[December 10, 2015] Being a senior military officer comes with a number of challenges to the profession to include bearing responsibility for the lives and well-being of many troops who serve within the military. Yet, not unlike their civilian counterparts, military officers have difficulty admitting things that, if they did, could make them better leaders.
Several friends of mine, both military and civilian, each recently experienced a bad boss that aggravated their ability to carry out their assigned work tasks. Their challenge was how to deal with a boss that was often unresponsive to good advice and overly sensitive to any change that might affect their position as boss. This made my friends’ jobs more difficult and they were willing to tell me about its effect on them.
“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” – John C. Maxwell
It turns out that most leaders have difficulty admitting particular problems or concerns. It’s understandable that their concerns are not aired widely but many leaders will not admit to some of the problems that occur. This makes for greater difficulty in their future; at least that’s what experience tells us.
Some of the things leaders have difficulty admitting:
- They have no idea what’s going on.
- They are wrong.
- That giving bad news is hard.
- They fear greater responsibility or authority.
- That it’s increasingly hard to do the right thing.
- That their emotional attachment to people, things, or ideas gets in the way of good decision-making.
- That they may be personally responsible for problems.
- They have weaknesses.
- That they should retire.
By admitting there are problems or concerns, leaders are increasing trust and loyalty by making the leader a human being in the eyes of their followers. This is the key to dignified humility. It’s certainly the first step to resolving the problem.
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