[September 19, 2016] A few years ago, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., there was a discussion at the most senior levels of the U.S. military on “emerging leaders” and senior leader thinking. I was there. About a dozen new General/Flag officers were being advised on what would be expected of them in their roles.
Much is expected of a senior leader, but the specifics are often lacking. That is why they were interested in hearing the perspective of three- and four-star generals/admirals.
“Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable.” – U.S. General George S. Patton
The attributes of new senior leaders draw upon the needs of the nation. If they lack what the nation requires of them, that new General/Flag officer will be removed. That process is much quicker and easier than one may think in the U.S. military.
Those senior officers serve at the pleasure of the United States, and there is no implied or specified contract for any length of time. In fact, they all know that they must prove themselves to be of value and do so on daily.
Some of those attributes required of new senior leaders are for them to:
- Be able to operate on intent through trust, empowerment, and understanding.
- Be able to deal with surprise, the unforeseeable, and the unpredictable.
- Be able to recognize change and lead transitions.
- Be able to understand the environment (social, political, etc.) and the effect of all elements of national power.
- Be able to operationally recognize, understand, change, and adapt to risks.
- Be able to generate and maintain a positive work climate through influence.
Several books were also recommended to stretch their thinking. Some have been summarized here at theLeaderMaker.com. Those books discussed are:
- The Age of the Unthinkable, Joshua Cooper Ramo, 2009.
- 7 Deadly Scenarios, Andrew P. Krepinevich, 2010.
- Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon Sinek, 2009
- The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, 2007.
The senior most leaders in any organization must always work to gain a better understanding of the best leader qualities and pass along their leader philosophy in different words and through diverse perspectives.
In this particular posting, I’m passing along the thoughts of a commander who had just spent several years in combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq. His perspective is colored by the actions of those multinational forces under his command and by the enemy’s attacks on his troops. Anytime we get the chance to ask a field commander recently from the battlefield about his thoughts, it is an opportunity that cannot be passed up.
“In a servant leadership culture, we learn by choice or example that if we want to be great, we have to serve others respectfully.” – Vern Dosch, CEO and author of Wired Differently
Some thoughts on leadership from this commander:
- Lead up and across, not just down.
- Be a catalyst to get things done, done right, and done quickly.
- Stewardship: create a sense of belonging.
- Community: develop a culture of excellence in the family of professionals.
- Be a servant leader; learn to follow first, respect, and understand subordinates.
- Communicate: be an active leader where deeds, not words, matter most.
- Decentralize: trust in others to get the job done.
- Network: link communities of interest and distribute information.
- Teamwork works and creates positive attitudes: focus on it.
- Establish a positive command (i.e., work) climate: it’s essential in what you do to promote your team.
Note the simplicity of this senior leader’s philosophy. Leaders are busy people … so their communication must be precise and simple and clear, even to other senior leaders.
His recommended reading list:
- Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power, David E. Sanger, 2013.
- The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today, Thomas E. Ricks, 2013.
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Please read my books:
Excellent and useful for me to help wrap my head around senior leadership. Thx.
I concur and also recommend “The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today, “Thomas E. Ricks, 2013. https://www.theleadermaker.com/reading-list-update-2/
….. made me think …..
There are some useful and educational books here that are recommended by Gen. Satterfield. I do suggest going to the tab on READING LIST (UPDATED) at https://www.theleadermaker.com/reading-list/ In this Gen. Satterfield gives us some of the most important books that we can use to gain a better understanding of life in general and to use for you specifically. thanks all for being here for others.
Hint: When a senior leader makes a mistake, they own it and fix it.
One of this week’s strange news stories is Attorney General Pam Bondi’s apparent assault on “hate speech.” During a podcast on Monday, Bondi said her Department of Justice would “absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.” That led to a storm of outrage from the right, which in turn caused Bondi to “clarify” her statement the following day:
“Freedom of speech is sacred in our country, and we will never impede upon [sic] that right,” Bondi said in her statement.
Yeah, she flubbed that one. Attacking “hate speech” is wrong, obviously for those who have a brain cell, because who defines “hate?”
The real question is why would AG Bondi come out with such a comment in the first place? How stupid! Free speech is free speech and the government should NOT be going after people for it. Different if this speech is promoting, threatening, and encouraging violence
Very thoughtful.
See AUSA’s Center for Leadership as an example of what Gen. Satterfield is writing about. This is where senior leaders are helping more junior leaders be more effective.
https://www.ausa.org/center-for-leadership
Right and more discussions on “emerging leaders.”
The Association of the United States Army is the association for young professionals and emerging leaders who are Soldiers transitioning out of the Army, veterans, spouses and family members, government civilians, or supporters of the Army and in search of professional development and networking opportunities.
EXCELLENT
Gen. Satterfield has written a lot about “respect” and what it is (which we overlook) and what it is not (which we think it is). This following quote is an example of what “respect” is not. “In a servant leadership culture, we learn by choice or example that if we want to be great, we have to serve others respectfully.” – Vern Dosch, CEO and author of Wired Differently. There is too many leaders who think respect is just given as a way to earn their leadership bonefides. It’s not. Treating people politely is okay and to be commended. But respect must be earned.
“Note the simplicity of this senior leader’s philosophy. Leaders are busy people … so their communication must be precise and simple and clear, even to other senior leaders.” — Gen. Doug Satterfield. This is spot-on as the ideal for the best of senior leader communication. But also for ALL leaders, so we must keep that in mind. Well written and a 4 star article.
Gen. S. never fails us and delivers again on a thoughtful article about thinking at the senior level. Experience, no doubt, is a key here and yet not mentioned.
You got that right.
Very thorough, thanks.