How To Lead An Infantry In Your Workplace

"If each leader surrounds themselves with people bigger than they are, we will have a company of giants; If each leader surrounds themselves with people smaller than they are we will have a company of midgets"

David Ogilvy

Today’s conversation will be for Managers.

One of the lessons in the evolving workplace is the role everyone plays on the team.

As executives, one of the biggest threats to thriving at work would be surrounding yourself with people you are smarter than or have the same perspective.

This is a trap run from it.

If you fear hiring smarter people to lead or they would beat you to your game or make you feel less than you are, you have little to worry about this. Just come with me.

The workplace is a different kind of war zone. The goal of going to war is to win.

The strategy to winning requires going with the best teams.

During the war in the Roman empire, there are different roles each soldier plays.

For instance, we have the Infantry soldiers who in the early history of war, are land armies marching on foot and using a variety of weapons against each other.

As foot soldiers there are skills to this.

Every leader sends his foot soldiers especially when the war requires physical combat.

As weapons developed, especially with the invention of the cannon, armies incorporated heavier, primarily stationary weapons.

These weapons and the soldiers who operated them are called the artillery.

Generally, artillery is used as the first assault to soften up the enemy, then the cavalry (especially modern forms in which tanks have replaced horses) ride through the infantry follows on foot.

Most wars in ancient times also had the archer.

A closer resemblance might be the Sniper.

Both skills aren’t for rookies.

Every Captain needs a combination of several skills from their soldiers on the team to win each battle.

If you remember the David and Goliath story well enough, it would get clear David was a slinger and foot soldier.

Of all the skills, It was his sling mastery that brought down Goliath

Back to the workplace.

As a team lead, the more reason to break away from habitual thought patterns from what always works for you is to continually surround yourself with people who question the norm to give room for the big chance

To make sure you are not playing yesterday’s game in today’s world, you must continuously have a rainbow team of members who might not be like you but who bring in different skillsets and continuously make work a beautiful adventure.

An Agile team in the changing world is a must-have

My key role as a thinking partner for the next generation my advice is simple, no matter how skilled dedicated, and intelligent you are, you can’t know who you don’t know so be ready to be a continuous student of the changes in and out of the workplace and reshuffle your team with archers, slingers, artillery...

As executives and HR Lead, It's normal you rather choose to work with things you are used to, however, the modern team keeps evolving.

I implore you to bring in people with different perspectives even if you don’t love their guts.

In war, you want to win. Work is War.

David was a big risk to the king of Israel during wartime. It took him to go against the norm to win the war for his team, likewise, you would need a team who would take risks because they want to win wars and not play politics.

You should from time to time take a chance on

Be the leader you wish you had been

#nextgenerationintneworkplace??

Charles Umeh?is a Global – leadership author and Thought leader well-known for improving and helping the next generation in the workplace. He uses the tools of books, workshops, and knowledge events to achieve these goals. He has written and co-written six books on leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation. His TED Talk?Think like a changemaker?is a clarion call for the next generation to align with their work and calling. Charles works with teams and executives both as a shadow board and as a Third opinion for corporates and individuals his newest book?Redefining Talent?which addresses the human skills challenge for the Executives and HR leading the next generation at work. He produces and hosts the?btcshow?a reservoir of knowledge for the upward mobile and next-generation entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs You should subscribe.

Charles Leads the team of facilitators and thought leaders at the work lab in a continuous learning program The worklab was birthed to equip humans in the various industry in the workplace to build structures that align to modern-day realities at work.

The worklab targets the next generation in the workplace and focuses on a much more profound learning approach to continuous learning of basic human skills for Generation next in the workplace. Our modules cater to them from fresh graduates, middle team leads, managers, professionals trying to transit to higher roles, intrapreneurs transiting to full entrepreneurship, and our newest addition worklab for kids which helps kids align with values for everyday living and work. Sign up for the?worklab.?www,breakingthecoconut.com

Charles umeh

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