I've Got Your Six

December 11, 2023?

Dear Leaders,?

In addressing the realities of leadership, the painful lessons of bad leadership are far too often the dominant subject, so let’s look at the leader we all want – someone who you can count on in good times and bad, the person who’s always there for you, the leader who protects your back from unseen attacks, who has your six position well covered.??

People desire leadership and gravitate toward those who lead, regardless of position on the line and block chart.? In extensive military and public service experience, along with limited business experience, I found the same thing:? where you lead, people will follow, when no one else leads, they will look to you.? When you succeed, they will seek you, and when you show that they can trust you, they will turn to you reflexively.??

Building that trust takes time, but little effort, for integrity takes no effort for men and women of character.? You simply do what is right and do what you say you will.? To this day, Texans believe in an agreement and a handshake, with no written contract required, for your word is your bond.? The necessity of legality changed the formality over the years, but not the basic principle, for they hold fast to this day that the reality of the deal is in the promise.??

More important in the exercise of that trust is the assurance that in the worst of times, you are looking out for your people and their interests.? Military leadership is built on the foundation of mutual trust, and more than the basic relationship, leaders are there for their people and the people are there for each other to the point that they don’t question or expect anything less.? It isn’t always perfect, but it works, and extends up the ranks from corporal to general.??

Dwight Eisenhower built his reputation over time serving in various staff and command positions.? As a West Point graduate, he was steeped in the basic principle of trust, and honed that reputation to the degree that when the United States entered World War II, he advanced quickly from colonel to general, becoming the Supreme Commander of the massive allied forces in Europe.? Considered by some to be a compromise candidate for the job, he was given the command because President Roosevelt and Prime Minster Churchill trusted him.??

Gaining the position was one thing, but keeping it was another still, and he knew he had to continue to earn that trust from leaders and rank and file soldiers alike.? Dealing with legendary inflated egos, he gave them a modicum of trust to gain the same from them.? He likewise spent time with the soldiers, notably the paratroopers preparing for the D-Day invasion of France who might have been initially surprised to see him, but easily gravitated to the plain-speaking senior officer who smoked the same cigarettes as did they.??

That feeling that he was supporting president and private alike gave reassurance to both as he oversaw victory in one of the greatest endeavors in history, and he used that same sense of trust to propel him to the presidency for eight years.? Historians note that his strongest political trait was that people liked him because they trusted him, and that gave him a great deal of leverage over a Congress of the opposite party.??

Knowing that you’re covering them is what keeps your people not only coming back for more, but develops a sense of reciprocity, for when the time comes that you’re taking flak, they will cover your back.? As a leader in a large organization with upper management focused more on numbers than true results and people, I often stood in the line of fire to defend them against the bean counting and whipsaw directing, all while dealing with the underlying problems they chose to ignore, such as miscreant employees.? When my unorthodox methods incurred their wrath one time too many, they attempted to gain testimony against me.? A colleague told me shortly thereafter that my crew closed ranks behind me and not only refused to speak ill of my actions but praised me for them.? As you would expect, this caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth among upper management, but I remained unapologetic.?

Leaders need not be in bad situations to cover and be covered, for in a later position, I had the pleasure of working with much better leadership and colleagues, notably my counterparts at other regional offices.? We not only looked out for our own people, we also covered each other, sharing information for mutual benefit, and providing solutions to each other when facing challenges.? The feeling of being able to count on each other made a good situation even better, and it is to your advantage in leadership to develop and maintain those mutually beneficial relationships.??

Even the venerable B-17 bombers with tail guns still needed other bombers and fighters to protect against attacks from behind, and you and your people are no less vulnerable.? Like the pilots and crews of old, that coverage, and the trust in knowing that it’s there, is crucial not only to mission success, but to your safety, and knowing that someone is watching out for you makes it easier to stay on course and on target.??

Sincerely,

Tim

?