Lessons from the Bunker: Hierarchy Is Often Overrated

Military experience often brings with it a wealth of experience and a lifetime of lessons. My most recent Disrupt Yourself guest would readily agree.

Orit Gadiesh is the longtime chairman of 贝恩公司 , one of the world’s most revered consulting firms. When she was just 17, however, Orit worked as an aide to a deputy chief of staff in the Israeli military.?

Her stint in this position often put her in the Israeli war room, where she was privileged to listen and observe everything that was going on. She points to a few key lessons she learned during that time.

One was not to be afraid of hierarchy. While the officers could often daunt, she understood them from a unique vantage point because she worked with them daily and knew them personally. Yes, she respected them and their crucial responsibilities, but she wasn’t unnerved around them.

“They were pretty formidable in the war room, but they were just people,” she said. “I think it took away my fear or intimidation of them.”

As she was often privy to internal discussions between the war room and officers on the battlefield, another great lesson also presented itself. The final say always went to the person on the front lines; they knew their situation better than anyone sitting in a secluded room miles away from the action.?

This had a powerful effect on her leadership style.

“We do that at Bain & Company, too. The partner dealing in front is always the partner who knows more about it than anybody else,” she said. “And everybody has permission to participate and to contribute, independent of what level they are.” Orit and crew followed this basic principle to right the ship when Bain & Company faced severe financial hardship in the late 1980s. Their true north would be looking the client in the eye and having very frank and honest conversations. “If you gloss over things, then you can’t actually get them changed,” she said.

Within the “war room” of your organization, do you sincerely take in all available advice from those around you before making a final decision? Do you allow those who are most knowledgeable about a particular client or subject to take the lead and own the presentation? Are you more concerned with who the input is coming from than what it is?

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