ABSTRACT
The United States has depended on citizen-soldiers such as Bill Dyer since 1908, when Congress authorized the Army to establish a reserve corps of medical officers. Since then the armed forces' reserves have been key players in every military conflict in which the United States has been involved. Dyer's technical background in electrical engineering has been a tremendous advantage in his current assignment. He finds himself switching back and forth between his legal and engineering duties. Dyer has developed a strategy of selective guidance, honing it first at the law firm and more recently during his work sorting out problems in Iraq. Dyer notes that the key leadership challenge he faces in the civilian world corresponds closely to the one confronting him in Iraq. Dyer remains philosophical about his approach to leadership, and one of his e-mail comments contains some telling insights for others who work in an environment where the leadership paradigm seems to be shifting.
