Good to Great

As I read the book Flags of our Fathers I was immediately captivated by the heroic events that took place on Iwo Jima. This book examines the meaning of a "hero" and how war affects the human experience of sacrifice and patriotism to our country. I then began to wonder how this book relates to this course, and then I suddenly knew that the complexities of this battle, the men, and the chaos were very similar to the turbulent world many of us face in the tech industry. Our business world today consists of so many different origins, races, and backgrounds; that diversity is similar to the six men from different corners of our nation that came together courageously and voluntarily to raise the flag. Much like the young men that fought on that island, we future business leaders need to understand that we won't always know our destiny or what our future holds for our companies, we need to remain flexible in our planning and understand that sacrifice is necessary to succeed. As the men moved into the Marine special unit, they began extensive training where they learned to drive forward while depending on one another for support, encouragement, and ultimate success; these are fundamental attributes of a successful and focused hi-tech team. On D-Day and the following days, the persistence of the American troops led them to victory even though both Japanese and American Marines were killed in record numbers. Every person who has seen the worst side of our industry (dot com collapse and post 9-11 recession) must remain steadfast with their goals but understand the importance of contingency plans. You have always said, "Who gets there first will be the winner!" This is a true descriptive account of what took place on Mt. Suribachi. James Bradley interrupts the chronological tracing of the lives of the six flag raisers with a closer look at his own father's efforts to forget Iwo Jima, the photograph, and the fame that went along with it. One way that John Bradley tried to achieve this was by refusing interviews and maintaining a self-imposed silence about the events. As he struggled inside with the events of his past, he knew it was necessary to continue looking forward and take care of his family without ever discussing those horrific images. This is a characteristic of a truly humble and respectful leader found both in the military world and the business world (CEO, CIO, etc). I am reminded of the book Good to Great where