[January 8, 2016] A few years ago I had the privilege to meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta where we had an open-ended discussion about major events in the world. In the opinion of many, Panetta was one of the great defense secretaries of our time and his opinions on leadership are grounded in authenticity. While he never said it in these words, he did imply that our current military leaders are experiencing leadership in a bubble.
Panetta said that any military force “worth its salt has to be able to deal with uncertainty.” His concern about the U.S. military was evident and he feared that we were not sufficiently flexible, adaptable, and resilient. This is the sort of thing that keeps him awake at night. Leaders must be “able to deal with events that we may not have planned for,” he said. Such is the mind of a leader; military, business, political, or diplomatic.
Leaders can become lazy because it’s just too easy and satisfying to rely on our immediate staffs and other confidants to provide us with critical information. What is more difficult is to understand that such information has a particular bias and that a good leader must take extraordinary steps to “see” what’s happening on the ground for himself. It is said that the best leaders lead from the front; the truth is evident in the greatest leaders of history who did exactly that.
From Alexander the Great to General Patton, King Richard the Lionhearted to Churchill, Machiavelli to Kissinger, all were ahead of their time and took efforts to ensure they possessed the most up-to-date and relevant information available to make timely, just decisions. Other leaders have been known to wrap themselves in the comfort of sycophants who filter and mold information given to the leader. This has lead to disastrous results since the beginning of humankind.
Not having timely and accurate information will mislead a leader and cause them to veer off course. Such is the danger of senior leaders who are too insulated. Leaders have the duty to know about and to be involved, else they will inevitably fall short of their mission and goals. Leadership in a bubble is more than a risk; it’s a predictor of inevitable failure.
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