Archive for September, 2009

Leadership Tips from an Army General

Friday, September 18th, 2009
  • A few years ago I was given the opportunity to do something that was pretty amazing. I was asked to “re-invent” the way we trained our Army Reserve commanders through the development of a new and more interactive Pre-command course. This course was taken by all Army Reserve leaders who had been selected to take command of battalion and brigade level units across the country and the world. The man with the vision to undertake such a job was the (then) Chief of the Army Reserve, LTG Helmly. When I finally got a chance to listen to him talk to the commanders one day I really like what he had to say and I especially liked the fact that he was not repeating what I had heard Army leaders say so many times. Below you will find a few of the quotes from his philosophy on leadership that I was fortunate to get in a Power Point presentation. My comments are on the right as a set of corollaries for business. Tell me what you think. I have more of these from other generals so let me know if you want to see more like this.   Ken

Leadership is – By Lieutenant General Helmly

 Leadership is – Business corollaries
  • Leadership is an action verb
  • Leadership requires action – so act!
  • Leadership is about assuming risk and responsibility. 
  • Don’t just talk about it!
  • So many leaders today talk about taking risks but are afraid to. 
  • Completely removing risks also removes opportunities, improvement, advancement or virtually everything else positive.
   
Leadership is Service It is not about being the King
We serve those we lead. 
  • How many leaders understand this?  To hear it is one thing but to actually live this philosophy is quite another.
  • Service, however, does not mean doing their work for them either.  It means taking care of their needs so they can take care of business.
  • The only reason we have eagles or stars is to help that private, sergeant or lieutenant to do his or her job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  •  If we’re not contributing to the bottom line, we need to get out of the way. 

  • Remember this comes from an Army General who stated one day that the only reason he was still serving was because he felt he could take care of the Army Reserve soldiers better from this position.  In business we could say, that the only reason we are senior executives, or CEO’s or middle managers or higher level leaders is to help the first line managers, the shop supervisors, the team lead and the minimum wage earner do their jobs. 
  • I don’t need to elaborate here.  But I have heard this said another way, “LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY”. Either way it works for me. 
   
Army Reserve Permission Slip How risky can this be?  Giving your subordinates the ability to make decisions for you like this goes back to taking risks.  Do you trust your employees?  Do they trust you? Here is one way you can demonstrate your trust in them.
Ask yourself: 

  •  Is it good for the Nation and the Soldier? 
  • Is it legal and ethical?   

 

  • Is it something I want to be accountable for? 
 

  • Is it good for the business, the customer and the employee?
  • I might also add Moral, but be careful since morals are a lot harder to objectify especially when religions are
  • In other words, you (the boss) will be holding them accountable for their actions.  This permission slip is not a signed check to do as you please.
If the answers are “yes,” don’t ask for permission. You already have it!  Go do it!  Now that you have given permission, expect that sometimes things are not going to be done exactly as you might have done it.  Most people will not do things the same way. 
   
§        Army Reserve leaders have four responsibilities   Business Leaders have the same responsibilities!
  • Treat every individual with dignity and respect  

 

  • Know your job and yourself; be aware

  

  • Be situationally aware; become agile, adaptable and a leader of change

  • Become a lifelong learner
  • This means EVERY Individual

 

  • While you need to know your job, you need to also know how you do that job versus how others might accomplish it.  Be aware of what is going on around you, it will influence what you are doing and how you do it!

 

  •  change should not take you by surprise!  It should also not be something you need to fear.  On the flip side be careful of those that want change for nothing more than change sake.

  • No one in an organization knows everything there is to know about their business.  If they act like they do, you need to keep a wary eye on them.  If they are always looking for ways to learn more about their profession, keep an even closer eye on them since they are the ones you will probably want to emulate. 

Quotes from LTG Helmly come from a presentation he gave to US Army Reserve senior leaders on leadership.  May 2005

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