“In a fight between a bear and an alligator,
it is the terrain which determines who wins.”
– Jim Barksdale
The importance of terrain is so incredibly simple that leaders often overlook its decisiveness. Once we progress out of the Platoon Leader days of land navigation, we think we have the terrain thing figured out.
Yet, history proves time and again that there is no other factor of war that can so quickly and destructively turn the tide of battle. As such, when reading this quote (again and again), leaders would do well to keep in mind the following:
When was the last time you saw a military peer get fired from a position? Doesn’t happen too often, right? In the civilian world, the last several years has been characterized by high unemployment and a difficult job market even for new college graduates. In contrast, the military is intentionally difficult to enter, but also hard to be removed from. Why is that?
Several reasons are important:
- The military invests a lot of time/resources in developing specialized skills
- The nature of service is honorable and we give the service member much credit for volunteering to serve
- Service members are not easily replaceable
- The military asks a lot of its service members, so it gives a lot of leeway for marginal behavior
- Service members typically move every 2-5 years, so supervisors can “wait out” bad performance and pass it down the line
As a leader, you have mediocre performers on your team, the ones who fulfill their duty and not much more. They keep the organization running by learning just enough to progress in the military’s “up or out” system. They’re not destructive, they’re just there.
But how do you identify the bad apples, the ones who will have a corrosive, or even dangerous effect on your unit or another unit down the road? What subordinate traits are unacceptable and worth of dismissal?
Do you ever get to Friday and ask yourself, “Why does it feel like I didn’t get anything done this week?” The reality is that you probably didn’t get as much done as you could have. Which, is ok…as long as you’re committed to improving your productivity. (Hint…if you’re not in the mindset to regularly assess your work productivity, you need to start.)
This article from CamMi Pham Medium.com, 7 Things You Need to Stop Doing to be More Productive, Backed by Science, touches several topics that are routine challenges for military leaders:
- Military leaders typically work long hours. Are we overtasked or just inefficient?
- We say YES to ideas that help Soldiers, even if they’re not the unit’s priority.
- The military is full of perfectionists who spend too much time refining products.
- Money and bureaucracy prevent the military from automating many of the procedures that make it inefficient.
Here are the bullets from the article:
- Stop working overtime and increase your productivity
- Don’t say ‘yes’ too often
- Stop doing everything yourself and start letting people help you
- Stop being a perfectionist
- Stop doing repetitive tasks and start automating
- Stop guessing and start backing up your decisions with data
- Stop working, and have do-nothing time
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“7 Things You Need to Stop Doing to be More Productive, Backed by Science” was published on Medium.com by Digital Marketing Strategist CamMi Pham on April 29, 2014.
Counseling your team is a lot like creating a leader development program…if you overthink it, it’ll never get done. Plenty of leaders groan when we talk about counseling and typically cite any of the following reasons for not getting it done:
- “It takes so much time to counsel everyone each month.”
- “I give plenty of feedback in meetings and other times.”
- “My people already know where they stand.”
- “We have more pressing priorities than counseling. You know we’re deploying, right?”
But most often, leaders don’t counsel because they’re uncomfortable with giving direct feedback. They also have difficulty telling subordinates that they’re doing an average job (it’s the best and the worst performers that are the easiest to give feedback to).
Leaders have to overcome these objections.
You’ll need to read this General George C. Marshall quote several times to absorb all the lessons hidden within it.
When you are commanding, leading [soldiers] under conditions where physical exhaustion and privations must be ignored, where the lives of [soldiers] may be sacrificed, then, the efficiency of your leadership will depend only to a minor degree on your tactical ability. It will primarily be determined by your character, your reputation, not much for courage—which will be accepted as a matter of course—but by the previous reputation you have established for fairness, for that high-minded patriotic purpose, that quality of unswerving determination to carry through any military task assigned to you.
General George C. Marshall, Speaking to officer candidates in September 1941
Here are a few of the takeaways:
- The “starting line” for leadership in combat is that one must accept, ignore, and discard the physical hardship that accompanies it. Exhaustion is the innate price of participation. Thus, leaders should maintain a physical fitness level that allows them to fulfill their command duties despite fatigue.
- Tactical ability in combat is not as important as character. This is a tough concept to grasp, but it helps to ask, “Which is more dangerous in combat – a lack of tactical ability? or a lack of character?” Marshall seems to indicate that inexperienced commanders can still succeed in combat by making common sense, informed decisions – and that an organization can absorb a leader’s lack of tactical ability. However, a commander lacking character will have more destructive and permanent effects on an organization.
- Courage is the default for a combat leader. Similar to endurance under privation, Marshall says that courage in combat is a given, and expected by Soldiers. Is this concept in line with our view of courage in combat today?
- What does create success for a commander in combat? Marshall says plainly that character is decisive above all else. Character accompanied with perseverance under any conditions, fairness in decision making, and a clear attitude of service to the Nation.
Questions for Leaders
- Does your organization know what traits are assumed and expected of them?
- How prepared is your team to face the physically and mentally exhaustive realities of combat? Have you replicated them in training?
- How does a leader measure/assess the qualities of perseverance, courage, and character that are necessary in combat?
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Go ahead and admit it – you’re just like me…you check your phone during meetings. But have you ever thought about what you are communicating to your team when you do?
This short post from Psychology Today explains what you’re really saying when you distract yourself in meetings and is a good reminder to set the example for focus, discipline, and common courtesy.
Here’s a Tip: I had a battalion commander who decreed, “If your spouse calls during one of our meetings, you have to answer the call.” He set the example when his own wife called and enforced the rule around the room. It sent a clear signal that family is always important.
Questions for Leaders:
- Have you published your expectations for behavior during meetings?
- Are your meetings engaging enough to keep people from becoming distracted?
- In what other ways might you be distracted when engaging with your team throughout the day?
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“A Summer with Grant” Reading Series by ‘From the Green Notebook’
Check out this professional reading opportunity using the Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, hosted by the “From the Green Notebook” Blog. Get a free digital copy of the book and connect to a group of professionals for discussion and debate. Topics include “Professional Military Education,” “Leaders at War,” and “Developing Strategic Thinking.” Be sure to pass it on to your team.
Starts June 23rd, so click here for details or email Read2Lead2014@gmail.com for questions.
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Sutton’s #9 from 12 Things Good Bosses Believe has significant, daily application for the military leader. You definitely need to read his expanded blog post on #9, which provides details on how successful companies become more effective at cultivating the right ideas. Here is #9:
“Innovation is crucial to every team and organization.
So my job is to encourage my people to generate and test all kinds of new ideas.
But it is also my job to help them kill off
all the bad ideas we generate, and most of the good ideas, too.”
