Remembrance

November 11, 2024

Dear Leaders,

Veteran’s Day in the USA.? Remembrance Day to our Commonwealth and French colleagues, as we all mark the end of World War I, for on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the guns fell silent.? Subsequent participation in other wars brought about the new designation in America, along with the point of honoring our living veterans who serve and benefit from one of the greatest sources of leadership training.

The best thing the military teaches about leadership is how to follow, for a person who gives orders must first know how to take them.? At the US Military Academy in West Point, they tell cadets that they will spend their first year learning how to follow and the next three learning how to lead.? New recruits in the enlisted ranks likewise learn very quickly how to follow, with drill instructors reinforcing the lesson loudly and frequently.

Learn to fail, for you learn from failing.? Consequences of failure in combat means death and injury, and that includes you.? At the National Training Centers, US Army units are put through their paces in challenging and arduous training where failing is not unusual, for the ingrained lessons learned in these maneuvers save lives when weapons fire is not just simulated noise.? Here, and elsewhere, we learn to expect the unexpected, for every battle plan is perfect until the first shot is fired.? Crucial to success is being prepared, for you can suddenly find yourself in command when those above you have been killed or wounded.? ??

One of the greatest successes of military leadership is the emphasis on allowing small unit leaders to make decisions.? In what might seem a top-heavy structure, there are but three or four ranks among the followers alone, with 20 ranks in leadership, but it isn’t designed to be over-managed.? It is not unusual to see a 21-year-old sergeant leading a squad in missions where there is a high-level of risk to life and limb, for that sergeant, and every level upward, receives leadership training commensurate with the level they lead from five to 50,000.

That isn’t to say micromanagement doesn’t happen.? In the age of technology, higher ups can see and hear what’s going on through small cameras and microphones.? Given the penchant for leadership, some are quick to second guess the leaders on the ground, and the confusion of having to obey higher orders while relying on instincts can cause undue hesitation of application.? ?

Detachment also has its detractions, and armies have a long history of commanders far away from the fighting issuing orders without fully grasping the situation on the ground.? From the Charge of the Light Brigade, to Antietam, to the Somme, to Pork Chop Hill, detached leaders who commanded from the rear, and sometimes micromanaged the wider war, gave orders, or sometimes failed to give orders, that led to the slaughter of thousands of men for dubious military value.?

So, what do civilians learn from military leadership?? Plenty, and it starts with instilling self-discipline and teaching people to follow.? It doesn’t require West Point precision or drill sergeant bombast, but it needs encouragement and direction.? As they progress, give them responsibility to see how well they manage it.? Take those who show talent for leadership to train and nurture them along the way, all with mentors and higher leaders as examples.? As they continue to rise, bring them into the larger mission for understanding and perspective.? Trust them to do the job without looking over their shoulders. ?And above all else, remember that as you count on them to take care of their people, you need to take care of them.? ?

World War I impacted France and the British Commonwealth in far greater numbers than the USA, hence their emphasis on remembrance.? Entire generations of young men were decimated throughout Europe, and much of it can be attributed to high-level military and political ignorance and bungling.? It’s easy to make decisions when you’re not the one going over the top into the teeth of withering machine gun fire and forgetting that does not insulate you from responsibility.? As leaders, we are entrusted with our people, and while your decisions might not mean life and death, foolish mistakes can have tragic consequences.?

On this day we remember, and we honor those who answered the call to serve a higher cause.? They leave with a greater sense of self-discipline and self-worth, and while appreciated, they don’t ask to be thanked for their service, they ask only to be given a chance to apply their stronger character and leadership skills for mutual benefit.?

To my fellow veterans worldwide, I salute you.

Sincerely,

Tim