Mattis explains what every leader should know about leading troops into combat
“They really don't care that you read Von Clausewitz or some other dead German."
By Paul Szoldra February 04, 2021
Leadership News
Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has advice for military officers getting ready to lead troops in combat: Listen to your noncommissioned officers, be physically tough, and know your troops. Do that, and they’ll make you proud on the battlefield.
Mattis shared that sage advice during a recent talk presented by the OSS Society in response to a question he hears often from young officers just starting out in their careers. Mattis, 71, served in the Marine Corps for 44 years at every level of command until he retired as the head of U.S. Central Command in 2013. The retired four-star general later served as President Donald Trump’s first and longest-serving defense secretary until resigning in protest in 2019.
“The first point is, listen to your noncommissioned officers or your chief petty officers,†Mattis said. “They don’t expect you to do everything they recommend. But they do expect to be heard.â€
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