THE 10-Q: STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL

The ex-general on arguing with your team and getting to the gym every day.

what kind of companies seek out your consulting firm, the mcchrystal Group?

It’s not a failing company, but they’ll say, “We are too slow making decisions. We are ineffective at implementing decisions.”

Your own epiphany about speed and flexibility came during your career in the military.

We had purposely built this counterterrorist force, JSOC, as a beautifully crafted bullet that would fly straight and true. That was fine if you were facing a somewhat predictable enemy. Then we got into this constantly changing environment in Iraq against a different kind of enemy. So we stopped being able to be the bullet. We had to become the gun. We had to literally change daily.

did you have to upend the classic military hierarchy?

Not formally. But it changed who got what information, how it was controlled, where decisions were made. That was against al Qaeda in Iraq. If you think about ISIS now, ISIS is Uber.

i don’t think Uber would like the comparison.

But like Uber, ISIS has little capital investment in what they’re doing. They’re creating franchises, and those franchises are very well suited to the conditions on the ground because they formed themselves.

how do you encourage people to share power within an organization? it can seem like no one wants to.

It’s just not our nature. The trick is to convince people at different parts in the organization that it’s in their interest. You incentivize them to be connected to the larger goals.

can you create a flexible group without lots of debate and argument?

No. In all healthy organizations, argument happens face-to-face. You debate, argue and move on.

By the way, there’s a pile of argument in the military. It just takes different forms. But when the landing-craft ramp drops and hits the beach, that’s not a time to argue the plan.

do you seek diversity or uniformity in teams?

Diversity is better. The challenge is creating diversity that communicates well. If you take a SEAL or a Ranger organization, they look homogenous. But they have a range of thinking styles. Good commanders encourage diverse thinking and use that to test their thinking in various directions.

switching subjects, how do you keep so damned fit?

I get up and run for at least an hour and then stretch. On alternate days, I will get up and I’ll do about an hour of abs and core workouts in the house, and then I’ll go to the gym.

Then you go to the gym?

For another hour or 40 minutes of weights and pull-ups. I almost never take a day off.

and somehow you eat just one meal a day.

I’ve been doing it for about 40 years, just because I thought I was getting fat. Everybody told me how stupid I was, how it’s bad for my body. Now they’re starting to say it’s okay, even good. In a few years, they’ll say it’s bad again. I’m 63. If I change suddenly now, it might kill me.