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)
One topic that always seems to come up in discussions involving leadership is the idea of having a role model. People that I talk with generally think role models are important, especially for children growing up and trying to make sense of the world.
The general concern, it seems, is finding the “right” role model. Many of my friends who are parents tell me the appeal of celebrities, professional athletes and other people in the public eye makes it easy for young adults (and older ones, too) to want to “be like them”. Unfortunately, public images can be very shallow, and easily susceptible to being shattered. And when they do shatter, it’s often in a big way, which can leave young adults disillusioned and cynical.
Most leaders I talk with have one or two people they would consider a role model. I’ve heard personal development expert Bob Proctor remark that he holds Napoleon Bonaparte, the French general and emperor, as an example both of what to be like and what not to be like. A number of my military friends look to leaders like General Robert E. Lee (US Civil War) and US President Abraham Lincoln for inspiration.
So when I was talking with a friend of mine recently - a lady who has been in leadership positions pretty much her entire adult life - I asked about her role models. And I was completely unprepared for her answer! (4:34)
If you were to write down a list of the top 10 qualities that an “ideal” leader would possess, and then rank them in order of importance, where would you put “able to deal with the unexpected”? Would it be in the top 5? Would it even be on your list?
I got into a discussion with a friend of mine recently about this. He was saying that a good leader, once he has made his decision, has to keep focused on his goal (or strategy) and not let himself be deterred from it. I told him I agreed with him - to a point. But there’s a difference between putting on the blinders and ignoring everything else.
When any plan - military, business, or personal - gets put into action, sooner or later it’s going to bump up against “reality”. Things are going to happen - some are expected, some are anticipated, and some are just plain surprises. (There’s an old saying in the military that “no plan survives contact with your adversary.”) Where I differed with my friend is that a good leader doesn’t - can’t - IGNORE these things, but rather has to adapt to them.
In the early 1950s Captain Mitsuo Fuchida wrote an account of the Battle of Midway (WWII) from the point of view of the Imperial Japanese Navy. In it he recounts an anecdote which illustrates my point. (3:28)
I received some feedback about a speech I had given, where I was talking about the value of serving one’s country. I don’t mean just in the military, but in any capacity which directly benefits one’s country as a whole.In my speech I referred to this as “patriotism”.
Well, at least one person didn’t see it that way. This person’s views on what patriotism is – and what it isn’t – are very different than mine. I was surprised by this, because I just took it for granted that everyone defined the word the same way I did. Obviously, that’s not the case. And one thing I’ve learned - if one person disagrees with me, many more probably do as well.
So what exactly is patriotism, then? Do we need more of it or less? And what is it about saying “I love my country” that makes so many people uncomfortable, nervous, or downright angry? I had to think about my own beliefs a bit before I felt comfortable commenting on this.
Here’s my answer – along with an historical example. What are your reactions? Do you agree? Or do you think I’m way off base here? Is there something I’ve completely overlooked? (4:20)
Without a doubt, one of the “shining moments” in Great Britain’s long and distinguished history was the performance of her Royal Air Force in 1940. For at the Battle of Britain, a battered and bruised RAF was able to do what no other military force had been able to do – stop Adolf Hitler’s “blitzkrieg”, the “lightning war,” and prevent the planned invasion of Britain. It was the RAF pilots’ performance that inspired Prime Minister Churchill’s famous remark, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. All hearts go out to the fighter pilots, whose brilliant actions we see with our own eyes day after day.”
Yet the RAF pilots would tell you that they were helped tremendously by technology (radar) and a “fortunate accident” which led to a strategic miscalculation by Hitler and Goering. It’s a lesson in leadership that can still be applied today. (8:34)
A "Fortunate Accident":
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