals, the generals' biographies, and just about anything else he could find on the subject of leadership. And he watched and learned from good and not-so-good leaders over the course of a 28-year Army career that included stints as a drill sergeant and a 1st sergeant. Throughout that long career, Pendry wrote his thoughts down on paper. He says writing helped him distill his thoughts and synthesize what he had read, heard or seen. Now serving as the command sergeant major of the Fort Myer Military Community, Pendry has assembled his lifetime of leadership ponderings into a book for the rest of us to ponder. The product of all those writings is The Three Meter Zone: Common Sense Leadership for NCOs, an elegantly simple and eminently readable volume of musings, teachings, war stories and observations on the subject of front-line leadership. It is aimed at midlevel noncommissioned officers, but Pendry notes that more senior and junior NCOs could also benefit from the thought process he hopes to stimulate with this book. Three meters, for those not intimate with the metric system, is a little less than three yards, a rough estimation of a person's personal space. Pendry contends that this space is where leadership starts, and he illustrates the point with a quote from Dept. of the Army Pamphlet 600-65. "Every soldier is a leader regardless of his rank or position. His attitude, opinions and deportment mold the approach to mission taken by those above him and his subordinates. It is the summation of this leadership by 'every soldier' that makes our Army a winner." This quote is one of many in the book from Army manuals, the NCO Creed, and authors ranging from Socrates to Peanuts creator Charlie Schultz. All serve to illustrate or introduce topics of discussion. Those topics are grouped under two broad headings. Part one, "The Leader," is devoted to the fundamentals of NCO leadership--the be, know and do--that starts with knowing your leadership philosophy and leading by example and participation. "Soldiers don't learn to lead by reading someone's theory on leadership. They learn from watching leaders--usually the ones closest to them. Established leaders can also become better by listening to and learning from soldiers. Soldiers talk about leaders--good ones and bad ones. Simply put, soldiers will show you what it takes to be a good leader if you listen to them; you just have to pay attention and decide if you want to be one or not." "Part two, "The Soldier," deals with the things NCO leaders have to know and do as they pertain to soldiers. It starts with knowing them as people and knowing what they need, how to motivate and train them to standards and what to do when they fail. Pendry blames most failures on leaders who create or perpetuate faulty systems within which soldiers live, train and work. Using the Total Army Quality model, he uses flowcharts to illustrate two approaches to producing the Army's core product--a fully qualified soldier. One flowchart, which Pendry calls the "Einstein insanity version," (doing the same thing and expecting different results) shows how the prevalent physical training system sets soldiers up to fail and continue failing. A second flowchart illustrates Pendry's suggested improvement, in which the system, as well as the at-risk soldier, to find out how and where the system might have failed that soldier. The end result, Pendry says, is a higher success rate for soldiers and less cost to the government in defective "product." Some faulty systems are institutionalized within the Army, while others are situational or products of leader noninvolvement or misguidedness. Either way, Pendry has a war story or a "sermon" that poignantly (and often humorously) exposes the gamut of leadership shortcomings or dilemmas. The goal of good leadership is to develop soldiers so that they progress from the three-meter zone, through the 50-meter to the 100-meter zone, with the zone metaphor referring to the amount of supervision required. In some circles, this is called the level of empowerment, and leaders need to know how much empowerment is appropriate for each individual. And I should note that the book does not rule out a certain number of cases where a soldier may prove incorrigible and a permanent resident of the three meter zone. The author has some sage advice on that, as well. The part that may seem lacking to some readers is that Pendry rarely prescribes specific approaches to problems or situations, preferring instead to initiate the kind of thought and discussion that he credits with forming and enhancing his leadership education. There's plenty of food for thought in The
Three Meter Zone. Members of the NCO corps will find leadership guidance
and ideas from the NCO perspective, a perspective that Pendry finds sorely
lacking in the literature. He says he's read a lot of leadership books by
general officers and, while they were educational, officers look at a bigger
picture. NCOs, especially at the small unit level, need to teach and guide at
close range--from within the three meter zone. I would add to CSM Pendry's target audience, however. Army civilians, like myself, who supervise or work with soldiers, or just want to become a little more familiar with the Army culture will find this book informative and entertaining. The Three Meter Zone is available now from the Amazon and the Barnes and Noble websites. It is due in stores, including post exchanges, in April. ************************************ |