Page 218 - The extraordinary leader

A Case Study in Leadership Development–The U.S. Marine Corps • 195

He explained that his mistake had occurred from his failure to consult with
the experienced leaders (noncommissioned officers) of the unit. From then
on, Santamaria noted that he faithfully consulted with these seasoned lead-
ers. That is a lesson in leadership that does not often get mentioned in a con-
ventional MBA program.
Tom Clancy wrote about the development process for noncommissioned
officers. He said, “As a Staff Sergeant you will probably be assigned that most
dreaded of duties, a new 2nd Lieutenant to watch over and hopefully make
into a useful officer.” The commissioned officers learn to rely heavily on their
6
staff of noncommissioned officers.
Everyone Is on the Team. Daniel Freedman described the Marines’ cul-
ture in these terms, as he told of a complex mission being planned by a
Colonel Moore. “Moore will make the final decision among the three [alter-
natives being proposed], though he not only allows disagreement but practi-
cally demands it. This is standard Marine thinking; enlisted men and women
and officers alike are expected to express concern about questionable deci-
sions and orders, and one of the biggest mistakes an officer can make is to
ignore or squelch such questioning.” 7
In fact, one of the common myths of leadership is that they go off by them-
selves, devise a clever strategy, and then come back to the organization and
announce it to the eagerly awaiting masses. Leaders have often been reluc-
tant to seek others’ opinions about organization structure or long-range strat-
egy, feeling that these were things they alone should be doing. Their belief is
that to involve others would be a sign of weakness. Fortunately, that idea has
undergone major change. Today, the most sophisticated leaders recognize
that they are not expected to have all of the answers or to define the strategy
of the organization by themselves.
Leaders Must Be Able to Cope with Rapidly Changing Leadership
Patterns. The Marines are clear about the oscillation that occurs in organi-
zations between highly collaborative, team-based organizations in contrast
with situations that call for a strong, single leader. Effective leaders must be
able to recognize the difference and to function comfortably in either situa-
tion. Katzenbach and Santamaria argue that “clarity creates trust.” 8
Private-sector executives are fond of talking about their management team,
when in reality it has few functions of a true team. Good leaders know the dif-
ference, can function well in either environment, and can act as a follower
in another single-leader work group. Part of their training involves planning
a complex mission, and then shortly before executing it, having the roles and