In his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, author John Maxwell writes that “Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less.” I didn’t necessarily buy that at first. Sure, there was an influence component in leadership, but I felt there was certainly more to it than that. In my world as a military officer, for example, I felt that rank, background and experience was at least as important as influence - maybe more so.
What I eventually found was that knowledge and experience were nice things to have - often essential to successfully accomplish tasks - but not requirements for leadership. (World War II hero Audie Murphy, for example, was an undeniable leader even as a raw rookie soldier in his first battle.) And military rank (think “title” or “position” in the civilian world) is more of an indicator of authority than leadership ability. In my podcast I outline what I think is the difference between the two.
I’d really like to know your thoughts on this! (5:08)
Here in the US, there are two days during the year where we specifically honor and remember those men and women who served in the Armed Forces. Memorial Day is for paying tribute those who are no longer with us: those who lost their lives in active service, particularly those who died in battle or from wounds received in battle. The idea originated in the immediate aftermath of our Civil War as a way to remember the countless numbers of those killed in that horrific conflict.
Veterans Day, on the other hand, is much different. For while we also remember those who have died, this day is for thanking all living veterans for their service, whether active or reserve, wartime or peacetime, a single “hitch” or a career. Military service regardless of branch always has attendant risk and sacrifice, and Veterans Day is a way to gratefully acknowledge those who accepted and endured them.
They’re two very different occasions: Memorial Day is solemn, quiet and introspective, while Veterans Day is a celebration. And yet in our culture the distinctions can sometimes become blurred. There are arguably many opinions on why this seems to be the case, but as I outline in the audio, I believe major contributing factors are how they each evolved and their timing (where they fall in the calendar).
I’m technically a day late with this, but whether you observe “Veterans Day”, “Armistice Day”, “Remembrance Day” or “Poppy Day”, I send my best wishes to all current and former service men and women! Thank you for everything you do in the service of your country! (4:26)
This has been some weekend! On Saturday I was at the home of a good friend of mine - a group of six of us got together to watch the Naval Academy football team beat the University of Notre Dame. The last time Navy did that was 1963, with Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach at quarterback. We were yelling and cheering so much, I’m amazed that I have any voice at all!
But my post today is not about the game per se. Rather, the fact that these two schools play each other at all can be directly traced to the academic and athletic leaders at both institutions. Their stories are striking examples of an oft-overlooked tenet of leadership. (6:00)
If you saw the movie “Master and Commander” with Russell Crowe, you got a fairly representative peek into the world of commanding a British Man-of-War in the early 19th Century.
I recently had the opportunity to interview a modern “master and commander”. Before this gentleman retired from the US Navy, he was the commanding officer of a guided missile cruiser, one of the most powerful warships afloat. Right after the tragic events of 9/11 occurred, he was taking his ship to a position in the Northern Indian Ocean. And when the word came, his ship conducted the very first strikes of what is now called Operation Enduring Freedom.
I asked him about those days: what the atmosphere onboard the ship was like, and what was going through his mind as he conducted those attacks. Specifically, I asked him about how he led his crew in these extremely important first assaults. His thoughtful answers about “his team” reminded me about why he was one of the select few to command one of the US Navy’s ships. (3:44)
Earlier I wrote about heading up to Annapolis to watch a Naval Academy football game. While I was there, I spent a few minutes touring the stadium which has recently been renovated. As someone who has a passion history - especially military history - I always enjoy wandering around the facility and looking at its various tributes to the US Navy and Marine Corps.
In my wanderings I just happened to overhear a conversation between two young college students (from the visiting team) and a soft-spoken, “grandfatherly” gentleman. In a brief 30-second conversation he gave them a significant lesson, and reminded me of a very basic tenet of leadership. (4:39)
Last weekend I had the opportunity to spend some time with about a dozen current and former military leaders. We had all attended a college football game, and had met together afterwards to socialize and spend time with old friends. We weren’t talking shop or anything serious - just having a good time and reliving some old memories.
All of us had graduated in the same US Naval Academy class, and had all spent some time as commissioned military officers - some for 5 years, some for 20 years, and at least one is still on active duty after nearly 30 years! By any measure all of these gentlemen can be considered experienced leaders - both in military and civilian life. They all took different paths after graduation, yet the similarities in their varied careers were striking.
In casual conversation I asked a couple of them to what they would attribute their leadership successes. There were several reasons given, but there was one that kept popping up in almost every conversation - and it was NOT one that I was expecting! I’m curious as to your take on this. (4:09)
