America has lost a true hero in the passing of Lt. General Hal Moore who led his men in the first Vietnam Battle

He was considered one of the top battlefield commanders in world history. Lt. General Hal Moore established his place in military history in 1965 when he led his vastly outnumbered troops to prevail in the first major battle of the Vietnam War. Both on the battlefield and off, he has spent his life studying and encouraging strong, principled leadership as a soldier and a human being. He died in his sleep last week at the age of 94. If you have the chance, watch the 2002 movie "We Were Soldiers", which portrays him commanding the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment at the battle of la Drang in Vietnam. During it's filming, he was on set to ascertain the accuracy of the details. After the war, he was a motivating speaker and if you get find his lecture, it is heartwarming to see this hero walk and talk the line of one hell of an ideal American. Here are his 17 leadership precepts:
1. Three Strikes and you're not out! There is always one more thing you can do to influence any situation in your favor.
2. A leader must ask, "What am I doing that I should not be doing, and what am I not doing that I should be doing."
3. A leader must always be visible and exhibit confidence under any set of circumstances. The determination to prevail must be felt by all.
4. A leader must always be ready! When there is nothing going wrong, there's nothing going except there is nothing going wrong.
5. Trust your instincts. Instincts and intuition give you an immediate estimation of a situation.
6. Everything in leadership boils down to judgment. Intelligence and good character does not imply you have good judgment.
7. Study history and leadership qualities. Pay special attention to why leaders fail.
8. A person in a position of authority does not automatically become immediately respected or trusted. This is earned.
9. Every person in an organization is as important and necessary to a mission as the next person. That goes from the top to the bottom.
10. Instill the will to win. There can be no second place trophies on display-awarded or accepted.
11. Never deprive a person of their self-respect. NEVER.
12. To do well in any field of endeavor, it is an advantage to work with good people.
13. Strive to have one or two people around you who are totally trustworthy.
14. Spend quality time with the team, learning who they are and what motivates them. Create a family.
15. Great leaders lead self first. Before you can lead others, leading self successfully must be accomplished day in and day out.
16. Successful leaders create the future.
17. Leaders must lead. Be the first boots on the ground and the last boots off.