Warrior or Bureaucrat?

In the 2002 book BOYD The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War, author Robert Coram chronicles the life of Col. John Boyd, a man "who rarely met a General he couldn't offend." Former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger said of John Boyd, "The military services should welcome more people like Colonel John Boyd. He was something of a legend in the Pentagon - for his willingness to swim against the tied and to challenge service orthodoxy."

Boyd's contribution to the art of war is worth reading. He is regarded by many as the greatest U.S. fighter pilot ever - the man who, in simulated air-to-air combat, defeated every challenger in less than forty seconds (they called him "Forty Second Boyd" as from any disadvantage within forty seconds he would be in the killer position - directly behind the adversary). His E-M (Energy Maneuverability) Theory contributed to the design of our country's most legendary fighter aircraft - the F-15 and F-16. His manual of fighter tactics changed the way every air force in the world flies and fights.

Regarding significance, Boyd saw two types of people: Warriors and Bureaucrats. From the book, where Boyd is delivering his "To Be or to Do" speech to a friend, Dr. Leopold, facing the fact of discovering where the Pentagon was altering annual budget values to its own advantage and what he should do about it:

"Tiger, one day you will come to a fork in the road," he said. "And you're going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go." He raised his hand and pointed. "If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and you will get good assignments." Then Boyd raised the other hand and pointed another direction. "Or you can go that way and you can do something - something for your county and for your Air Force and for yourself. If you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won't have to compromise yourself. You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference." He paused and stared into Leopold's eyes and heart. "To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That's when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?

The message was that you can be somebody, have a title, have the approval of the crowd, get by, go along, get the promotion, you can be somebody. Or, you can do something, something for your country, for your branch of the military, and you'll rankle the feathers of the entrenched bureaucrats, the lifers who know no victory or defeat, they just keep a bankrupt system going for their own gain. They have the power over promotions and assignments, and if you get on their bad side your career is limited or even over. But you can still do something. Boyd used the term Warrior as well as the term Bureaucrat and Blue-Suiter. From the book, I've summarized the difference between the two below (and added features in both not necessarily in the book but yet still apply from my experiences):

Warrior: Team player, committed to what's best for the country or organization, consistently improving processes, people, products, himself. Honor-bound, forgiving, dedicated to doing what's right, not concerned with who gets the credit as long as the job gets done. Adds value. Gets results. Makes a positive difference. Confident. Lover of freedom and defender of the poor. Hard worker. Advances their industry or ministry. Selfless. Balanced with career, ministry, family, health, relationships, finances. Legacy builder. Straight shooter.

Bureaucrat: Me first, desires the pre-eminence, back stabber, advances by political means, more interested in the tricks of the trade rather than the trade itself. Blame shifter, union mentality. Egotist. Amateur, interested in self promotion as the highest goal. Short-cutter. Abnormally high commitment to personal pleasure versus personal improvement. Not a real friend. Untrustworthy. Undependable. Lover of self. Whited sepulcher. Sabotage in the darkness that which is good for their own personal gain. Whiner. Excuse-maker. Lazy SOB.

Is there a business application? Yes, there's an application of the Warrior-Bureaucrat model in any organization (business, academic, ministry, volunteer, arts, etc.). Many of them advance to positions of management. Many people (according to the book) begin as a warrior but then cave into being a bureaucrat as they see that as the price of admission for advancement. Still others begin as warriors thinking they'll go along long enough to get into positions of influence and then make the changes needed, but they get destroyed along the way and become bureaucrats. Others succumb to the lure of riches (I've seen this) and the godly become bureaucrat-parrots, regurgitating the party line now they they are admitted to the organization (if they raised godly issues they'd be "out" and they don't want that - so they become a bureaucrat - a whited sepulcher).

Bottom line is this: if you would be a warrior, then you will be a doer. If you want the promotions, accolades, and easy life, and you want the title, then you're a bureaucrat. If you can look at yourself in the mirror and live with yourself, then so be it. Just don't expect me to hang around you...