A Navy Seal’s View on Leadership, Team of Teams

Complex problems are not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, our world is growing in complexity at a rapid pace. Global supply chains are at risk when there is instability in regions. Inflation ebbs and flows. And don’t get me started on global pandemics, sweet Jesus.

Likely the most complex environment, the battlefield, is riddled with pain and suffering, but also valuable lessons on managing complexity. The author, General Stanley McChrystal authored this book about his many lessons learned as a Navy Officer. Shoutout to my friend Sachin Rajakrishnan for recommending this book!

My Top 5 Takeaways:

#1 - Strategies and tactics that created initial success will not guarantee continued success and growth.

The set of actions required to be “good” vs the set of actions required to be “great”, differ by a wide margin. This is true both in individual endeavors and large teams. McChrystal saw this principle in effect during his time at war in the Middle East. He quickly recognized the military tactics and strategies learned at prestigious Military Academies or during previous combat engagements proved ineffective due to the nature of his ad hoc enemy. To fight his new enemy, he needed to develop a new organizational culture. One that could adapt to an ever changing environment and new threats.

This rings true in all our lives. A new mindset, sometimes new people, and environments are needed to rise to a new level of success.

#2 - Complicated vs Complex. Managing complexity requires a different set of tools.

There’s a big difference between complicated issues and complex problems. Complicated issues can be addressed in a systematic manner, with standards and operating procedures. They can be modeled and contain a high-degree of predictability.

Complex problems, however, are different. They are not easily modeled. They are unpredictable. At best, there exists an array of potential outcomes. A probability/likelihood that certain events may happen given the different variables at play.

In the book, McChrystal uses the example of wars fought today vs those in the past. Historically, wars were fought in an open field. Large battalions would use cannons, tanks, guns, and hand-to-hand combat to defeat their enemy. McChrystal’s experience was very different. He faced a decentralized enemy with suicide bombers, snipers in random locations, and unpredictable IEDs. The complex nature of his environment required a different set of tools to be successful.

#3 - A shared understanding of objectives and cross pollination of ideas helps reduce complexity.

An effective tool for combating complexity is to build cross functional teams that understand both the objectives and challenges faced by other teams in the organization. McChrystal found that many of his team’s failures were linked to:

• A lack of understanding of team objectives upstream or downstream
• Slow communication between teams
• Slow approval processes due to the military’s hierarchical chain of command

He addressed this by:

• Assigning top performers to embed themselves in cross-functional teams as temporary assignments
• Held daily cross functional virtual meetings so different teams can hear and understand the issues and solutions other teams were implementing
• Delegated more authority to lower level teams to execute without approval from higher-ups

#4 - Team of Teams, Decentralized and Delegated Command.

Most of the time I would simply trust the recommendations made by those who came to get me, as they knew the most about the issue. My inclusion was a rubber stamp that slowed the process, and sometimes caused us to miss fleeting opportunities. - Gen Stanley McChrystal

McChrystal quickly saw how the chain of command approach slowed progress and caused missed opportunities. In business and war, speed matters. He restructured his organization to be decentralized and delegated decision making to the teams doing the work. In effect, he created a Team of Teams that worked cross functionally. Independent but together.

#5 - Instead of playing chess, plant a garden.

McChrystal uses a garden analogy to explain Team of Teams. In times of past, the world largely operated like a game of chess. In chess, each piece has a specific purpose and can only be moved in a certain direction. Some pieces have more mobility than others and are valued accordingly. Although there are many variations of outcomes, all individual chess piece moves are predictable.

McChrystal states, “Our teams were crafted to be chess pieces with well-honed, predictable capabilities. Our leaders, including me, had been trained as chess masters, and we hoped to display the talent and skill of masters. We felt responsible, and harbored a corresponding need to be in control, but as we were learning, we actually needed to let go”.

The role of a gardener is very different than that of a chess master. For a gardener, “watering, weeding, and protecting plants from rabbits and disease are essential for success. The gardener cannot actually “grow” tomatoes, squash, or beans - she can only foster an environment in which the plants do so”.

McChrystal built on this analogy by explaining a leader’s role is not to command and maneuver all the pieces or team members in an organization. Instead, they should work to foster an environment where the teams can grow and execute on their core objectives.

I believe this was a powerful analogy.

Leading as a gardener meant that I kept the Task Force focused on clearly articulated priorities by explicitly talking about them and by leading by example. - Gen Stanley McChrystal

Purchase Team of Teams: https://amzn.to/4feTQae

Thanks for reading this edition of Waller’s Reading Room! If you enjoyed it or have thoughts, let me know. Don’t forget, I’m always taking recommendations, let me know what I should read next.

Upcoming book reviews, read with me:

• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
• Value: The Four Cornerstones of Finance
• The Negotiating Game: How to Get What You Want
• The Psychology of Money

Authentically written by me, not AI.

Yours Truly,

Omar Waller