Letters to Leaders: Seven - The Fixer

Hello, leaders.

I met a veteran a few weeks ago who became known as “a fixer” throughout various units in his line of work. Immediately, my imagination pictured “The Wolf” from Pulp Fiction, Michael Clayton from Michael Clayton, Blake from Glengarry Glen Ross, or Madeline from Inside Man.

With those characters in mind, I couldn’t help but inquire about his tales of cleaning up messes and saving the world from catastrophe.

It turned out his job was less clandestine.

But his role did drop him into operational commands to clean up the books, implement better processes and procedures, right the ship, etc. He’d also build relationships with soldiers, coach officers, and ensure the right people were in the right seats.