Leadership has been on my mind lately. Most of the lessons I learned about the subject are from others who modeled it. I learned the principles in my military education and practiced them in the course of my time as a soldier and a legislator. But to be certain, my philosophy of leadership was shaped by observing others, indeed borrowing from them over time. It’s a transcendent thing in that regard, like so much else in life as we learn from others.
Today’s political leaders, it strikes me, have much to learn based on the performance I’ve seen from them. For example, the so-called leaders who mollycoddle anarchists and criminals frequently engage in what was famously called “leading from behind”, the most curious yet inglorious characterization of leadership I have come across. Leading from behind is what cowardly agitators do. It requires no courage, just a craven desire to encourage wrongful acts by others.
What is more disturbing to me than the lack of leadership we see in those who have been chosen in a democratic process to keep law and order, administer the government, and indeed, “preserve, protect, and defend” the Constitution, is the complete lack of wisdom in choosing them. A mistake voters make—routinely—is not looking at the actual experience and ability of people they elect. To be sure, that’s difficult to assess in this modern age of social media with its fabricated and bloated imagery. It would be time-consuming. But for the discerning eye, you can observe who shows proper leadership traits. Here are some that I have used as a leader, concepts I did not originate.
Be what you say you are and do what you say you will: This is fairly self-evident. Don’t be a hypocrite and fail to live up to the standards you expect of others. Moreover, keep the promises you make and the oaths you take.
When in charge, be in charge: Again the point should be clear. Don’t expect others to do what is inherently your responsibility. You see this often as leaders call for “commissions” or “consensus-making” on matters that have clear courses of action. What is lacking is the courage of a leader to take that action.
All mistakes are my mistakes: I learned early in my career that “owning” mistakes, not blaming others for them, is a leadership strength. Moreover, leaders who do this reap the benefits. First, in demonstrating a willingness to underwrite mistakes by subordinates that are made in good faith, the leader will actually inspire his team to better performance. Second, this demonstrates to everyone that the leader understands “the buck stops here”, not blaming others for the organizational performance.
Be a fire stroker, not a fire stomper: In any organization, large are small, a leader must focus on sustaining what is working well and fixing what isn’t. Disengaged leaders wind up as fire “stompers”, darting here and there from crisis to crisis. The key to success is to have a system that allows the leader to focus on keeping the good “fires” of their organization properly “stoked” and burning at the levels they should be.
Know your status and be ready to fight: I frequently reminded my subordinate leaders that they had to have situational awareness concerning the ability of their organization to perform their duty immediately. The military, first responders, and critical services come to mind. This relates to the “fire stoking” idea. In both cases leaders have to have the systems in place to know their status.
You get more of what you reinforce: If you have high standards, your organization will be one of high standards. If you tolerate low ones, you will be a failure. You need only look at the mollycoddling of anarchists for weeks on end by the mayor of Seattle to see this at work. Tolerating the intolerable produces more that is intolerable. It becomes a self-licking ice cream cone.
Bad news does not get better with age: Bad news is not like wine. It doesn’t get better with age. Delaying “bad news” reports for fear of political repercussions actually makes those repercussions worse. Besides, no matter how hard you try, you can’t make manure smell sweet. I am amazed by leaders who do this, repeatedly.
See things as they are, not as you wish them to be: Self-delusion, never a good thing, is certainly not a virtue in war. Nor is it in other areas of leadership. Leaders who fail to do this are destined for failure.
Finally, this. Inspect the people you vote for. You may not agree with them on every detail. You may not like their persona. But if they exhibit these leadership traits, things will be better. I know, because I borrowed most of these principles from others.
PS: The summer is a great time to relax and read my book, Desert Redleg: Artillery Warfare in the First Gulf War, so I hope you will order it today. Also, take a listen to the Podcast interview Cris Alvarez did with me about the book at his website WarScholar. Thanks!
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