The Gouge! Audiobook By Admiral Bob Harward cover art

The Gouge!

How to Be Smarter than the Situation You Are In

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The Gouge!

By: Admiral Bob Harward
Narrated by: Tim Andres Pabon
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About this listen

You are measured by what you do for others, not by what you have accomplished for yourself.

The Gouge, in military parlance, is what you really need to know in order to be smarter than the situation you are in. As a US Navy SEAL, who became a Vice Admiral, Bob Harward lived by the Gouge and used it as a guiding principle for leadership and day-to-day life. More specifically, his success in his military and corporate careers was predicated on the people who worked with him, and for him. Their ability to meet their personal and professional objectives, ensured his success. The Gouge was a persistent and proactive focus on their success, to ensure they, and he, could succeed in all of their endeavors. Now, he is sharing it with the world. In this book, he uses life stories to illustrate how anyone can use the Gouge, not only for their own well-being but also for any organization or community. At its foundation, it is your personal contract with people and humanity.

In this book, Harward boils all of this down into the Gouge philosophy and its key ingredients: on how to move yourself and the people around you forward, using the best information and experienced based knowledge, so that you too can live by the Gouge.

©2024 Admiral Bob Harward (P)2024 G&D Media Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Development Personal Success Military
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This book is a biography of Admiral Harward‘s career in the US Navy and more specifically with the elite Navy Seals. However, it’s more than that. In every section Admiral Harward discusses his life philosophy which he calls the Gouge. It’s an unattractive name to very attractive philosophy. This book should be mandatory reading in schools across our country. While it seems harder every year to find great role models, we have one in Admiral Harward.
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Excellence personified

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This book story is great. A military man who rose through the ranks, using certain way of thinking, Managed to have a life of adventure he had never expected. He was able to accomplish big and small things using. the Gouge, which is approachable to anyone.

A decent framework to live your life.

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Having known Bobby in high school and to see what a success he has become is great. This book offers wise wisdom and morality for today’s life.
I was a navy sonar chiefs wife for 18 years. Our home was home to five other single guys in the sonar division. I became known as the division wife, a role I loved and treasured. My children were toddlers and had five guys in addition to their dad, loving and protecting and spoiling them rotten when the Robert A Owens was in port. The Navy holds a special place in my heart.
Hearing stories from other sides is captivating.
I hope others will learn from this book.
Thanks Bobby for writing it!
Leigh Ann Carter Ware

Great Wisdom to pass on

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The book by Vice Admiral Bob Harward, The Gouge: How to Be Smarter Than the Situation You Are In, is a masterwork of strategy, leadership, and fortitude. From his days as a Navy SEAL to his position as a senior executive, Admiral Harward condenses decades of expertise into a succinct yet impactful manual that is both entertaining and educational.

The Gouge is based on personal experience, in contrast to many leadership publications that depend on theoretical concepts and notions. Through compelling tales and hard-won knowledge, Admiral Harward demonstrates to readers what makes a great leader. This book offers priceless insights that may be used in any high-pressure scenario, regardless of your level of experience as an executive, your aspirations to become a successful leader, or your desire to improve your everyday decision-making abilities.

My only criticism of the book is that although Admiral Harward places enormous significance on personal integrity and accountability, his unbridled praise and seemingly boundless admiration for General James Mattis are inconsistent with these principles. Before this book was published, General Mattis had been roundly accused of knowingly and repeatedly violating Articles 88 and 133 of the UCMJ with reckless impunity. His contemptuous and venomous attacks against President Trump that were intended to delegitimize the Commander-in-Chief in the eyes of the armed forces and public have eroded the dignity and discipline expected of our senior military leaders.

Admiral Harward may have considered General Mattis a brilliant and well-liked general officer during his active-duty service, but the general’s subsequent widely publicized histrionics denouncing and condemning the Commander-in-Chief have seriously violated the philosophy of “The Gouge” and will continue to do so until he and others of his ilk are rebuked and held accountable for their unethical and dishonorable conduct.

A masterclass in leadership and resilience

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Straight forward message with inspiration and application to anyone’s life. Puts perspective on challenges in life.

Quick read great Message for all

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