Combat leadership on the battlefield and team leadership in the boardroom are more alike than different. In both situations, the high stakes require leaders to exhibit poise, precision and intelligence in order to achieve the prescribed objectives.
No matter the landscape, leaders must remain optimistic in the face of adversity. When I was a special operations strike force commander, my teams in Afghanistan leaned on me just as much as I leaned on them. Loyalty to the team and the mission kept everyone moving in the same direction. Though some days were harder than others, it was always our common commitment to a higher purpose that kept divisiveness at bay.
Like most leaders, I learned from many great role models and decision-makers who came before me. The pivotal World War II U.S. Gen. George Marshall is a tremendous inspiration to many of history’s greatest U.S. military leaders, and a number of his lessons have proven timeless. His insistence on displaying versatility, tenacity, resilience and foresight made him one of the most effective leaders the world has ever seen.
Below are four of the most famous lessons from Gen. Marshall that have shaped many of us, inside and outside the military:
––Read the full article here.