Those Idiots Up At HQ

I remember seeing this cartoon in which two young soldiers were in a foxhole and trading complaints about how the idiots up at the platoon headquarters were far removed from reality and had no clue about the true situation on the ground. Soldiers like to gripe and the complaints about "the idiots up at HQ" are probably among the more common ones.

The cartoon is funny on a couple of levels: One, a platoon is pretty much the smallest element in a military formation. The men and women in a platoon, to include the platoon leader, are truly down where the action is. It's funny to see these low ranking troopers offering complaints at that level about the separation between them and their leaders.

The real humor comes from the realization that even at that low level, people gripe about how their leadership doesn't have a clue. At least in the Army, there is always this underlying grumbling that people above them don't understand the real situation on the ground and can't possibly relate to what they are dealing with. Soldiers, and my assumption is people in every organization, like to complain about how their leaders don't get it, can't possibly understand their situation, and are isolated from reality inside their "Ivory Towers."

Which brings me to General Stanley McChrystal. As you know from the events of this week, the General was removed from his command after some negative comments about his boss (President Obama) and other civilian leaders were made public through, of all sources, Rolling Stone Magazine. It was the same sort of complaints that one might get from those troopers in the foxhole, only the stakes were a lot higher and they were broadcast to the entire world. Just like that, General McChrystal was out and General Petraeus was named the top commander in Afghanistan.

President Obama had no choice but to make this move. Insubordination at that level is clearly grounds for removal. It was clear that General McChrystal could control neither his tongue or his men and that the lack of respect for his civilian leaders necessitated a change. That he would say the things he did about his chain of command, in front of a reporter who clearly would love nothing more than the sort of salacious quotes that he offered up, demonstrated a real lack of judgement and gave the President no other option. The General crossed the line. At that level, with those stakes, there is no second chance.

Before we point fingers at the General, it is probably worth reflecting on our own leadership. How often do we complain about our "higher headquarters?" And when we do, is it in front of our teammates? Are we sometimes guilty of voicing negative thoughts about our superiors -- out loud and in front of our troops?

My guess is we all are like those soldiers in the cartoon. We all want to complain about the leaders above us, how they don't understand what we are dealing with down at our level. Yes, it is human nature to believe that we are not the problem but rather the idiots above us! Admit it...you've felt this way...and you've been guilty of expressing your opinion in front of your people. (Or maybe it's just me, and I know I am guilty. But I'm guessing I'm not alone.)

It's a common issue. The leadership take-away is that it has consequences. On the rare occasion it can get back to the boss and cost us our job, as it did for General McChrystal. More often though, this attitude is contagious and will spread rapidly throughout the ranks. People hear what we say and will repeat it. Gradually you get a team with no confidence in their leaders. It's a virus whose symptoms include a breakdown in cohesion, a lack of trust and loyalty within the ranks, insubordination, and chaos.

We can all learn from this event. Let's ensure we stop ourselves before we offer complaints about our higher HQ, especially around the troops. Save that sort of talk for our spouse or our pets! Better yet, let's keep our focus inward. Let's deal with our own problems before pointing out others. The Bible says we need to take the log out of our own eye before we worry about the splinter in someone else's eye. Good advice. When we do this, we'll realize that we've got enough to worry about addressing our own failings, and that we don't need to point out where our leaders come short.

Bite your tongue, watch what you say, don't let your guard down, don't spout off to Rolling Stone Magazine. I don't know about you, but the events of the week were a good reminder. I need to remember that very often I am the "idiot up at HQ!" I don't need to spend time trying to fix my higher headquarters. I've got enough to do just fixing...ME. That's...Leader Business.

Setting Sail to Greatness

I really hurt my back last week. Believe it or not, I injured it while participating in a little yoga stretching. “YOGA?” you ask. Yep. One of those lay on your back, knees stretch to one side, head and arms to the other. I’m sure there is a name for that position. Oh…I have a name for it alright: the BACK ACHE.

But it was my fault. I wasn’t ready. I don’t have the experience in Yoga to know my limits. I joined the class in progress after the rest of the group was well lubed and I…was my normal, inflexible self. I wasn’t ready.

Which brings me to young Abby Sunderland. You heard her story -- the little 16 year old from Thousand Oaks, California who attempted to sail solo around the world. She ran into trouble in the Indian Ocean and had to be rescued. The 30-foot swells of the Indian Ocean apparently got the best of her. In my opinion, she wasn’t ready either. Most 16 year-olds are not.

I acknowledge there are two ways to look at this situation. On the one hand, we can applaud the bold risk-taking of a person so young. She did make it roughly half way on that amazing journey. I cannot imagine the nerve it must take to be all alone on those waters, to stare into the dark of night and not be afraid. That is true courage, something we might all look within and see how we measure up. I know I couldn’t do it.

But I take the position that she was too young and lacked the necessary experience to tackle this challenge. My assumption is that she never had to deal with the sorts of conditions that eventually got the best of her. She was not prepared to handle the multitude of worst-case scenarios that one could envision for an around-the-world trip. How could she? She’s only 16! She wasn’t ready. She lacked the education, experience, and training that it takes to confidently embark on such a journey.

We see the same thing in so many leadership settings and business case studies today. Young, hard charging warriors get in way over their head, take on too much risk, over-estimate their ability to deal with crisis, and get too far out on the ledge. It would all be good and make for great case studies if it weren’t for the fact that they take too many people, jobs, and once promising companies with them. Like the young Abby Sunderland, they aren’t ready.

Young people today are hungry. They want to be the CEO now. Good for them. But, like responsible parents, we have to make them ready for increased responsibility. We have to ensure they can handle the job. We need to give them the skills and tools that increase their muscle density such that they can eventually reach for the heights which they seek. We need to encourage them to keep growing, to keep pursuing increasingly higher goals. But we should do so with an understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. Prepare them to be bold but have the courage to say, “No…you’re not ready.”

Leaders are responsible for preparing people to accomplish their mission. It is such an important responsibility that I made it Part II in my soon to be published book (yea!). We have to provide our teammates the resources they need to be adequately prepared, especially training. We have to equip them with the decision-making that only comes from multiple repetitions of making decisions. That’s MULTIPLE…as in A LOT! We have to increase their duties and tasks consistent with their demonstrated capacity. Have them sail across one ocean and back before tackling the globe. Practice dealing with smaller crises before getting into life and death situations. It’s our job to give them feedback such that they know when they are ready…and when they are not.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe some of you will comment that she was doing what we need more of in life – bold, audacious risk takers. Perhaps your opinion is that we should focus more on the fact that she tried than that she failed. Maybe little Abby was ready, some of you might say, and she simply had some bad luck. But if you accept the definition of luck as “the intersection of opportunity and preparation,” then perhaps you might agree with me that she wasn’t prepared. And her leaders (in this case, her parents) weren’t there to tell her “NO” – or better still, “NOT YET!”

Like I was in that yoga class, young Abby stretched perhaps just a little further than she was capable of. I’m glad she is okay. And me…I’m going to the doctor on Wednesday. He’ll tell me – I wasn’t ready. Not yet. That’s Leader Business.

Leader Business Update

Friends,

If you are a follower of these pages, you may have noted a drop-off in my publishing rate. Believe me, it is not from a lack of material. Have no doubt that there is a plethora of events and issues these days that speak to the need for leadership. My own arena presents a similar collection of daily leadership lessons and vignettes.

I just haven't been able to get to it. As many of you know, I have been putting my energy into finishing up my tour of duty with the Army Corps of Engineers in Los Angeles, preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, and trying to finish up Leader Business, the book! It is this last thing that has had me up at 4:00 a.m. every morning and has used up all my good words. I've got nothing left for the blog! (Haha!)

I thought you might be interested in the cover graphics for the book. Zoom in as you can to see the images and you will gain an understanding of the sort of ground this book covers. Leader Business, both in the book and here on these pages, tries to take the lessons of the military (the world I know now) and apply them to the real world. And, not surprisingly, it's a two-way street. Sometimes the lessons go the other way, from the business world to the military. This is the premise for the book and one which I hope you will enjoy. I am almost ready to ship to the printers, perhaps by early next week. In the interim, I hope you enjoy the "teaser" of the cover art.

While I have you here, perhaps we can learn together about yesterday's incident in the Senate chambers with General David Petraeus. The general, architect of the successful surge in Iraq and current commander of United States Central Command with responsibilities throughout the Middle East, passed out during testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. While he recovered quickly and eventually finished the hearing, he gave a scare to all who witnessed the event.

The lesson is that none of us is immune to fatigue, stress, and health issues. We have to maintain balance in our life, eat well, and get enough rest to go the distance. There are limits, even for warriors like this General. Leaders understand what those limits are and know when to throttle back a little to a more sustainable pace.

Have a great day! Get some rest. That's an order. That's...Leader Business.

Honoring the Wizard of Westwood

We lost a great one last night. UCLA Men's basketball coach John Wooden passed away at the age of 99 from natural causes. One of the greatest competitors and motivators, in sports and perhaps in any field, the "Wizard of Westwood," (UCLA is in the Westwood area of Los Angeles) is now gone.

Coach Wooden put together a record of excellence that may never be surpassed:

-- 10 National Championships including a stretch of 7 in a row.

-- 88 consecutive victories.

-- Coach of some of the games greatest names: Alcindor, Walton, Goodrich, Wilkes, Wicks, and others.

He was a sweet man who cared deeply about his UCLA Bruins and about the game of basketball. But he also put things in perspective and knew that basketball was just a game. His "Pyramid of Success" has application to much more than what happens on the court. Life had deeper meaning and his emphasis on excellence, seen in quotes like those below, has application to us all:

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

"Never mistake activity for achievement."

"Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then."

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

"Be prepared and be honest."

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

"What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player."

"Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character."

"A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment."

"I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent."

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"

"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."

"It isn't what you do, but how you do it."

"Ability is a poor man's wealth."

"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."

"Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights."

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."

"It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it."

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."

"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

"The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team."

"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

"Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."

Which one is your favorite and why? No doubt you have seen some of these motivational and inspirational quotes before. Now you know their source. Unfortunately, that source is now gone. We definitely lost a great one. Farewell, Coach Wooden. That's Leader Business.

Quotes taken from espn.com...which borrowed them from coachwooden.com.