Leadership Instincts: Listen, Amplify, Include

Kansas can become quite hot in June, and on this particular day it was exceeding expectations. I was about to graduate from the Army’s mid-career school at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and this was the graduation ceremony. Outside, on metal folding chairs, in a wool uniform, in the blazing sun. “Nice,” I thought.

 My mind was mostly on the task ahead of packing up my family and heading to Germany for my next assignment as a Tank Battalion Executive Officer. The transition would be tough on Deanie and the kids, I knew, but they would eventually turn it into an adventure.

I was vaguely aware that the guest speaker for the ceremony was being introduced, but it was the 4-star Commander of US Army Europe, so I figured I’d better pay attention.

 General Glenn Otis took the podium and congratulated the graduating class. He told the 1,000 men and women before him about the state of the Army in Europe and about the importance of the mission as part of our nation’s commitment to NATO. Then he said he wanted us to remember just one thing from his remarks on this day. He took a 3x5 card from his breast pocket.

 “I carry this card with me at all times,” he said, “to remind me about the most important attribute of a leader.” The card reads:

When is the last time you allowed a subordinate to change your mind about something?

“I want you to remember this as you leave here today and rejoin the regular Army: Be a good listener.”

 General Otis made an impression on me that day. From then on, I carried a similar reminder to myself about being a good listener.

As I progressed during my own career, I added two other attributes that I consider essential in a leader: understanding how to amplify and developing a genuine instinct to be inclusive.

I describe the interaction of the three instincts this way:

Listen to learn. Listen to make it clear to those who follow that you value their insights, their judgments, and their advice. Listen to understand the organization and to become mindful of opportunities and vulnerabilities. Listen because it is most often “weak signals” that portend success or failure. 

Amplify to establish expectations. Amplify the best ideas, the best recommendations, the best practices, and do it in a manner that encourages teamwork at every level of the organization. Amplify the organization’s values to strengthen that inner voice that reminds us what’s right, that voice that can sometimes be drowned out by digital echoes.  Amplify because the best leaders establish a “drumbeat” of emphasis on values within their organization. Amplify because everyone benefits when there is a common vocabulary about what’s expected of them. 

 Include to empower. Go wide and deep in including members of the organization to share knowledge, to create a common understanding of problems, and to encourage ownership of solutions. Include to inspire loyalty. Include as the first step in developing a climate of trust. Include because if you don’t, who will?

About the Author: After forty-one years in military service, General Martin Dempsey retired as the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. He now lives in North Carolina where he is faculty at Duke University, sits on two nonprofit boards, plays a leadership role in the NBA, serves as chairman of USA Basketball, and develops leaders with Starfish Leadership.

General Dempsey is the co-author of Radical Inclusion: What the Post-9/11 World Should Have Taught Us About Leadership with New York Times bestselling author Ori Brafman. The book is set for release on March 6, 2018.

Follow General Dempsey on Twitter: @Martin_Dempsey

Visit at GeneralDempsey.com