Today, let’s consider some input from General Colin Powell, as well as the classic list of Armed Forces Leadership Principles that most of us grew up with. There are clear overlaps, like “Set an example” and “Know your people and look out for their welfare.” But, how can we update and refine those principles to give leaders a more accurate picture what is necessary in today’s military? I welcome your thoughts and suggestions!
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 was fortunate enough to be a cadet in the audience at the US Air Force Academy when (then) Brigadier General Mark Welsh, the Commandant of Cadets, gave a sobering and deeply personal account of his combat experience in the Gulf War.
He was the commander of an F-16 Fighter Squadron at the time and, being a full two years before 9/11, few service members (and none of us cadets) had any insight into real combat. General Welsh brought it into focus with this speech.
Revisiting the book Military Leadership: In Pursuit of Excellence led me to an article by General Matthew Ridgway that appeared in the October 1966 edition of Military Review. Entitled “Leadership,” it is a strikingly poignant and upfront summation of basic elements of good leadership, in and out of combat. I recommend that everyone read the entire article, but here are some points to consider.
Thanks to a recent squadron commander for providing these comprehensive slides. He used them to introduce his leader development program to his officers and senior NCOs, which drove hours of educational discourse.
You can click through and download the slides below, but highlights include:
Download the PowerPoint version here: Battalion-Level Leader Development Overview.pptx
Download the PDF version here: Battalion-Level Leader Development Overview.pdf
View and download the slides on SlideShare here:
What qualities signify great leadership? We know the typical answers…example, courage, inspiration, etc. But this Forbes article provides a different perspective, highlighting leader characteristics you probably hadn’t considered.
In my first few weeks as a company commander, I noticed that directly across the hall worked a consistently loud mid-level leader. He made a point to interrupt and talk over everyone around him who was either junior in rank or wasn’t annoyed enough to walk away.
As his leader, though, what concerned me was that his talk was also constantly negative. He seemed to be incapable of agreeing with or encouraging a positive thought by those around him. It was an emotional drain to listen to and I’m sure it was exasperating for the Soldiers working for him.
#10 on Robert Sutton’s “12 Things Good Bosses Believe” zeros-in on negative interactions and caustic team members because they can quickly overwrite the positive that exists within an organization. Being a nice leader and encouraging others is not enough, Sutton explains in his Harvard Business Review blog post on the topic:
Eliminating the negative, as any skilled leader can tell you, is not just the flipside of accentuating the positive. It’s a whole different set of activities. For someone with people to manage, accentuating the positive means recognizing productive and constructive effort, for example, and helping people discover and build on their strengths. Eliminating the negative, for the same boss, might mean tearing down maddening obstacles and shielding people from abuse.
Some might say that the climate of authority and bravado in military units makes positivity “uncool.” Success in the military, like anything else, “rises and falls on leadership” (John Maxwell). Sutton’s point is that actively developing a positive climate is less important than removing the negative people and interactions. Sutton draws an analogy to marriage:
Negative information, experiences, and people have far deeper impacts than positive ones. In the context of romantic relationships and marriages, for example, the truth is stark: unless positive interactions outnumber negative interactions by five to one, odds are that the relationship will fail.
In the instance of my former subordinate, it was clear to me that his corrosive attitude was exactly opposite of the command climate my First Sergeant and I were trying to build. One day after a particularly cynical monologue, I engaged him with an ultimatum…cut out the negativity or I’d pull him out of the position, period. He adjusted his attitude.
With humor and poignancy, this TED Video could be a leader development session by itself. Conductor and business consultant Itay Talgam shares the varying styles of great symphony conductors, revealing lessons on organizational behavior, emotional intelligence, leadership styles, and many others.
Watch this video with your team and keep the following questions in mind for discussion: