[December 4, 2015] One of the best ways to learn about senior leadership and what it means is to observe the exceptional behavior of some of the best leaders a nation produces. Whenever someone is willing to stand up to their boss and tell the truth about what’s in their expertise, then they are showing moral courage and we should recognize it as a character trait to emulate.
U.S. Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, Jr. is the highest ranking member of the U.S. military and holds the prestigious position as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (previously held by General Odierno). Earlier this week Dunford had been tasked to testify before Congress on the status if the Islamic State (IS) terror group. He was aware of earlier comments by President Obama that the Islamic State was “contained.”
When asked if IS was contained, he said that has been “tactically” contained in areas they have been since 2010 but added, “Strategically they have spread since 2010″.1 This statement is, of course, in direct contradiction to what the impression Obama was giving the world. A number of media outlets have stated that an impression of a contradiction is taken out of context and an error.2 Presidents and Generals, however, do not concern themselves with tactical issues (unless they are incompetent) but with more important strategic issues as both Obama and Dunford stated.
It was clear to those who understand the complexities of strategic thinking – war and politics – that the fact that Dunford contradicted the president, that he is certainly not a “yes” man and that he feels free to give his professional opinion. That’s a good thing. It also means that Obama erred in his assessment. This has come to light after the U.S. Intelligence community has been saying for some time that IS is not contained but, for some reason yet to be made public, their comments have been both ignored and changed to fit the White House narrative about IS.
Being a senior leader is certainly not an easy thing to do. At times it requires you to put your career on the line as Dunford has done. General Dunford, Jr. is an excellent example of a senior leader with moral courage. It is not the first time he’s had to speak his professional assessment and it’s good we live in a society that demands this from our leaders.
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