Second Chances

Author Michael Yon (Moment of Truth in Iraq) tells the following story about "Second Chances" involving General David Petraeus, the senior American military leader in Iraq:

During a mission one day that took us from Baqubah to Baghdad, Lieutenant Colonel Fred Johnson told me a story about General Petraeus. Back when Johnson was a captain, and Petraeus was a colonel, Petraeus was Johnson's new commander. They were conducting a live-fire exercise when a young soldier named Specialist Terrence Jones tripped and accidentally fired his weapon. Jones shot Colonel Petraeus, the bullet slamming through his chest and taking a piece of his back on the way out. Petraeus fell to the ground, bleeding out of his mouth. He nearly died. We nearly lost the man who may proved to be the most important military leader in a generation.

The army is not forgiving of such incidents. The best that Captain Johnson and Specialist Jones could reasonably have hoped for was a painless end to their military service. Johnson looked me in the eye and said, "You know what Petraeus did?"

"What?" I asked.

"He gave me a second chance."

Fred Johnson actually got picked up for promotion early.

"What happened to the soldier?" I asked, thinking surely there had to be a consequence. Conventional wisdom holds that a soldier just can't shoot a commander in the chest and walk away unpunished. There is no such thing as an "accidental discharge." Unplanned bullet launches are called "negligent discharges." As in negligent homicide.

"Mike, you won't believe how Jones was punished," Johnson said. "Petraeus sent him to ranger school."

I couldn't believe my ears. That's a punishment a lot of young soldiers dream about. And that might explain why LTC Johnson sometimes says, "I believe in second chances," and "when someone gives you a second chance, you should pass it along."

Not unlike a previous lesson from General Colin Powell about zero-defect leadership, this story is an awesome example of how we might address honest mistakes. Petreaus was shot and almost died, yet had the ability to underwrite shortcomings and not "fire back." Setbacks like this are certainly opportunities to rise up and demonstrate compassionate leadership. Now...whether you want to reward your people with a ticket to Ranger School (and as a graduate myself, I'm thinking that may have been the young man's punishment!), we can all learn from this approach to building and investing in future leaders and being willing to give second chances. People can be held accountable without destroying lives or exacting revenge.

Petraeus did. And while I may not have ever shot my boss (at least not with real bullets!), I know I'm glad that leaders for whom I have served, whom I am confident that I have disappointed in many, many ways, have been willing to underwrite some of my own mistakes. How about you?

That's Leader Business.

**Michael Yon's book is a terrific read with some great insights on progress in Iraq -- and leadership -- that you might not be hearing elsewhere. Thanks to new friend Pat for sending me a copy. Hooah!

**Photo courtesy of Army Times.

Zero Defects

How do you address mistakes by your subordinates? Do you fry them? Do you make an example of them? Do you fire them: One and Done? Or do you use mistakes as an opportunity to teach, to mentor, and to develop your team? Retired General Colin Powell, in My American Journey, tells the following story of his experiences as a new Army officer:

One day (Powell's Commanding Officer) Captain Miller summoned me. He was assigning my platoon to a secret mission. We had been selected to guard a 280 (atomic cannon). I eagerly alerted my men. I loaded my .45 caliber pistol, jumped into my jeep, and headed for battalion headquarters to be briefed. I was excited; I was going to guard a weapon that fired a nuclear warhead!

I had not gone far when I reached down for the reassuring feel of the .45. It was gone. I was petrified. In the Army, losing a weapon is serious business. I was torn between taking time to look for the pistol and getting on with the mission. Finally, I realized that I had to radio Captain Miller and tell him what had happened.

"Powell, are you on your way yet?" he asked right off the bat.

"Yes, sir. But you see...I lost my pistol."

"You what?" he said in disbelief, then, after a few seconds, added, "All right, continue the mission."

After being briefed at battalion headquarters, I returned to pick up my unit, uneasily contemplating my fate. I had just passed through a little German village when I spotted Captain Miller waiting for me in his jeep at the wood line. He called me over. "I've got something for you," he said. He handed me the pistol. "Some kids in the village found it where it fell out of your holster." Kids found it? I felt a cold chill. "Yeah," he said. "Luckily they only got off one round before we heard the shot and came and took the gun away from them." The disastrous possibilities left me limp. "For God's sake, son," Miller said, "don't let that happen again."

He drove off. I checked the magazine; it was full. The gun had not been fired. I learned that I had dropped it in my tent before I ever got started. Miller had fabricated the whole scene about the kids to scare me into being more responsible. He never mentioned the incident again.

Today, the Army would have held an investigation, called in lawyers, and likely have entered a fatal black mark on my record. Instead, Miller concocted his imaginative story. He evidently thought, I've got this ordinarily able second lieutenant. Sometimes he gets a little ahead of his skis and takes a tumble. I'll teach him a lesson, scare the bejeezus out of him; but let's not ruin his career before it gets started.

Miller's example of humane leadership that does not always go by the book was not lost on me. When they fall down, pick 'em up, dust 'em off, pat 'em on the back, and move 'em on.

Thankfully for us all, Captain Miller did not subscribe to the "Zero Defects Mentality" that causes the loss of potential talent in many organizations. This environment also prevents risk taking and discourages the workers whose initiatives often enable the success of our teams. Most of those early mistakes - and those who make them - are worth underwriting. Using mistakes as opportunities to learn certainly helped young Lieutenant Powell. That's Leader Business.