The Pillars of Leadership

During the late 70's the military was still smarting from the aftermath of Vietnam.  Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara had created a most UNmilitary culture among the career officer ranks.   As a captain of industry, he was very numbers driven.   There was little to no emphasis being placed on leadership development in the officer education system.  The Nine Principles of War of  von Clausewitz was supplanted by such things as Operations Research and Systems Analysis and Design.   The people element was downplayed.  Many of the military's best officers were being sent to graduate schools to get MBA's.  Leadership development was an afterthought.  The late 70's saw a metamorphosis where leadership was concerned.   New Manuals were written.  Mid-career officers were being trained to be leaders as much as managers.  Ethical decision making was also emphasized far more than quantitative analysis.  While both leadership and management skills were essential to a well-run military force, there was a lot of catching up to do in order to ensure that the younger officers had the basic foundations of leadership engrained.

The foundation of the Army's leadership curriculum was the concept of the Four Pillars of Leadership.  They were (and are):

• Courage
• Candor
• Competence
• Commitment

While "courage," in a military sense, invokes overcoming one's natural fears of the battlefield (officers are expected to lead by example...the principle of, "Follow Me!") equally emphasized was the moral aspect of courage.   There had been a trend (sadly) of senior officers leaning on junior officers to do such things as falsify reports.  Careerism was rampant.  Many succumed to the pressure.   Moral Courage was needed more than ever.
  
Linked closely to Courage was "Candor."   I remember that our annual evaluations in those days (which were and still remain highly inflated) had a series of questions on the form.  One of the questions read:  "Is this officer a 'yes' man?"   Clearly the correct answer was, "no."   Sadly, there were too many "yes men" around in those days and the Army was working hard to encourage junior officers to speak up and for seniors to encourage such candor (respectfully articulated, of course).   In essence, it is hard to display moral courage if one is not candid.

The pillar of Competence is certainly not peculiar to the military.  Leaders in all walks of life are expected to be competent.  The principle was there to encourage officers to master their profession and to strive to be prepared in advance for higher levels of service.   The Army school system was especially good at assisting officers to be competent.  Beginning right after commissioning, new lieutenants were sent to the Officer Basic Course.  Depending upon their branch of service (e.g., Infantry, Artillery, Medical Service Corps, Engineer, etc.) these courses ranged in length from nine to sixteen weeks.  They taught the basic skills expected of a platoon leader.  At the five to seven year period in career progression, captains attended the Officer Advanced Course.   This school prepared them to move on to staff officer and company command positions.  This program lasted for about six months.  The next level of formal education came after one was promoted to major.  It is called the Command and General Staff College.  This is a 10-month long program that prepares Army officers to serve on the general staff at division level and to command battalions and brigades.  The final formal school rung on the ladder is the Army War College.   Very promising lieutenant colonels and colonels are board selected to attend this year-long program.  One does not make general officer without having graduated from this course.   In between the Advanced Course and the Command and General Staff College, some officers are sent by the Army to get a master's degree in a relevant subject.  Many are being groomed to serve a tour as a faculty member at a service academy.  Subjects include such things as Political Science, Economics, International Relations.   If an officer is not selected to attend graduate school at the Army's expense, it is fully expected that a master's degree will be earned on one's own time (nights and weekends).  Suffice it to say that the Army puts a high premium on competence and tries not to expose its officers to assignments beyond their level of professional development.

The final pillar, Commitment, is essential.  Officers lead by example.  It is difficult to lead if one is not committed to the task and to the institution or organization.  Army leadership is hazardous.  The people officers lead depend upon them to accomplish the mission with the minimal amount of casualties (if any).

So why this review?  Well, after 12 years of active duty I joined the corporate world as a junior executive in a very large corporation.  I was both excited about my transition and dismayed.   I saw very little courage, less candor, a generally high degree of TECHNICAL competence, and a marginal to low degree of commitment.   Over the past 25 years I have not seen much improvement.  The places where I do see it (and as an executive recruiter and coach I see a lot of different organizations and evaluate a lot of executive talent) the one common denominator is that the organizations are led by an executive who exudes Courage, Candor, Competence and Commitment.   Good leaders are simply hard to find, and the typical professional development track for corporate executives is predominantly self-directed with little to no emphasis on leadership development.   It is no surprise to me that many business schools have suddenly determined that number crunching courses, while necessary, MUST be balanced by well-developed leadership curricula.

It has been said that you lead people and manage resources.  Leadership is an influencing process.  Management is a control process.  This is a big reason why (even though I once held the position in the Fortune 500) that I dislike the term, "Human Resources."  If by human resources we mean "people" then there is a more appropriate title for the function of HR in my view.

What have your organizations done to ensure that up and coming executives are developed as leaders?
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Welcome Mat for the New Leader

Think back to the past three jobs you have had where you led others.   How was your first month on the job?  How was your first DAY on the job?  Were your expectations met?  Did you get off to a good start?  Did your organization manage those leadership changes effectively?

Here are examples of two of my job changes.   The first was in the early 80's when I joined a major corporation as a new executive in one of their divisions.  There were 46 people in the eight departments that I was to lead.  To add to the challenge, this was my first corporate job.  For the past 12 years I had been an Army officer.   My first civilian job was a relatively high one, as I reported to the division president. I had no margin for error.  I knew the transition would require my very best efforts and attention and I was eager to get started in my new career.   The executive I replaced was anxious to move on to his next job, which was one he had waited three years to get.  No one gave me any idea what to expect on my first day.  The only experience I had in job changes previously had been in the Army.  They tended to be somewhat well managed (at least in peacetime).  

I reported for work on my first day and went to the outgoing executive's office as I had been told to do.  We chatted for a few minutes and then he said, "Come with me."  We wandered through the labyrinth of hallways and came to a door that was marked with just a number.  He opened the door and ushered me in.  Sitting and standing in that room were the 46 people I was about to lead.  I knew nothing about them (nor they me) and I had no inkling that this meeting was about to happen.  The outgoing director stood in front of the group and said words to the effect of, "This is your new boss.  He comes to us from the Army.  The floor is yours.  Good luck."  He then walked out and winked at me as he closed the door.   I had all of 30 seconds to get a grip on things, check my attitude and body language, and launch into some sort of introductory remarks.  Needless to say, this was a very important first encounter.  As the old adage goes: "You only have one opportunity to make a good first impression."   Well, I survived the moment and went on to enjoy a couple of successful years in that role.  I had a great team.

Now to another job transition--eight years later.  I was joining another Fortune 500 company as a vice president.  My first day on the job my boss was out of town for a week.  Her executive assistant had a detailed agenda of whom I was to meet during the first two weeks and  the purpose of each meeting.  Included in the process were all of the administration steps associated with joining a new company.  My boss had left instructions that two days later I was to join a team from one of our three divisions that would be hiring a number of people in advance of a large contract start-up five states away.  That team leader had a checklist for me of what my role would be and how to get started doing it.  It was a great hands on introduction to their business that lasted for three days.  At the end of my first two weeks on the job I had a good headstart into my roles and responsibilities.    

These two job changes were miles apart in their approach and their effectiveness.   The first put my career at risk in the first moments on the job.  The second one got me off to a decent start. After two weeks, I had made the circuit through the company's three divisions.  I was comfortable in what my job would entail and the people I would be assisting.  I felt welcome and energized.  While the second transition was considerably better than the first, I knew there was a better way to do this.  In subsequent postings I will share these insights. If you would care to share a couple of your own contrasting transitions to new jobs, it would be great to hear your stories. http://www.esiassoc.com/  http://www.michaelkburroughs.com/

Welcome to Leading Edge Memo's

So what can you expect from my blog?   Entries will cover a range of topics from executive recruiting to executive coaching with a heavy dose of leadership development and career change mangement intermixed.  Topics are derived from my 38 years of leadership experience both as a senior officer in the military and as an executive with three Fortune 500 companies, including over a decade as an executive recruiter with a "top five" firm and as an executive coach and recruiter in private practice.   I've recruited executives from CEO to director level in the US and abroad.  My search and coaching clients range from the Fortune 500 to health systems and hospitals to nonprofits to universities to small companies.   I've learned a lot along the way, much of which might be helpful to you.  That's my intent, anyway.  I encourage you to follow my blog and contribute your comments (and your own stories).   Welcome aboard and thanks for spending time with me. http://www.michaelkburroughs.com/

Michael Burroughs