Listen, Learn....then Lead

TED TALKS: Stanley McChrystal: "Listen, learn...then lead"

 

This TED TALK was done by Stanley McChrystal.  Stanley McChrystal is a  a four-star general, he is the former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan and the former leader of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which oversees the military’s most sensitive forces.  He has lead several missions.

He was raised to believe that "soldiers" were strong, wise, brave, and faithful,.  They didn't lie, cheat, steal, or abandon their comrades.  To him this is what REAL Leaders posses.

When one of his practice missions failed, his leader praised him for doing well even though they failed the mission. Stanley McChrystal learned that true leaders can let you fail but not let you be a failure. Acknowledging a job well done, but also educating on failures can be beneficial for all involved.  
So one might wonder how to listen, learn, then lead.  WELL Stanley McChrystal addresses it very well in this video.

• Instead of giving orders, building concession and building a sense of shared purpose.
• Listen, Learn.....Then Lead.
• Due to the differences in generation there will be different experiences, skill sets, different vocabulary.
•  In order to utilize the differences there needs to be shared purpose.

Some people will wonder how does a leader stay creditable and legitimate when they haven't done what the people they are leading are doing?
Here is some of how Stanley McChrystal answers that.

• New challenge in leadership- willing to listen, more transparent.
• Watch and take care of each other when in leadership positions due to demands and cumulative pressures.

This is a very insightful video on leadership.  He made a point on listening and learning from below that was very interesting.  To me this meant that leadership can come from everywhere in a organization, while management comes from the hierarchy the people below bring valuable information.   Both are required, both are valuable, but very different at the same time.  Leaders hold the "force" together!  "A leader isn't good because their right, their good because they are willing to learn and trust" (TED TALKS, 2011).
A leader needs to know that the people they count on will help them out, but the people who count on the leader need them on their feet.

How can you build a sense of shared purpose among people of many ages and skill sets?
***By listening and learning -- and addressing the possibility of failure*** (TEDTALKS, 2011)

TEDTALKS. (2011). Stanley McChrsytal:Listen, learn,..then lead. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal.html