Compliance
Sometimes people need to shut up and color
This newsletter with embedded audio is an example of the type of frequent email (about once per week) that will be sent to paid subscribers starting in January. They will be shorter and more focused. Subscribers to the free newsletter can still expect to get the periodic long essays (about 1 every 2-3 months). But only paid subscribers will get the written and audio content. Be sure to also check out my youtube channel. I plan to be releasing more content there in the coming weeks.
The US Army’s Ranger School is one of the best leadership schools in the world and also one of the most challenging programs in the US military. Students only sleep 2-3 hours per night and eat 2 meals per day. On top of all that, you are lugging around 80 pounds of gear going up and down mountains and through swamps. You are constantly cold (or hot), hungry, sleepy, and physically exhausted, but to pass the school students have to perform and lead.
When it is time to stop for the night to sleep for 2-3 hours, the students set up something called a “patrol base.” This is where the platoon sets up a security perimeter to rest and plan for the next day’s mission. Setting up a patrol base is a very detailed and deliberate process with a lot of steps. I won’t go into them here, but if you are interested, you can check out this video.
When you are wet, tired, cold, and hungry, you do not want a leader whose main goal is to build consensus about what the platoon should do. You want a leader to be extremely directive and very aggressive. You want a leader who is going to get sh*t done, fast. Because the faster things get done, the faster you can eat and go to sleep. Sometimes the last person you would want to hang out with is the first person you want leading your platoon through patrol base occupation.
You know it is going to be a long night when the patrol leader says, “Umm, okay guys, what do we think we need to do? I think it is important that we consider X, but we also need to think about Y. What do you all think?”
NO.
You want a patrol leader who says, “listen up. 1st squad do X. 2nd squad do Y. 3rd Squad do Z. You have 15 minutes to complete these tasks, then you will report back here. Go” When you get a strong leader like that, even if you don’t like him personally, you are so happy. You know things will be done quickly and efficiently and you’ll get to bed much sooner.
A lot of what I write about in the long essays is about the complexity and the challenges of leadership, but sometimes things are very simple, and straight compliance becomes paramount. This is why understanding your unique context is so important. The danger becomes when we distort the context to match our preferred leadership style, rather than really see the context for what it is and adapt. This is why understanding your environment and thinking about adapting is so important.
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
If you only have the ability to lead through compliance or lead through consensus, you are screwed. What’s important is being able to adapt to the situation and use the right leadership tools at the right time, in the right context.