This is the second in a series of four articles regarding philosophy, methods to maximize messaging, and why the degree of effectiveness is directly correlated to some very deliberate forethought. In the last I addressed the subject of organizational (or command) philosophy. This edition will focus mostly on the development of an effective leadership philosophy; and in this particular case I will advise that an effective philosophy must be a memorable philosophy.
Like a good organizational (command) philosophy, a good leadership philosophy works to establish the culture of the organization. And because of the need to be memorable it must elicit passion, it must reflect—over all other beliefs—what is most important to you as it is you that must find a way to inspire those within your charge to act in accordance with character of the command. As a leader you must also find a way to encourage junior personnel, with the potential, to grow their own skill set.
As stated in the previous blog, it is hard to challenge any of the beliefs brought out in General George S. Patton’s 23 Principles for Life and Leadership but how easy is it for you to recall them on demand and to stimulate their adoption within the ranks of your own organization?
In December 2011, I had the pleasure of attending FORSCOM’s annual Leadership Development Program (LDP) hosted by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in Greensboro, NC. During that program Lieutenant General William B. Garrett, then a FORSCOM Deputy Commander (currently the EUCOM Deputy Commander), visited the class to share his personal thoughts on being the most effective leader possible.
The basic tenants regarding his beliefs consisted of “know your stuff,” take care of your people,” and “be a (wo)man.” He called these “Garrett’s rules of leadership.” Diving a little deeper into his presentation, his “rules” were further aligned, respectively, with the following: technical/tactical proficiency; Soldiers don’t care what you know if they don’t feel their leadership cares; and demonstrate personal courage by choosing the harder right. I do not disagree with any of the points made by LTG Garrett as they are all very important but the real value of this experience, for me, was that it solidified my inclination to present my own philosophy in a manner so memorable that I would not have to refer to my notebook in order to recall them or issue a wallet card to Soldiers who I wanted to adopt them.
To further this discussion on thoughtful reflection and preparation; I will share another personal experience, one that took place prior to attending the LDP at CCL, that influenced my personal pursuit of adopting a memorable philosophy. I have a good friend, peer, and mentor to thank for the version of the leader philosophy that I currently employ. It came about only after smoking a lot of cigars with Lieutenant Colonel Jason Kelly (now Colonel Jason Kelly, Commander, Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) late in the evening on the rooftop of our headquarters building overlooking the runway at Balad Airbase, Iraq.
What follows next is an extract from my own one-page leader philosophy memorandum that came from the interactions that took place with Jason Kelly. He really deserves all credit. The leader philosophy I currently employ deliberately builds on the three principles of my command philosophy—Team of Teams, People Always, Mission First. The ideas below generally explain my thoughts about the qualities of a good leader and it is intended to incorporate humor as a means of making it easy to remember. The qualities most important to me include one’s dedication to the team and mission, a personal drive to always be better, and the ability to make difficult decisions. Under my charge, I want leaders to possess the following:
1) The Work Ethic of a “Two-bit Hustler”: The work ethic of a “two-bit hustler” does not mean one is unethical or dishonest; nor does it imply one must always put in extremely long hours to be successful. However—a hustler never lets small obstacles prevent him/her from accomplishing an assigned task. A hustler understands implied tasks, looks at all possible angles, and puts in the added time and effort to complete difficult missions.
2) The Mind of a “Scholar”: The Army will never be able to teach a leader everything he/she needs to know to do his/her job. Successful leaders are life-long learners. It is my expectation that you read. Self-education ranges from studying ARs/TMs/FMs/professional journals/etc. to analyzing thought provoking books. Reading, and more importantly—thinking, increases one’s ability to critically reason and separates professionals from the average worker.
3) The Heart of a “Gambino Gangster”: As a leader there will absolutely be occasions where you have to tell someone something they don’t really want to hear. Leaders cannot sidestep this responsibility. Leaders must be capable of broaching difficult topics at their level and then go home at night and rest easy without feelings of anxiety.
Is it okay to adopt the beliefs, values, principles, philosophies that others have used in the past? Absolutely. Does your own leader philosophy need to be revolutionary in order to be effective? Absolutely not. Trust, initiative, accountability, and teamwork are often recurring themes. So what is the real lesson here? The challenge is the emotional journey that you must go through in order to develop an effective method to message what is most important to you…to you. Messaging matters. As stated in the previous edition of this blog series, it requires reading, reflecting, bouncing your ideas and delivery method off of trusted mentors and peers, writing, and reflecting some more.
Reciting your philosophy verbatim, and often, will ensure it is digested but reinforcing actions are still required to establish a culture. To maximize effectiveness you must find varying ways to express your message in order to keep it fresh. Discuss with those immediately subordinate to you the importance of their philosophies being nested with and complimenting yours. Find ways for multiple touch points on a specific rhythm to meet with subordinates two and even three levels down…and stick to it. Leverage comparable philosophies used by others as well as specific instances where your team exemplified the organization’s core values and then highlight them as examples during public forums. Never pass on an opportunity to speak to your team on the topic. Empowering your subordinates to make decisions, act, and adopt the culture of the organization you desire requires a lot of repetition.
That brings this edition to a close but I invite you to stay tuned. In the next two blog entries I will share my staff philosophy as well as the journey I personally went through while establishing—and more importantly messaging—the standing priorities of my own unit. At this point you may be asking yourself, “Why do I need to keep reading this blog series? I think I got your point already.” That may indeed be the case but lifelong learners can always grow from the perspective of others. And those with lifelong commitments will always grow through reflection. If you’re mind remains open to the opinion of others; through additional reflection you might just discover a better way to communicate your own core messages. Messaging matters.