It is easier to see
Recently I have been able to observe two Army commanders in almost the exact same circumstances at almost the exact same time. The units were very similar and the two men were the same rank. The differences were remarkable. I don't remember seeing so clear a distinction between two people's leadership styles in the civilian world. Maybe that is a characteristic of the military.
The initial exposure to the first guy was when he came in to talk to a group of newly arrived people, both military and civilian, after they had been given an arrival briefing by the unit staff. The briefing had been straighforward slide presentation; watch out for snakes, this is where you go for medical treatment, don't speed, the weather is this, etc and had lasted about 40 minutes. The first guy then came in to give the commanders word and spent the next hour going over every single slide again and using each one as a launch pad for a complaint about anything the slide brought to mind. "What is it with you people..." "I can't understand why, how, when..." "It really burns me that..."
If it wasn't a complaint it was a threat "I don't care who you are, if you..., I'll ship you home!" His primary concern was speeding which resulted in the line "I've seen people whipping around here at 10 or 15 mph!" Nobody dared laugh. It would have interupted the flow of threats.
The initial exposure to the second guy came at the end of a long safety and standards meeting. The presentation was given by the various staff members and again was straightforward. At the end the second guy got up and introduced himself and some of the new staff members. Then he made some comments about the rules of engagement that seemed insightful and that was it.
A member of one of the subsections of the unit told me another story about the first and the second guy. He said he ran into the first guy several months after he had taken command of the unit. The first guy said to him "Oh, you're in that subsection. What is it you people do again?" When the second guy took over the unit he came around within a day or two to say hello and meet the people.
What a clear exposition of what not to do and what to do. What is most interesting to me is what not to do seems to be so much more work.
The initial exposure to the first guy was when he came in to talk to a group of newly arrived people, both military and civilian, after they had been given an arrival briefing by the unit staff. The briefing had been straighforward slide presentation; watch out for snakes, this is where you go for medical treatment, don't speed, the weather is this, etc and had lasted about 40 minutes. The first guy then came in to give the commanders word and spent the next hour going over every single slide again and using each one as a launch pad for a complaint about anything the slide brought to mind. "What is it with you people..." "I can't understand why, how, when..." "It really burns me that..."
If it wasn't a complaint it was a threat "I don't care who you are, if you..., I'll ship you home!" His primary concern was speeding which resulted in the line "I've seen people whipping around here at 10 or 15 mph!" Nobody dared laugh. It would have interupted the flow of threats.
The initial exposure to the second guy came at the end of a long safety and standards meeting. The presentation was given by the various staff members and again was straightforward. At the end the second guy got up and introduced himself and some of the new staff members. Then he made some comments about the rules of engagement that seemed insightful and that was it.
A member of one of the subsections of the unit told me another story about the first and the second guy. He said he ran into the first guy several months after he had taken command of the unit. The first guy said to him "Oh, you're in that subsection. What is it you people do again?" When the second guy took over the unit he came around within a day or two to say hello and meet the people.
What a clear exposition of what not to do and what to do. What is most interesting to me is what not to do seems to be so much more work.
posted by Carl at 10:54 PM
3 Comments:
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I think you will see those types of leadership differences everywhere.Perhpas it is just more noticable in the Military. No, I take that back. It is especialy noticable among parents: those who discuss matter of factly with their children versus those who threaten, those who participate versus those who have little time for their lives. Likewise with pet owners. How many owners do you see whomping on a disobedient dog when consistent attention and correction are more effective.
I think what you describe is more akin basic respect as opposed to leadership differences.
Basic respect is a fundemental part of leadership. If you don't respect your people, you are useless.
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