Page 223 - The extraordinary leader

200 • The Extraordinary Leader

this begins with the process of carefully defining the essence of the mission,
creating three meaningful alternatives, selecting one of those for implemen-
tation, defining the desired end state, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses
of the team that will execute the mission, defining what must not occur,
preparing a detailed plan of implementation, and it ends with executing the
plan. All of this is designed to give the aspiring officer the tools with which to
produce better results.
Interpersonal Skills. One Marine officer who was visiting a private-sector
company was stunned to observe that the manager did not know the employ-
ees’ names. The Marine remarked that he was expected not only to know the
names of his people, but also to know the names of all their family members.
We describe elsewhere the emphasis on courageous and frank dialogue.
Marines treat each other like family. During training they are taught always
to be alert to ways to prevent accidents, always to help a fellow Marine, and
they often refer to each other as “sister” or “brother.” Relationships are char-
acterized by trust and mutual respect. Honest but civil dialogue is encouraged.
There is also a strong emphasis on team activities and extensive communica-
tion within the team.
Leading Organizational Change. At lower levels in the organization, the
Marines’ development process puts leaders in an operating role but does not
emphasize the processes for bringing about organizational change. Execut-
ing missions effectively is what we have earlier described as Stage III behav-
ior, but is not the visionary, statesman role, nor the role of transforming the
culture. The reality of most organizations is that they need a limited number
of such people. Senior officers in the Corps are trained to think and act on a
larger scale and a longer-term basis.

The Processes and Tools of Leadership
Development

The Marine Corps techniques for developing leaders provide several valuable
lessons.
People Development Requires a Significant Commitment of Time from
Many in the Organization. The Marines invest enormous amounts of time
and organizational resource in their leadership development process. The pri-
vate sector, if it becomes serious about developing stronger leadership, must
begin by greatly increasing the emphasis placed on the training of new