This article was originally published by Fast Company.
Great leadership doesn’t happen by accident. It’s developed through experience, reflection, learning, and trust.
This year, I had the distinct honor of seeing this firsthand when I was among a small group of civilians invited to attend the U.S. Army War College’s National Security Seminar. The college educates senior military officers, international officers, and leaders from federal agencies on high-level strategy and national security leadership. The seminar marks the culminating event for those graduating from the advanced education program with their Master of Strategic Studies degree.
This isn’t a typical master’s program. Candidates for the U.S. Army War College largely consist of lieutenant colonels and colonels in the Army and other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces who have typically served for 20 years or more. The college also invites applications from our allies (about 20% of total students) and other government agencies.
The nearly week-long seminar consists of an incredible roster of speakers addressing geopolitical and military issues around the world. We heard experts discuss everything from conflict in Eastern Europe and threats in the Northern Pacific to the increasing importance of the polar regions and risks facing the U.S. military-industrial base.
After each speaker, the civilians were invited to participate in a discussion with a student cohort that spent the year working together. These officers, who are at pivot points in their careers, are transitioning from tactical duties to the strategic decisions of senior officers. Their comments demonstrated a remarkable ability to apply the theoretical models they had studied in their classes to real-world situations.
I left the experience incredibly impressed by the college and the students. But more importantly, I left with an appreciation for what the private sector can learn from how the Army is training its leaders.
LEADERSHIP LESSON 1: INVEST IN THE LONG-TERM VALUE OF STRATEGIC LEADERS
In the private sector, formal education is almost entirely limited to the front end of one’s career. College typically takes place before you embark on your professional career. Even master’s and doctoral programs are mostly filled with people in their 20s. Imagine how different your college classroom conversations would have been if everyone in the room had 25 years of experience in their fields.
Some great companies offer continuing education programs for their senior people. But the military takes this to a different level, taking their best and brightest out of the field for a year to learn how to be a strategic leader.
They sacrifice the productivity of these officers in the short term because they believe the investment will pay dividends over the long term—a strategy the private sector could learn from.
Releasing ourselves from the pressure to maximize short-term value and considering the value that can be created over the long term frees us to invest in our high potentials.
During one discussion, I asked the officers, “What does the Army teach about the difference between authority and leadership?”
A Marine colonel answered: “Title 10 of the United States Code [Armed Forces] gives authority to military officers. Legally, our orders have the full authority of the Commander in Chief. However, if you are dependent on your authority under the law to get orders obeyed, you will almost always fail the mission.”
An Army lieutenant colonel built on this point: “Success for any mission requires the best of what everyone has. Soldiers will only give their best if they are committed. And they will only be committed to the mission if they know their leaders are committed to them.”
In other words, authority comes from a title or position. Leadership comes from the trust and confidence that people place in the person holding that position.
Unlike the private sector, Army officers have real authority to issue orders that must be followed (as long as they are legal). But they also understand that doing anything important requires commitment from every individual on the team. People only commit to something when they believe in the leader—regardless of authority.
The same is true in business. An organizational chart may define reporting relationships, but it doesn’t determine effort. People go above and beyond because they believe in their leadership, their team, and the purpose behind the work.
Compliance may produce short-term results, but commitment creates innovation, resilience, and sustained performance. When people trust their leaders, they’re more willing to share ideas, solve problems, and persevere amid change or uncertainty.
“This is a volunteer army,” a lieutenant colonel proudly pointed out. “Every soldier has willingly decided to lay their life down if necessary. We are fighting for the person to our left and our right. We are in this for them, and they are in it for us.”
Ultimately, we want to work with people we respect and trust. We must respect that they are capable of doing their jobs and trust that they will do it well. Our success depends on them and vice versa. No one does anything of significance alone.
Great leadership is key to success because it results in great teams that perform at a high level. Leaders owe it to their teams to both expect high performance and to hold individuals accountable. Anything less is a disservice that harms the team members by not allowing them to succeed to their highest potential.
The military and private sector differ in countless ways, operating in fundamentally different environments. Yet, after spending time at the U.S. Army War College, it is clear that the heart of leadership remains the same because the people we lead are the same.
Whether you’re an officer or a civilian executive, leadership is ultimately an act of service—creating the conditions for people to grow, contribute, and, as the Army says, “Be All You Can Be.”
