Military lessons from Gen. Mcchrystal
While I don’t have strong personal ties to any who have lost lives in combat, I know many military people who do. On Memorial Day, I like to be mindful of the more acute nature of their loss.
As a civilian, my notion of sacrifice differs greatly from military personnel. My brother’s Desert Storm tour and my best friend’s MP duties in Panama had hardships, but the more recent deployments of both their spouses had an even greater poignancy. My best friend’s Christmas party list included Gen. Mcchrystal, a colleague of her husband. The action both men have seen carries with it a great number of casualties and lessons. Gen. Stanley Mcchrystal, author of “Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World,” highlighted some of the leadership strategies he used to revamp the conventional military tactics while fighting terrorists in Afghanistan. His message to leaders of large organizations is that in order to thrive they need to be adaptable to the swiftly changing times.
Maj. Archer from the new Porterville Military Academy said that principles from Mcchrystal’s book would be incorporated at the new school. Though written with the general’s military examples, the book also included civilian applications from the auto industry, NASA and hospitals. The leadership principles in his book will also benefit schools.
The military forces led by Mcchrystal needed to become more agile because the conventional tactics weren’t working against Al Qaeda in Iraq who attacked and then vanished. The thousands of men and women the general commanded in his Task Force needed to be faster and more flexible. He used transparent communication and decision making to help the specialized teams become less isolated and secretive so that they could coordinate their efforts to beat their enemy.
He used technology to connect and collaborate so that teams could innovate and move swiftly to disruptive negative forces. This complex world with its dense interdependencies required resilient teams who could adapt faster to the ever-changing needs of the situations.
His role as the leader changed from command and control micromanaging to creating an environment where specialized teams could trust one another and share a common purpose. He modeled open decision making and shared intel between multiple agencies which empowered individuals to act in a fashion that supported the whole operation.
Mcchrystal wrote, “There’s a temptation for all of us to blame failure on factors outside of our control… what really matters is succeeding. If that requires you to change, that’s your mission… We’re not lazier or less intelligent than our parents or grandparents, but what worked for them simply will not do the trick for us now. Understanding and adapting to these factors is not optional; it will be what differentiates success from failure in the coming years.”
The general also wrote that he didn’t choose to change. He was driven by the necessity to do so. In his case he had to in order to win against a ruthless enemy. Other organizations have different, yet compelling, motivations to change. “An organization must be led or, if necessary, pushed uphill toward what it must be.”
Facing complex variables that defy predictability, many organizations like schools must become more connected. Complex problems demand a systems approach to the solution. The interdependent nature of the war environment required separate teams to understand the entire interconnected system.
An effective leader today must learn to be less like a chess master who controls every move and more like a gardener who nurtures and empowers the moves that will foster a culture of change. Effective changes to maximize opportunities requires that those individuals and teams closest to the problem must have access to insights from the entire network in order to act decisively.
The complexity of modern day problems has rendered micromanaging ineffective. Effective transformation of existing organizations must occur in order to unlock the potential for progress. In order for students from this digital age to progress and succeed, teachers must display adaptability and modify instruction to not only incorporate but maximize technological advances and collaborative endeavors that address complex problem solving.