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The Military Leader

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The opportunity before you

The military is full of opportunities, plenty of places you wish you could serve, jobs you wish you had, people you wish you could work with.

Given the military’s sequential, time and experience-based professional development model, most of that opportunity is out of reach or untimely.

One way to overcome this facet is to perform better, to rank higher, to stand out. Why? Because performance begets opportunity. As you progress, the number and quality of opportunities increase. Through performance you reveal potential.

This mentality, however, has a flaw. In doing things that result in the next professional development opportunity, it’s easy to overlook the everyday opportunity that doesn’t count for professional points. The investment in younger leaders, the unexpected but appreciated thank you, the moment of genuine care for a teammate in need. These opportunities don’t show up on the scoreboard. They can’t be communicated in evaluation reports. Bosses won’t discover them.

In pursuit of opportunity, don’t miss the opportunity that makes the most difference.

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Prone to advise

Your rank and authority give you the right.

Your experience gives you the credibility.

The consequences involved make you reluctant to do it any way but yours.

Your busy day makes you impatient.

So, you issue orders and give advice…all day long. This cycle is not a crime, it’s just not the best way to develop your people.

You already have most of the solutions to problems you’ll encounter in your position. However, developing leaders is not about delivering your answers. It’s about coaching others to discover their own.

(Michael Bungay Stanier’s book will help you break the cycle.)

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Climate & Responsibility

We prefer to work for leaders who trust us to make good decisions. The opposite creates a frustrating climate. That kind of leader demands details about unimportant topics, doesn’t ask for input, isn’t interested in anyone else’s efforts.

But it’s a two-way street.

Followers have the responsibility to show that they support the leader’s priorities and will subordinate their own when necessary. They must also be humble enough to know they don’t always have the answer and must be willing to seek help.

If you are a leader, ask yourself which climate you are setting.

(Seth Godin’s post can help. So can Bob Sutton, with 12 Things Good Bosses Believe.)

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Leadership and Likership

It’s true what you’ve heard. Leadership is not about likership.

But if those you lead can’t connect with who you are…
or relate to your perspective…
or aren’t inspired by your emotional engagement…
or don’t believe you will listen to and help them with their struggles…

…the best you’ll get is compliance.

Personality is the conduit over which leadership happens. The only way to deliver your talents to the rest of the world is through personality (akin to emotional intelligence, relatability, charisma, and so on). Without a good conduit, leadership talents lie dormant.

Don’t strive to be liked. Strive to be relatable.

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A New Foundation for the Profession of Arms

by Nathan Finney & Ty Mayfield

Try to visualize the nature of today’s profession of arms and it’s not a stretch to envision a ship tossed around violently in storm waves. Social media. Political turbulence. The Millennial Generation. Fewer combat deployments. Civil-military fissures. These facets of our socio-political life shape and often erode the essence of what it means to be a military professional. The profession of arms needs a little clarity.

That’s why I am excited to share a timely new book by two of my friends and colleagues, Nate Finney and Ty Mayfield. In Redefining the Modern Military: The Intersection of Profession and Ethics, they do a wonderful job of bringing context to the clouded notion of today’s professional military service. Nate and Ty wrote this post for The Military Leader audience and I invite you to pick up a copy of their book.

Thanks for reading and lead well!

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Avoid the Meeting Meltdown

By Christopher Manganaro

We have all heard the saying, “I went to a meeting to discuss a meeting.”  Meetings can be very useful and a huge waste of time if managed improperly.  They are either too long, too short, or do not solve the problem or issue that the meeting was trying to solve in the first place.  Leaders at all levels will have the opportunity to conduct meetings of their own and, if they’re not careful, could repeat the cycle of doom for the next generation.

meeting

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Who is the Hero?

Every movie has a hero. Luke Skywalker. Harry Potter. Indiana Jones. Even Austin Powers is a hero. The hero is the heart of the movie, the person or thing on which the movie focuses to tell the story. Movies take these heroes on journeys that follow a common path. The hero encounters a problem he can’t solve, a villain he can’t overcome. Then a guide appears to help the hero become the person who can rise to the challenge. Yoda is a guide, so is Gandalf. Then just when you think all hope is lost, the hero uses the guide’s teachings to win the day and defeat the villain.

hero

U.S. Army Soldiers with 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, provide support by fire during a multinational training event for exercise Puma 2 with Battle Group Poland at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland on June 14, 2018 as part of Saber Strike 18. This year’s exercise, which runs from June 3-15, tests allies and partners from 19 countries on their ability work together to deter aggression in the region and improve each unit’s ability to perform their designated mission. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Hubert D. Delany III /22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
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Three Leader Sins to Avoid

by Lance Oskey

Despite the breadth of the Army’s leader development journey, leaders often serve for years without learning those intangible skills we all recognize in great leaders. What classroom can teach a leader to “understand context” or “communicate appropriately” or “inspire the best in people?” The leader talents I describe here are among those qualities. They’re nuanced and underrepresented during formal and informal leader development training.

Sins

Marine Corps School of Infantry East students detonate an explosive charge during a breaching exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., April 18, 2018. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ginnie Lee.