[October 12, 2016] A number of years ago I had the opportunity to meet with and attend a talk by General Norman Schwarzkopf; the topic was on his philosophy of leadership. What I didn’t know at the time was that, like any good leader, he had no set definition of leadership. What he does make very clear is that “people lead people” – a theme he comes back to time and again.
“The challenge of leadership is to get people to willingly do that which they would ordinarily not do.” – U.S. Army (Retired) General Norman Schwarzkopf
That’s why in the military leadership is so demanding. We are asking, he notes, people to do the very thing they know from birth, instinctively, not to do … and that is to risk their very existence … and ask them to do it willingly.
Schwarzkopf believes that one element to great leadership is competence. Yet competence is not the end-all of leadership. Everyone of us knows some very competent people who are not leaders. Therefore, there must be something else and he identifies the single, most important ingredient is character of that person. Interestingly, he notes that in his duties as Commander of U.S. Central Command, he was challenged on the idea that character makes a difference in leaders.
He tells us to go back 100 years into the history of the United States and look at the leadership failures that occurred. Nearly every one of those failures were not failures in competence but failures in character. We have learned over time that during times of crisis the people pick a leader based upon that leader’s character.
During Schwarzkopf’s talk I remember talking about a national survey that asked employees if they had ever lied to their bosses. Upwards of 75% admitted lying but when asked why they claimed the reason was their boss was unethical and since their bosses were unethical then was perfectly okay for them to be also. His emphasis was that the moral climate of any organization begins at the top.
People look to their leader as someone who is better and more ethical than they are. To be a great leader doesn’t mean you have to be loved – although that would be a good thing, he says – but you must be respected. Great leaders are respected because of one indisputable fact; they fully accept responsibility for their actions and, more significantly, they fully accept responsibility for the entire organization.
I remember him saying that the rewards of true leadership come from leadership itself; from those folks who make up the organization that are part of the team. Here are some of his practical comments on leadership:
- No organization will get better unless the leaders are willing to admit something is wrong with it. You will never change if you believe you and your organization is great. The climate within that organization allows people to say something is wrong without negative consequences.
- Leaders set goals to focus their organization. But goals are meaningful only in so far as everyone in the organization understands the goals but more importantly they must understand the role they are going to play in accomplishing those goals. These goals tell everyone also what they don’t have to do so assets are not wasted.
- Leaders demand high standards because it tells people what is expected of them. In order to succeed, they must know the measure of success.
- Failure is contagious but success if infectious. Leaders reinforce success by rewarding those who do well and are willing to accept failure as a tool for learning.
- Good leaders don’t tell people how to do their job. Leaders challenge people to do their best, give them the authority and resources to do it, and provide the vision by powering down.
“The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.” – U.S. Army (Retired) General Norman Schwarzkopf
Two basic rules of 21st Century leadership … according to Schwarzkopf. First, when placed in command, take charge. And second, do what’s right. Both of these circle back to the character of the leader and it does matter today, as it always has and always will.
[Don’t forget to “Like” the Leader Maker at our Facebook Page.]