Rants, Raves, and Rhetoric v4

TED: Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn … then lead

His conclusion near the end is something I listen for when people talk about where they work. I have been fortunate to either have an immediate supervisor or another higher up the ladder who demonstrated trust in me and the decisions I made. When it was present, it made me happy to be there and willing to stay. Earning it is hard for both parties.

A leader is not good because they are right. They are good because they learn and trust…. If you are a leader, then the people you have counted on will help you up. If you are a leader, then the people who count on you need you on your feet.

His description at the beginning of a Ranger “jump” out of an air plane amused me. (If he thinks the Army and Air Force teach you waiting, he should try working with programmers and analysts.)


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One response to “TED: Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn … then lead”

  1. Ezra S F Avatar

    Frederick the Great’s dictum that soldiers had to fear their officers more than they feared the enemy was stupid. Soldiers needed to believe they had the respect of their officers, and to value that respect more than they valued life itself. Moreover, they had to know their officers’ respect was justified–that they really were the good soldiers their officers believed. — Bean, Shadow of the Hegemon, p259

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