The True Test of Leadership

During my first summer at West Point, lovingly dubbed ‘Beast Barracks,’ I learned the basic disciplines of being a soldier. I could brasso a belt buckle, shine my boots (albeit not my strong suit), and straighten my gig line. I was always concerned with screwing these things up, so I often asked my roommates to ‘check me off,’ and make sure I wasn’t ‘jacked up.’ Occasionally, I would help them out, but that summer, it was all about me.

A few weeks later, I started the school year and was assigned a sophomore by the name of Corporal Foley as my immediate supervisor. Corporal Foley was an all star student, athlete, and soldier. He woke me up every morning to run. He spent hours trying to teach me to shine shoes, and set a goal for me to be Soldier of the Quarter. (This is an honor at West Point bestowed to the highest performing cadet). I’m not sure when Corporal Foley worked on his own physical fitness, or when he shined his own shoes (which looked like glass). He only seemed to be concerned with ensuring I was ‘squared away.’ It wasn’t about him, it was all about me.

Soon enough, I became Corporal Balog, and I quickly realized what Corporal Foley already knew. As a leader, it was no longer about my individual performance, but rather, setting the example, and ensuring my subordinates were successful. Sure, the time management wasn’t easy; I stayed up late and got up early, and I often had to put other’s needs before my own. But this was leadership. It wasn’t about me. It was about them.

I recently read a quote from Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, that said ‘before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.’ It reminded me all too well of what I learned my first year at West Point; leadership is not about the individual. The true test of leadership is the performance of those under you. If you have trained them properly, they will continue to grow and develop other leaders.

Despite this, it is never easy to let one of your best employees leave. The challenge with developing leaders is that they will (rightfully so) want to move on, and you should help them. That said, the effect of strong leadership is exponential. Leaders grow leaders, and their success becomes yours. So perhaps the true test of leadership is not about the rank or position you achieve, but rather, the impact of the leaders you were able to grow.