Where the method comes from.
Books, video, podcasts, infographics and articles from G. Damon Wells.
Books
Summary Leadership Book Set
Three books in one presentation box. Each has its own field workbook. The books are The 5 Lenses of Leadership, The 12 Ordeals of Leadership and Right Leader, Wrong Arena.
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The 5 Lenses of LeadershipFive disciplines for analyzing a situation before you decide what to do: evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, personality, complexity and game theory.Amazon ↗
Right Leader, Wrong ArenaWhy identical capabilities produce excellence in one environment and friction in another.Amazon ↗
The 12 Ordeals of LeadershipA practical guide to the recurring tests of uncertainty, trust, conflict, delegation, and balance.Amazon ↗
The Leadership Incompetence IndexA field guide to diagnosing bad leadership early by finding root causes, red flags, and remedies.Amazon ↗Video and podcasts
Are You the Right Leader in the Wrong Arena?
Watch on YouTube ↗Why Smart Leaders Can Explain Failure but Can't Fix It
Watch on YouTube ↗
Open Discussion Podcast
An Army career of more than 30 years, from difficult beginnings to senior command.
Watch episode ↗
BruCast
Trait activation theory, the Big Five, and what a leader's job is.
Watch episode ↗
Mediocre Dads Podcast
What military service reveals about trust, judgment, and responsibility.
Watch episode ↗
Bru Frasca
The leadership skills a leader has to master, from a U.S. Army colonel.
Watch episode ↗Using the platform for personal development
Two recordings, running on the platform’s own sample account. Nothing in either is a client.
- Taking the assessment
One statement at a time. It asks for no name, and it ends on the five traits and the arena the leader is working in.
- Solving a problem
A leader types the situation in front of them in plain sentences. The page works it against their own profile and the demands of their role.
Infographics
One-page PDFThe measurable impact of great leadershipFour questions you can answer about your supervisors this week, with the research behind them. A worked example shows what the first one costs you in hours.Open the PDF ↗
One-page PDFThe healthcare arena mapFive hospital departments placed in the four arenas by how serious a mistake is and how predictable the work is, with the Big Five traits each arena calls for.Open the PDF ↗From Right Leader, Wrong Arena
One-page PDFThe four arenasThe four arenas a role can fall into. For each one: what it rewards, the trap in it, and what the leader’s manager can change.Open the PDF ↗
One-page PDFThe alignmentWhy the same strengths help a leader in one arena and cause friction in another. The case is General Stanley McChrystal’s task force in Iraq.Open the PDF ↗
One-page PDFThe five pathwaysFive ways to respond when a leader and their arena pull apart. The case is Anne Mulcahy’s turnaround at Xerox.Open the PDF ↗
One-page PDFThe four levels of leadersHow far ahead each level of leader sees, what it takes to reach the next level, and the arena a manager creates for their team.Open the PDF ↗From The 12 Ordeals of Leadership
One-page PDFThe 12 ordeals of leadershipAll twelve ordeals in the book’s three groups of four, with one line on each. Under each group are the P×E arenas the program links to it.Open the PDF ↗
One-page PDFWhich ordeal are you facing?A worksheet to pick the ordeal that affects you most now and plan one change, with a review date you choose. A manager and a supervisor can fill it in together.Open the PDF ↗From The 5 Lenses of Leadership
One-page PDFThe five lenses of leadershipEach lens with its question, what it explains, how to use it, its blind spot and its typical misuse. Also the three habits and the book’s worked example of Ford in 2006.Open the PDF ↗
One-page PDFThe 4P FrameworkPeople, Partnership, Practice and Purpose, in the order they depend on each other. For each level: how to spot it from outside, how to measure it, how to build it and the warning signs.Open the PDF ↗Articles
Medium · June 2026
The Leadership Factory
Why employers trust a military background, and what builds it: rotation through very different arenas, which teaches that competence depends on the environment.
Medium · June 2026
Climbing the Peter Pyramid
Four levels of seeing the forces in a role, from Passenger to Architect, through Ron Johnson’s move from Apple to JCPenney.
Medium · May 2026
Leadership and Burnt Toast
Many organizations run like a toaster, with no feedback loop. Lessons from cybernetics, submarines and serotonin.
Medium · April 2026
My Leadership Career Started with Painting Rocks
What more than 30 years in the Army taught about strengths that work in one environment and fail in the next.
See the interaction before you study the theory.
Bring one leader to a 30-minute call. We work through the arena they are in, where their approach meets it, and the first adaptation to test.
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