This short article on LinkedIn, by the coauthor of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, provides a list of 9 Things Successful People Won’t Do that challenges leaders to examine their professional practices and interactions.
Dr. Travis Bradberry elaborates on this universal set of behaviors to avoid, recommending them as a way to improve the emotional aspect of one’s leadership. “The trick is that managing your emotions is as much about what you won’t do as it is about what you will do.”
Here are a couple highlights, but the author expands on each one:
- They Won’t Prioritize Perfection. “Emotionally intelligent people won’t set perfection as their target because they know it doesn’t exist.”
- They Won’t Dwell on Problems. “Emotionally intelligent people won’t dwell on problems because they know they’re most effective when they focus on solutions.”
- They Won’t Say Yes Unless They Really Want To. “The more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression.”
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“I must study politics and war, that my sons may have the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy…in order to give their children the right to study painting, poetry, and music.”
John Adams
“I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor food; I offer only hunger, thirst, forced marches, battles, and death. Let him who loves his country with his heart, and not merely with his lips, follow me.”
Giuseppe Garibaldi
The Military Leader is pleased to offer this guest post by an Air Force Major with more than 14 years flying experience. It is a thought-provoking look at how the leadership environment changes after leaving active duty and challenges our basic beliefs about why we serve.
This is the first in a series of articles that seek to answer the question, “How does organizational leadership differ between my experience on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and my new career(s) as an airline pilot and citizen airman in the Air National Guard?” I will answer the question by focusing on three areas: 1) the concepts of service and excellence, 2) the leadership environment, and 3) leader development.
My comments will be relevant both for those considering transitioning from active duty, as well as leaders/mentors of subordinates who face that decision. My opinions are my own and do not represent the official positions of my Air National Guard unit or civilian employer.
An Afghan air force pilot and Air Force Maj. Chris Garcia fly an advisory mission March 10, 2014, near Kabul, Afghanistan. Airmen of the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing/NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan play a vital role in Operation Enduring Freedom as advisers tasked with aiding the Afghan government in establishing an operational and sustainable Afghan air force. Garcia is a 438th Air Expeditionary Wing/NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan C-130 Hercules advisor. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jason Robertson)
I have intentionally structured this blog to focus on leadership principles and to prevent it from becoming an opinion board for political hot button issues. I think the media already has enough stone-throwers and I have no desire to join the fray.
Nonetheless, there are apolitical lessons we should draw from the events of our time, and the recent sad events in Ferguson, Missouri provide a few. (See “Tragedy and Readiness – Fort Hood’s Lesson” for more lessons from current events.)
What you won’t read here is my judgment of who is right or wrong in the death of Michael Brown. Why?…because I am neither the investigator nor the judge, which brings me to the first lesson.
People stand in prayer after marching about a mile to the police station to protest the shooting of Michael Brown, Aug. 20, 2014, in Ferguson, Mo. Photo by: Charlie Riedel, AP Photo
“I have seen competent leaders who stood in front of a platoon and all they saw was a platoon. But great leaders stand in front of a platoon and see it as forty-four individuals, each of whom has aspirations, each of whom wants to live, each of whom wants to do good.”
General Norman Schwarzkopf
Simplicity resonates from #11 of Robert Sutton’s “12 Things Good Bosses Believe.” This belief is so basic that it is often overlooked and rarely discussed, but might very well be the belief that distinguishes great leaders from the rest.
Sutton’s #11 belief of good bosses is:
How I do things is as important as what I do.
Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, center left, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, at Besmaya Range Complex in Iraq, April 21, 2016.
DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dominique A. Pineiro.
Are you gleaning the right lessons from your professional reading? Do you read military literature with an appropriate level of scrutiny? How do you know that an author is making assertions within the legitimate context of historical events? Maybe the more appropriate question is…“Are you reading at all?”
Today’s recommendation is an insightful post by fellow military leadership website host and talented writer, Army Major Joe Byerly. It’s a May 2014 article that also appeared in Small Wars Journal, entitled “Getting the Most Out of Professional Reading.”
Byerly challenges us to go beyond the block-check of professional reading and gives tips on how to engage with literature in a way that solidifies insight. He recommends:
- Approach military writing in the proper context of history
- Challenge authors to prevent confirmation bias
- Capture your thoughts and reactions for reference and lesson permanency
- Connect with other professionals on the topics (military blogs are a good place to start)
- Transmit your own thoughts and insights on professional topics, through discussion or even professional writing
You’ll also find some article and book recommendations in his post.
Questions for Leaders:
- Has professional education taken a back seat to professional execution?
- How much more talented would you (and your team) be if you could internalize one professional lesson per day through books?
- Is professional reading an individual’s responsibility or should leaders direct reading activity for their units?
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Military leaders know that information operations can be decisive in influencing populations, particularly in counterinsurgency operations. Commanders create entire staff sections devoted to analyzing populations and crafting targeted messages that will influence people groups to support coalition efforts.
Information is clearly an important part of combat operations, but what about back at home station? How can leaders communicate their message to the organization to do things like meet unit goals, achieve a shared vision, or simply influence subordinate behavior?
Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Capel, International Security Assistance Force senior enlisted adviser, speaks to Soldiers in 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, after awarding combat infantry badges, combat action badges and combat medical badges at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, May 28, 2013.
Photo Credit: Sgt. Julieanne Morse, 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
