538: The Legendary Speech on How Leaders Should Lead. Major C.A. Bach Back, 1917.
4/29/20261 hr 47 min
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Breaking down Major C.A. Bach’s legendary 1917 leadership speech and separates timeless leadership truths from outdated doctrine. They cover earning respect instead of demanding it, why confidence comes from preparation, when leaders should apologize, how to avoid becoming a power-tripping boss, and why the best leaders quietly sacrifice for their teams.
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First 90 secondsJocko Willink· Host0:00
This is Jocko Podcast number 538 with Echo Charles and me, Jocko Willink. Good evening, Echo. Good evening. Major Christian Albert Bach, uh, more commonly referred to as Major C.A. Bach. Born in 1870. Entered the US Army as a private in the 13th Minnesota Infantry. Uh, a little later, by the time he deployed to the Philippines for combat in the Spanish-American War in 1898, he was a sergeant by that time. Fought with the 13th Minnesota on the right flank of the US line during the Battle of Manila, August 13th, and the right flank became the most contested terrain during that battle. 13th Minnesota suffered the highest casualty rate of any American unit in that battle. He continued to see combat in the Philippine, uh, American War for the next few years after that, where Sergeant Bach was promoted, um, and commissioned to become a second lieutenant. And then after the Philippine-American War, he transitioned to the regular army, served in the 7th Cav. By the time America entered World War I, Bach was a major. And based on his experience, his combat experience from fighting in the Philippines, um, he started off the war, World War I, training cadets that were