“I have a flawed and incomplete
understanding of what it feels like to work for me.”
This statement comes from Robert Sutton’s “12 Things Good Bosses Believe,” which is a pointed and humbling summary of lessons stemming from years of leadership research. Sutton is the author of the very successful books “The No A$$hole Rule” and “Good Boss, Bad Boss.”
His series of articles in The Harvard Business Review dives into each of 12 Beliefs and provides illuminating examples about how easy it is to become a bad boss, and what to strive for in becoming a good boss.
Do the lessons apply to military leadership?…you be the judge.
I have a flawed and incomplete
understanding of what it feels like to work for me.
Sutton points out the sociological fact that followers are hypersensitive to the leader’s actions, watching for behaviors that indicate changes in their environment. Conversely, those in charge focus on themselves and tune-out subordinates.
The nature of command in the military exaggerates this principle. We have always held our commanders in the highest regard and Army Regulation 600-20 gives them near absolute authority. Everything the Army does supports a commander somewhere and, within legal/moral/ethical boundaries, they have total power to change course or run the ship aground.
As such, it is easy for a commander to be the center of a unit’s attention. There’s an argument to say that the commander SHOULD be the center of attention…because he’s the one who will make the tough calls and the one who bears responsibility for the Soldier’s welfare and ultimate survival. In combat, this is rational.
But in the day to day running of the unit, a commander can change the work environment for the positive (facilitating creativity; fostering participation/teamwork) by reducing his authoritative presence. This lets subordinate leaders take more responsibility and exposes team dynamics he might not otherwise see.
The Mission Command concept even encourages this type of leadership, where the leader sets his boundaries for the mission (intent) and steps away to let the staff develop courses of action. We all know how painfully unproductive it is when the commander/leader hovers over a process, inserting course corrections and interrupting momentum.
Bottom Line
- Look for opportunities where your reduced presence might allow the team to flourish.
- Find ways to check the pulse of your organization and become more sensitive to the team’s needs.
- Acknowledge that being a military leader gives you a lot of power, but you’re still dealing with human beings who don’t necessarily enjoy living in a world that revolves around you.