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MWSA Review
Tactical Influence: How I Countered an Insurgency with Words by Mitchell C. Hockenbury is an intriguing and detailed look at his deployment in Mosul, Iraq. The book is well written, in a casual style that makes for an easy read.
He shows us his first days in Mosul as a platoon leader, where he rides along on a "Thunder Run" which he believes needlessly endangers troops. His orientation during Relief-in-Place transition provides him with a mission, to build rapport with locals and bring back useful information. But he also sees the torture and death that ISIS used to dissuade the locals from talking to Americans, and feels that his mission will be difficult, if not impossible.
However, Mitchell argues that he and his men fundamentally changed the situation in his part of Mosul. The inspiration for some of his ideas came from his experience as a broker, Poor Charlie’s Almanac by Charlie Munger of Berkshire Investments, and Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini.
He believes, and provides his personal experience as a testimony, that a civilian population can be won over through Cialdini’s methods for influencing others, Munger’s philosophy on mental models to open creative thinking, and sales techniques designed to nurture personal relationships. The author provides a limited number of references, but he provides detailed reasons why the reader should delve into them. In this case, less equals more.
The success of these methods, translated directly into both American and Iraqi lives saved, is uplifting and inspirational. While directed at military officers, I would recommend this book to anyone in a leadership position. Not all stakes would be so high as those in Mosul, but this book provides direct and understandable ways for leaders to build bridges in both military and civilian life.
Review by Barb Evenson (May 2021)
Author's Synopsis
If you are in a new situation, you need a new battle drill.
If you find yourself in a combat zone like Iraq this may be the most important book you ever read, here's why...
In Tactical Influence, you will discover this new battle drill is simple but not easy. I’m nobody special, and when I came up with these steps, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.
But this book isn't for everyone. What I teach takes effort and humility. There are no quick fixes in war, and this will challenge you in unfamiliar ways. As you follow the steps in this book, you might, at times, feel silly or weak. This is especially true in a male-dominated unit of type A, macho men. You will need to be brave. You’ll need to stand up as a true leader.
You must remember that protecting the lives of your platoon is worth going the extra mile—even if that means looking foolish on occasion. You may need to stand strong and sell these ideas to your men, or even those senior to you. It might be a challenge.
To the best of my knowledge, I am the only person using these ideas in warfare, but I’ve replicated my success with my platoon leaders when I was in company command, and I’ve seen them work with many different leaders. They have found incredible results, and so can you.
You will learn:
A counterintuitive approach to squashing an insurgency among local civilian populations
How to become a trusted person who the locals can depend upon
Why using techniques of a stock broker may be your best friend in the field
Think an iron fist will work in every situation? Think again!
How a book by Warren Buffet's partner changed my strategy in the field
Why you need to learn the strategy of reciprocity and how to apply it now
The reason "door-to-door selling" will save you massive amounts of time in the long run
But that's not all; you will learn the real life stories and case studies that applied these methods at an extremely high success rate. So, let me tell you the story of how we won our corner of Mosul, and how you can win at war, too.
ISBN/ASIN: 978-0578771427, 057877142X, ASIN (Audible) B08P5YCS63
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle, Audiobook
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 199