Yeah, err... when you leak information about the combat capabilities of a national asset, getting cashiered is probably the least you can expect. When you do so circumventing the entire chain of command, it's the least you *should* expect. https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1245803893466021889

Just for the record: he has five layers of the chain of command above him, as well as the Naval Inspector General and the DoDIG. He could have turned to each of them – or just taken the blame for letting his men ashore in Viet Nam previously. This screams insurance policy.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt belongs to the 7th Fleet, which in turn is part of USPACFLT, which in turn is part of the US Navy, which in turn is subordinate to the DoD. Going to the CinC is not merely weird and unsanctioned, it's also odd to leak it.

The current hot take on this is that he has 'stood up for his crew risking his livelihood'. That is, pardon my French, a crock of shit.

Publicly announcing that a good part of your crew is sick is not standing up for them but putting them in mortal danger.

When it's all in the context of you screwing up (allowing your men ashore during a known outbreak then failing to contain it when you have more than adequate medical facilities), it screams a last-ditch effort to get some political clout before getting duly relieved for cause.

The #leadership lesson here is this: we glorify falling on your sword, but usually it's *not* the right call. Leaders with high emotional and cognitive capacity do not throw the toys out of the pram, however satisfying that is to one's ego. They work to fix the problem.

I think it was @jockowillink who made this point really well, in the context of David 'Hack' Hackworth: when you fall on your sword, you assuage your ego, but you've written yourself out of any opportunity to influence decisions from then on. It's game over for you.

And if you firmly believe you're right and you can do something good with what you have, you don't do these amateur theatrics. You cope with the hard, hard task of making compromises under pressure.

Because guess what, that's why you're a *leader*. That's your damn *job*.