LtGen Greg Newbold USMC (Ret) – DILLICLAP & Competency are Never Out of Date

This episode is a look towards the past and how the core of a good leader is timeless. Lt Gen Gregory Newbold, the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) commander of Operation Restore Hope and later on the Director of Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is a leader with an unwavering desire to be responsible to those he leads.

This episode provides a glimpse behind the curtain into a oft misunderstood, or even mysterious, selection process of being selected as a Marine Corps general and the gut wrenching decisions that must be made to ensure only the very very best are selected for that rank.

Lt Gen Newbold discusses the acronym ‘DILLICLAP’ (Do I Look Like I Can Lead A Platoon) and how that sets the baseline for how leaders can begin to model themselves to their units. Conversely, Newbold also provides examples of how those who don’t measure up to the standards of the organization or the unit can still be learning experiences for others. The cornerstone of DILLICLAP is for someone to try hard to learn both the art and science of the job and perform in both the actual job and in taking care of subordinates.

Upholding and clearly stating standards will imbue an organization full of subordinates more likely to push further than they might have on their own. They are not looking for friends, they are looking for structure, standards, and setting the example. These dictums are seen as nearly universal, even with a unit that previously burned down their company headquarters. The ability to give people focus and goals is critical as a milieu in which to set structure, standards, and the example.

Dealing with friction with leaders is an oft-forgotten aspect of being in charge. Leaders can and do disagree, it is how to handle those situations from policy disagreements to an incoherent and sleep deprived Regimental Commander, whilst maintaining professionalism and the interests of those you lead that helps in forging a true leader. Speaking truth to power and being imaginative with limited resources provides outsized effects to the overall mission, as Lt Gen Newbold discusses when talking about his experiences with the 15th MEU and Operations Restore Hope, to include the fabled live ‘secret’ beach landing in Somalia.

Along with the structure of leadership is the moral courage to stick up for those being led. Lt Gen Newbold provides several examples of this from his time as a Battalion, MEU, and national level staff officer, particularly his decision to resign in the face of his beliefs over the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

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Relevant Resources & Other Mentioned Episodes:

Moments In Leadership Supercast Support:

Listen to EP 18: SMMC Troy Black, USMC – How to Perform at Every Rank, Why Courage Can Be Seen More in Peacetime Than in Combat, and How Listening Is a Powerful Leadership Skill https://tinyurl.com/2p82n924

Listen to Ep 22: 1stSgt Shamus Flynn, USMC – From Motor T Mechanic to MARSOC – What Emerging Leaders Need to Know About Setting the Example, Admin, and Awards http://bit.ly/3Z2UjDj

Listen to EP 25: LtGen David Furness, USMC – Rather than Yelling and Hazing, Try Focusing on Leadership Through Building Personal Connections, Rapport, and Culture https://tinyurl.com/ycxksac7

LtGen Greg Newbold Articles

The Night of the Generals | Vanity Fair https://bit.ly/4214WHM

Third Retired General Wants Rumsfeld Out - The New York Times https://bit.ly/3q1LUE6

What Tempers the Steel of an Infantry Unit https://bit.ly/3MLG2aW

What is Moments in Leadership?

Moments in Leadership is a podcast where you will hear firsthand about the careers of senior military leaders as they share their unique and individual experiences. Moments in Leadership will immerse you in real-life stories where you will learn about the challenging situations these accomplished leaders faced and discover the lessons they learned early in their careers that were the most influential in developing their overall leadership style.

Conceptualized by a group of friends who served together as young officers in the early to mid-1990s sitting around a firepit telling funny leadership stories, Moments in Leadership is designed to provide some relatable context to the formal leadership training leaders of all ranks and services receive throughout their military careers through the power of storytelling.

Why Should You Support this project?

I realize all of the leaders who listen to the episodes are at different levels of life, and my goal is to be able to have this project remain free and available to anyone who wants it and your donations help go towards that. Your donations go towards offsetting my costs of producing high-quality episodes. Additionally, since this is a part-time hobby project for me, I'm forced to outsource a good deal of work to others to maintain a regular publishing schedule. Your donations help offset these costs as well.

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Other Podcasts Interviews with David B. Armstrong

Scuttlebutt Podcast EP 38: https://apple.co/3py1Wly

Former Action Guys Podcast EP 161: https://apple.co/3d1GVN0

Former Action Guys Podcast EP 141 https://apple.co/3Ppz4GU

Former Action Guys Podcast EP 60 https://apple.co/3Pi128c

Former Action Guys Podcast EP 54 https://apple.co/3Pi128c

About the Host:

David B. Armstrong, CFA, is President and Co-Founder of Monument Wealth Management, an independent wealth management firm he started in 2008 in Alexandria, Va. David received his BA from the University of South Carolina in Government & International Relations and his MBA at the University of South Carolina's Moore School of Business in International Finance. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through the Navy ROTC program and served on Active Duty in the Marine Corps from 1990-1997 as an Artillery Officer and then received a secondary MOS as a Tank Officer. He re-entered the Selected Marine Corps Reserves in 2003 and served in several billets across the Artillery, Tank, and Light Armored Reconnaissance communities. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in late 2018.