Forbes' Five Leadership Lessons of James T. Kirk.. My take..

Alex and I are not too far apart on his analysis. If you haven't already read the article, click the link Forbes - Five Leadership Lessons from James T Kirk before continuing. It's a quick enjoyable read.

I concur with his assessment of the captain's service record and would amplify his accolades by stating that the captain not only saved Earth, but also, the galaxy.. let's not forget the Borg.. and anyone who defeats Nazis is an absolute hero on my book. I will comment on the lessons and quibble a bit with Alex:

1. Never stop learning. I consider this a life lesson more than a leadership lesson. However I would point out that the leader is responsible for creating a culture of intellectual curiosity within their organization. To do so the leader must dedicate resources and manage expectations carefully. And while, Alex is correct, that the captain had a voracious appetite for information, he kept much of it to himself. Leaders inspire others to learn, unlock their possibilities, form the team, and create synergy.

2. Have advisors with differing world views. I agree. The sign of a confident leader is a healthy respect for the dissenting voice. This is insurance against "Group Think". The leader should seek to surround him/herself not with,"yes men" but with the best qualified people that produce a fountain of ideas to choose from. The leader makes the choice, but should see every possible angle.. Not just nuances of his own. I tend to agree with Alex on this 100%. It wasn't only Spock and Bones but Sulu, Ahura, and Scotty all played critical parts.

3. Be a part of the away team. I guess here is where Alex and I have to part ways. While all leaders have to "pet the dragon" to remain relevant, leaders at Kirks level are not front line foot soldiers.  A dynamic environment requires a deep bull pen of well trained young leaders to fill those away team positions.  People in the position of the captain are indispensible highly sought after commodities. They lead at a different level. Where's the leaders place on the battlefield? The textbook answer is wherever he/she can exert the most influence over the critical event. If the Enterprise (at least 200 strong) has to rely on the captain (equivalent to a Colonel in the Army) to save the day in every cage match then there are leadership issues inside the organization.  Doesn't Starfleet produce enough squads of Infantry? World class organizations, in this case Starfleet, are not built on the cult of personality. They are built on strong institutions who systematically produce leaders, some of which will become great - the successors of Kirk. Therefore the most physically able, best equipped, and most educated get there turn to vanquish the Gorn. This is not to say that I don't think leaders have a place in the trenches.  I do agree with his pizza story. The best time to visit the troops and show presence (pet the dragon) is when the pressure is on and the chips are down. Alex is right, it makes a difference for the troops to see their leaders at the front but the role is either diplomatic or inspirational.

4. Play Poker not Chess. Again, I find myself agreeing with Alex. And I would add that the savvy leader will get there first and choose the game. The bluff only works when the leader has placed his organization on the sound footing that enables him a seat at the table.  In other words, there needs to be some kind of a track record behind that bluff.  Effective bluffing requires a reputation of action.  Kirk clearly had this.. Leadership is about stacking the deck in your favor ahead of time. The battle should be won before it is fought. In this sense the leader uses skill and influence to the manipulate circumstances surrounding the event.  He/she arranges them in his/her favor rendering the bluff a more potent instrument.

5. Blow up the Enterprise. Yes.. every leader should be ready to do whatever it takes to save his team even if that means sacrificing himself/herself.  In my experience building strong teams around proven systems frees the leader to think and chart the way forward and avoid the type of nightmare scenario so burned into Alex's memory.

Parting thoughts.  I think Alex has brought a strong case.  He makes valid points that should be a part of any leaders kit bag.  But does,"Blow up the Enterprise" really make the top five?  I think there are other more valuable leadership lessons such as, "Understand the problem", "Be Decisive", or "Assume Risk".  Captain Kirk was very successful at using his subordinates and the instruments aboard his ship to understand exactly where the critical point was.  Once he discovered this he marshaled all of his resources and focused them on achieving success.  He was decisive and more importantly he was ready to assume great risk with the knowledge that his diverse team was capable of overcoming any threat that came his way. And though flawed (as we all are) James T. Kirk believed in people (and a few aliens).  He remains a great leader!

Followership!

The old saying goes, "we have too many chiefs and not enough Indians". In my one year assignment in Rome to attend the Italian Joint Services Staff College I was overwhelmed by this. To put it simply, with no followers there are no leaders. And as leadership must be developed so must followership. I never realized the importance of this until the staff college.

 The US Army develops followers and leaders concurrently. The idea is simple, when placed in charge - take charge, when not in charge follow the leader. This approach worked into unit or organizational culture is effective because it demonstrates to all how difficult leadership is and the importance of followership. The Situational Training Exercises (STX) is a great tool to flush out and develop these qualities when applied to a group.  The group simply rotates leaders per situation so each member gets to be a leader but spends more time as a follower.  It guarantees that all, to include, the smart ass who armchair quarterbacks the decisions of the leader that he/she will get a turn in the hot seat. This approach builds humility and respect for others (basically lets you know when to shut up).  Leaders-in-training should arrive ready to follow orders from superiors and at times follow the lead of peers. And, on occasion, the follow subordinates.. (we will discuss more on this later).

What does followership look like? Well, in its simplest form, it is compliance. The first action of the subordinate is to ensure he/she understands what is expected by listening and then repeating what is desired, back to the leader (kind of a backbrief to ensure you are on the same page of music).  Then the follower moves out smartly to execute the task. There is nothing wrong with offering suggestions to the leader, but in the end the leader is the one who will make the final call. Followership means doing what you are told in an expeditious manner. Followership means helping solve problems by way of the leaders vision. Followership means helping to organize the team while respecting the leadership position. Followership is absolutely not about advancing your agenda, it's about supporting and serving the leader of the group/team/company, they are the star of the show.. the rock star so to speak.. The band is the supporting cast - the followers.

Followership is not blind obedience.. No one should follow an incompetent leader off a cliff, there are some limits and legitimacy and influence are important.  No one is obligated to obey an immoral leader.  However followership needs to be a part of the leadership culture. There are many leadership lessons to be learned as a follower. Especially what it feels like to be at the bottom of the food chain.

Support your boss..  Good followership means supporting your boss.  His orders become your orders.  So there shouldn't be any of this, "we are doing this because the boss said so..."  Followership means you take ownership of the order.

I mentioned earlier that I attended the Italian Joint Services Staff College in Rome and was overwhelmed by too many, "Chiefs". My working group conducted weekly group exercises. It was always the same story. Monday morning at 8am the small group instructor would open the door and throw a packet on the table. He would point at the officer in charge, give a little guidance and walk out the door. The chaos began almost immediately. There was a quick ramp-up to full blown screaming and wild gesticulations amongst the students. The fighting went on for hours and sometimes days. And usually the same officer won because he was the loudest. He wore everyone else out. He applied no problem solving methodology, once everyone acquiesced he just dictated the answers without engaging the talents of others (this is not leadership or followership - it's garbage that produced the same one dimensional result every time). At first I was frustrated, but later came to understand that these officers have received neither leadership nor followership training. You can't expect results from untrained people. if you want to be a leader, you gotta start by learning to be a follower.

Leadership never goes out of style!

American values light the way!!  I am impressed by the Army values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless service, Honor, and Personal courage.  Because the Army just loves jazzy little acroynms they add up to LeaDerSHiP or (LDRSHP).  These values should be reflected in yourself and how you treat others. 

Any approach to leadership must include a strong moral base (a sense of wrong and right).  This is a fundamental characteristic of American leadership.  Without it we are rudderless and unable to ascertain the right way forward.  Few would argue that Hitler was a leader, unfortunately the change he led resulted great devastation and the loss of millions lives. Living abroad has taught me that American values are the envy of the world. They are time tested relevant.

Leadership will never go out of style.  The U.S. is built on leadership.  Leadership moves us forward every day..  This is our natural edge.  It is the underpinning of our progress and the generator of our wealth.  Our country is built on competition, teams, companies, sports, competing to see who the best is.  Every football team needs a quarterback, every platoon needs a leader, and everyone needs leadership.  When an organization has a competent, principled and active leader it will succeed.  Leadership is the essential ingredient of success that can’t be copied because it is dynamic and unique to every situation.  It is the genuine article and it burns in the American heart, we need to understand how to bring it out.  We urgently need more and better American leaders working inside our country.

The modern corporate structure is a product of World War II military staff system, a part of our history where millions were exposed to principled moral leadership and the modern military staff system.  When these men returned home they brought these ideas (discipline, honesty, hard work, staff system) into every other aspect of American life, especially business and used these ideas to build the strongest economy the world has known.  The “Captains of World War II” literally became the, “Captains of industry”. 

The leader, Commander or Chief Executive, has always been the single point of failure for an organization.  In the end the leader alone makes the difficult decisions and is accountable for them. The buck stops with him/her and if he/she is not qualified or doesn’t understand the totality of his/her position he/she shouldn’t be there.  In the words of Niccolo Machievelli, “let only those lead that are qualified”.  Without these qualities in a commander or an organization can not achieve greatness.  I attribute failed organizations to failed leadership.   Young leaders must understand there is no earthly reward worth their personal integrity.  Integrity is one of the few things in life that is real and it should be judiciously guarded.  For some reason the generations after the, "Greatest generation" of World War II have allowed LDRSHP (as a values system) to fade into the background.  We risk becoming leaders with a weakened moral compass.  This is evident as one observes how self serving, immoral leaders have weakened our financial system and stimulated a crisis.  The Army values of LDRSHP are its cornerstone in being considered a world class organization.  At the end of the day leadership will never go out of style because it is moral, dynamic, admired, and unique.

 

The reading list. 

I recommend: A Message to Garcia by Hubbard: This is a basic message on the importance of mission focus and accomplishment.  It also defines the “slacker” pretty well. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli: This is an interesting study on leadership that is not always guided by a strong moral base.  The author asserts it is possible to be successful without being moral as long as you appear to be moral.  I disagree but there are some interesting vignettes that provide prospective. The Art of War by Sun Tzu:  This is a strategy book that offers some interesting perspective on human behavior.  For the true warrior I recommend Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield:  This book is all about leading by example.  No matter how great a leader you are this book will make you feel like a wuss!!

Leaders vs. Managers

I offer my own perspective on leadership.  In order to do this I will discuss my thoughts on leadership and management.  I believe leadership is a critical component of progress of any kind.  Without leadership nothing new is created or accomplished.  Leaders break brush and chart new paths (Lewis and Clark were leaders) in every aspect of life.  To steal an old Star Trek catch phrase, "they boldly go where no man has gone before". Leaders live on the peripheries and manipulate change to their advantage.  They set goals and objectives as they lay out their vision.  They provide purpose, direction, and motivation to all that surround them and focus their sphere of influence on achieving the vision.  Leaders transform chaos into order and often leave a system in their wake that managers use to maintain what the leader created. 

A leader can be a manager but a manager can’t always be a leader.  Decision makers sometimes make a poor choice when selecting someone for a leadership position.  They mistakenly place a manager in a position that requires a leader.  This is equivalent to attempting to hammer a square block into a circular hole.  Knowing the difference can be difficult and positioning a manager into the role of leader can have disastrous effects.  

I previously mentioned that managers maintain systems leaders create.  They keep systems running.  This is not a dynamic position but can be a stepping stone towards becoming a leader.  An apprentice leader will want a strong understanding of systems, how they are created, how they run, how they are fixed, and how to update them.  Managers don’t chart new paths and often demonstrate an inability to change with the times (Walmart vs. Sears and Roebuck). 

This is my perspective.  Not all will agree and there are undoubtedly better leaders out there than me.  This blog is my perspective.  If others care to weigh in on this topic they can publish their comments and we can discuss.

Introduction

I have served with a full spectrum of leaders, some great, mediocre, poor, and just plain losers.  I have learned from all and it is my sincere desire to improve the first three and marginalize the latter two.  This is the purpose of the blog.  I believe everyone deserves first-class leadership.  However good leadership is not mathematic, there is no magic equation that will bring it about.  There are natural leaders who soak up the instruction and others who possess minimal natural talent but can be taught and excel through determination and mentorship.  Unfortunately there are some who will never be leaders.  Human beings are complex, amazingly talented in some ways, yet limited in others. 

I will share guidelines and concepts I believe will help ground young leaders (get them thinking straight) and move them in the right direction.  I will offer some ideas on more advanced leadership ideas that can help mid level leaders in what many in the military refer to as “herding the cats”… that is leading the experienced.  This requires a different leadership dynamic. 

The first concept I will discuss is brevity, “keep it brief.”  This blog will be an easy read.  I believe people are more likely to absorb the concepts if I keep it brief and simple.  If I can provide one or two take-aways, I will consider myself a success.

As a young Army leader in training I was told that leadership is the ability to influence others to do something they wouldn’t otherwise do.  I have always liked this as a base line definition.  I believe this is appropriate.  In this blog I intend to build on this and add concepts by offering simple strategies and personal anecdotes.  But first we need to take a look at the basics.