We have begun working on a comprehensive Leaders Book that will greatly improve the productivity and organization of today’s leaders. We have received numerous requests for this and while it is still in development we wanted to get your input to ensure it will end up being something you can actually use.
We have come up with several models and have already received input from many of you at various MCSS events. The consensus (and we agree) seems to indicate that it must:
- Be weather/water resistant.
- Be large enough to write in but small enough to fit in an ACU cargo pocket.
- Have the ability to add or remove pages as necessary.
We have solved all of the issues above with the help of John Raine, President of Raine Industries, who has made us a prototype binder according to our specifications.
The content is the biggest hurdle however. We have seen literally hundreds of Leader Books, many of which we have used ourselves, and if we used everything, we would end up with a leaders book that is two inches thick! So, we needed to trim it down a little. We got rid of the fluff and ended up with content you can actually use.
Another issue is that of the paper. Most of us have downloaded our Leader Books from the internet and printed it on letter sized or half letter sized paper. Some high-speed NCOs will laminate it so they can write in it using a permanent Staedtler® pen but most don’t because they either lack the materials to do it or would prefer not to go through the hassle. The problem either way is the size. Half letter size paper will fit into most organizers but they won’t fit in an ACU cargo pocket. So what you end up with is a Leaders Book that is too big to fit into a cargo pocket, probably not waterproof, contains outdated and inefficient content, and generally looks like crap.
We have come up with a solution to these issues. Our Leaders Books will be on a special laminated waterproof paper so you can write on them with a Staedtler® permanent marker and edit with the Staedtler® correction marker (both included). Each section will be tabbed so you can easily and quickly find the content you are looking for and it will fit perfectly in the Raine Deluxe Side Binder (fits in cargo pocket) allowing you to add or remove pages as necessary.
Based on over 60 years of combined experience (Senior Officers and NCOs, all with varying degrees of experience and expertise); we believe two versions of the leader book are required, one for garrison and one for combat/deployment. Our rationale is that certain key elements are needed in each version. For example you would not want to have family information in the combat leader book that could fall into enemy hands and be used against a member of your team.
So, with that in mind, we’d like to hear from you! Tell us what you would like to have in your Leaders Book and we’ll make sure it gets there. Remember, this is your Leaders Book! The more input we get from you the better it will be.
