There is a book that I recommend to junior Army leaders titled “The Unforgiving Minute,” by Craig Mullaney, a story about leadership in combat.
Mullaney emphasizes that when the battle occurs, there is no longer any time to prepare. At that moment of crisis, everything he or she has done to prepare is put on display — either successfully or found wanting.
All of the leader’s education, training, physical preparedness, establishment of trust, development of relationships, demonstrations of loyalty and example of values become the basis from which she leads at the crucial moment. Sometimes, years of preparation become critical for a few seconds, or as Mullaney suggests, for an unforgiving minute.
It is the leader’s duty to be ready. This duty is even more critical at the senior levels because the lack of preparation in an Army general, a CEO or a politician can have a more far reaching impact than that of a sergeant leading a team of soldiers. Therefore, senior leaders owe it to all of us to prepare themselves.
This preparedness comes from years of education and experience and some will be the continued development that only our most disciplined, and humble leaders exercise. Senior leaders must demonstrate that they recognize that the position in which they find themselves is not a perk-filled privilege but an opportunity to serve, to make things better for others. These others could be constituents (whether they voted for the leader or not), shareholders, subordinates or society in general.
There are many ways a leader demonstrates his preparedness. Does the leader provide a vision for the organization that is informed by all stakeholders and clearly describes where they are, where they are going and how they are going to get there? Does the leader demonstrate loyalty in all directions, to the organization as a whole, and sometimes to something as ethereal as the United States Constitution? Does the leader invest time in the necessary relationships that provide value to the organization? Does the leader understand the importance of establishing trust? And does the leader understand that all of these actions and qualities help demonstrate character and establish credibility?
It is this credibility that will cause people to listen and follow when crisis occurs. In order for the leader to have time to do the most important things, he or she must delegate every single authority that does not require their personal involvement. In an admonition to leaders everywhere, the author Patrick Lencioni suggests “only do the things that only you can do.” Delegate everything else. It is in this delegation that the leader carves out the time to do the most important tasks, but it also empowers subordinates and demonstrates trust.
When the moment of crisis presents itself, the people will turn to the leader for an explanation, for guidance, for hope and for a vision of the way ahead. Think of Winston Churchill during the Battle of Britain, Martin Luther King during his “I have a dream” speech or George W. Bush in the rubble of the World Trade Towers on Sept. 14, 2001.
The people will not listen if that leader has squandered his credibility in some fashion. The leader abandons that respect and credibility by failing to strive for continuous education and improvement, by destroying important relationships, by failing to serve all his constituents, by demonstrating disloyalty to his superiors, subordinates, peers, his organization or higher principles, or failing to “show up” in times of crisis.
This, then, becomes the leader’s greatest failure and the vacuum will be filled by someone, or something. We, as a nation, are facing a “perfect storm” of a pandemic virus, undeniable racial injustice, global terrorism and state-sponsored mischief. In times such as these, the leader’s preparation for this moment will become obvious.
In the case of a politician, the voters will have their own “unforgiving minute” when their ballot is in hand. We can only hope that they will have prepared themselves as well.
Richard Longo a retired Army major general living in the Park City area.
Richard Longo is a retired Army major general living in the Park City area.
