I was talking with West Point graduate and author of the book Hunting the Caliphate. Major General 2-star (retired) Dana Pittard had spent time in 85 countries and served the United States in many ways. My objective was not to learn his many stories, but learn the leadership principles he has determined work for him over the years.
At a young age Dana gravitated toward relationship roles such as running and attaining the role of class president as a freshman in high school. This desire to lead was not centered around a hunger for power, but from a desire to care for people. This theme is evident in his top three leadership principles.
Compete against a standard not a person
He had me thinking immediately on a competitive versus creative mindset as we discussed this idea. While discussing this he shared that if everyone competes against a standard it creates four benefits:
- Everyone can win. When the standard is common for all team members the goal can be achieved
by all and even exceeded. - If people are not fighting for one reward and are ultimately working toward a common goal, this will encourage an environment of teamwork.
- Servant leadership. Every member has the same goal so the leader assumes the role of chief helper. The leader is continually asking his people and himself “how can I help.”
- Combine all three of these and team members learn the skill of negotiation. Instead of seeking win/lose they compromise to find a win/win.
People and Trust
As we talked, he highlighted the reality that leadership is all about trusting OF people and trusting IN people. As leaders our job is to not control, but guide everyone toward a common direction. When defining leadership Mr. Pittard said leadership is:
“unifying a group of people for a common purpose whether they want to go there or not.”
Unifying.
This requires building trust and solid relationships. When discussing this concept, we explored the idea that as a leader receives more authority because of their position they should be more of a servant. The leader’s goal is to help everyone else be successful and by laying down our need to control or have all the credit we are able to achieve that goal. Through genuinely serving others leaders will naturally demonstrate their trust of and in the people they lead.
Inclusion
I had not heard the story of the spider versus the starfish, but this illustration clearly demonstrated the difference between a long-term leadership approach and the opposite. Think of a spider and a starfish. If you cut off the head of a spider . . . it dies. On the other hand if you cut off the arm on a starfish it regenerates. Which type of leadership lasts?
Starfish because it is not completely dependent on the leader. The flat structure lasts and maintains continuity even in organizations with high leadership turnover such as the military. This flat structure creates an inclusive environment where communication flows easily and everybody’s skills and talents can be optimized.
These are Dana’s top three principles. There is more. . . . his most important lesson learned, but I will have to save that for another post. My question to you is: which of these three do you need to work on? How are you at creating a culture that values people and if you are doing well at this, what can you do better? Not sure, let’s talk and discover if a tool like The Leadership Game could help you evaluate your team in a non-threatening and engaging way. In the meantime, lead well.
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