What Poor Leadership Costs—and What the U.S. Marines Can Teach Us About Fixing It
- Matt Eichmann
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
Summer’s here. For many, that means summer reading season and bookstore tables stacked with “how to be a better leader” and “how to think like a CEO.”
We’ve read them. Some are fine. But if you’re looking for something with teeth—something that will challenge how you think and lead—we’ve got a better recommendation:
It’s called Warfighting.
Originally published in 1989, Warfighting is the foundational doctrinal publication of the United States Marine Corps. But don’t let that scare you off. It’s not a manual about guns and tactics—it’s a deeply reflective, human-centered guide to leadership under extreme pressure.
I first read it over 25 years ago. It’s still shaping how I lead, coach, and train others to lead today.
Because Warfighting isn’t just for combat—it’s for any leader responsible for aligning people, making hard decisions, and driving performance in high-stakes environments. In other words, it's for business leaders.
Everywhere it says battle, read business. Every time it says enemy, think market competition. And when it talks about responsibility, it’s talking to you.
“Leaders must have a strong sense of the great responsibility of their office; the resources they will expend in war are human lives.”
Substitute human lives for your people’s time, trust, and energy—the parallel is clear. If you lead, what you choose to focus on—or ignore—matters.
What Poor Leadership Costs—In Real Terms
Over the past few weeks, multiple senior executives have pulled us aside and shared the same story:
"We’ve got smart people. Capable managers. But we’re still missing something. We’re missing leadership."
I hear this all the time. And when leadership is missing, the cost is real:
Lost momentum because no one’s clear on the goal
Burnout from reactive, swirl-heavy cultures
Customer pain due to siloed decision-making
Attrition—especially of your high-potential future leaders
Mediocrity that becomes the cultural norm
Poor leadership is expensive. And it usually shows up quietly, then all at once—in blown timelines, stagnant revenue, shrinking morale, or a sudden round of regrettable departures.
Worse yet? Most companies don’t realize leadership is the root issue until it’s already cost them.
What Warfighting Gets Right
Warfighting is built around a few core ideas that translate powerfully into business leadership:
Speed beats strength. Maneuver wins. Don’t grind; out-think, out-decide, out-lead.
Clarity over control. When teams understand the commander’s intent, they move without waiting.
Decentralize decision-making. Push authority to the edge. That’s where speed lives.
Friction is inevitable. Great leaders don’t avoid it; they operate effectively through it.
Focus on the gaps. Don’t attack head-on—find the opportunity others are missing.
And perhaps most importantly:
“Self-study in the art and science of war is at least equal in importance—and should receive at least equal time—to maintaining physical condition. This is particularly true among officers; after all, an officer’s principal weapon is his mind.”
We’d argue the same holds true in business. Leaders need to work the mental muscle—deepening their skillset, sharpening their perspective, and confronting the cost of poor leadership head-on.
At Catalyst Point, This Is What We Do
At Catalyst Point Leadership Advisors, we help leadership teams confront what poor leadership is costing them and build the skills, systems, and mindsets to change it.
Whether it’s in the boardroom, on the plant floor, or during a strategy offsite, we use frameworks like Warfighting to help leaders:
Build alignment
Create momentum
Develop initiative at every level
And turn leadership into a competitive advantage
Because the truth is: most leadership problems have already been solved somewhere. The job now is to adapt what works and put it into practice.
If you want help doing that—we’re ready. Get in touch.
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