In this age, I don't care how tactically or operationally brilliant you are: if you cannot create harmony - even vicious harmony - on the battlefield based on trust across service lines, across coalition and national lines, and across civilian/military lines, you need to go home, because your leadership is obsolete. - Jim Mattis
I've been a leader of people for many years across various roles; I believe some are built for it, have natural attributes that lean them towards leadership, and others are followers. All good leaders will be able to learn from others, evaluate good and bad examples, and apply that knowledge to becoming a better leader. This new series is designed to expose great quotes by various leaders and to investigate how they may relate or apply to myself or others. original im src
This week's leadership quote
In this age, I don't care how tactically or operationally brilliant you are: if you cannot create harmony - even vicious harmony - on the battlefield based on trust across service lines, across coalition and national lines, and across civilian/military lines, you need to go home, because your leadership is obsolete.
I get it, you're not in a war and you don't operate on the battlefield which is what this quote refers to. It's about operating as a cohesive unit, creating an environment in which various elements are able to function individually, autonomously and with a degree of flexibility - but as part of the entire force - towards the individual units' goals and the overall objective.
You might not be on the battlefield, but doesn't the above work in a business environment just as easily as in a military situation? I think it does.
Come to think of it, this quote, the principles of it, could also apply to a family or to a person-to-person relationship, where harmony and trust help form the foundation for other elements to be built upon and work cohesively.
Trust across service lines, across coalition and national lines, and across civilian/military lines might not seem appropriate for the office, but don't we have colleagues, departments, customers, management structures, share-holders, boards and the like? Of course we do. Doesn't it make sense for trust and harmony to exist between these elements? Of course it does.
Breaking it down further, within a department is many elements, let's call them people.
I think trust and harmony existing between these elements is going to deliver a more satisfactory result than the lack of it; don't you agree? Discord between team members will spill over to thoughts and attitudes and negatively effect work ethic and effort and that can leave a manager at great disadvantage and exposed to ultimate failure.
Now, before I go...Think about the concept of harmony and trust applied to the entire planet, across people from all countries. Think about what may be achieved, what wrongs could be set right, how the present could be improved and a better course set ahead for a brighter future than we have on the horizon right now. Think about it.
Do you think your relationships would be better with increased trust and harmony? Would your workplace be a better and more productive place to work? Would you be happier as an individual and would society as a whole be happier? I think yes. But I'm not a fool, and neither do I reside in a fantasy world; that harmonious, trusting world I mention above is, probably impossible. Still, we can all work as individuals, upon ourselves, and towards change of thoughts, attitudes and behaviours right? If enough of us do it maybe change will come.
We're all leaders; we all have the ability to lead ourselves to better thoughts and actions and to lead those who come after us by example.
If you have any thoughts on this leadership quote, experiences of your own, or questions please feel free to comment below.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
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I believe it is not everyone that can actually be put in the role of leadership. But I think if everyone could think like a leader and have the cognitive approach to aim at harmony, teams and groups would be much more efficient and effective. This is because there are traits of leadership that will ultimately lead them to perform better than they would be if they were complacent.
When situations arise where the leader cannot be there to make certain decisions or even perform certain actions, it is the individual that thinks like a leader that would be able to step in, when due and necessary, to effect the necessary course of action to implement progress.
I am still an undergraduate, but I am in my final semester in school. I never started out as the department's leader (Head of Class), but that's the position I have held for two years now. That opportunity came because the previous one wasn't doing well and even left the department.
The only reason I was qualified to be the leader was that I had been responsible for and for the department for far longer than I had been the leader. I was often responsible for driving every group I put in to achieve their assigned projects. And even in my second and third years in school (before becoming the head of class), I was usually made the group leader.
I am not the best at actually being harmonious with people, I would admit. In fact, I usually feel inclined to want to work alone, but I have learned how less of an optimal choice this is as compared to working in harmony with others. And I do understand the power of teamwork, so I often choose harmony with others.
Most, could, do it...but choose not to. Most leaders aren't really doing it right either. There's many misconceptions about leadership.
It is the responsibility of the leader to multi-skill the team, and empower them to want to step up in his/her absence. That's called operational integrity or depth.
Sometimes leadership finds the right people and those, even despite not wishing the role, use natural ability and acquired skills to do the job. It's those who seek better understanding, knowledge and clarity that do it best. Of course, building a structure around harmony and trust is the best way to go, and that's where some leaders come unstuck.
Get good at it.
No man or woman is self-made. None.
You like the super-long comments huh? I don't know where you find the time.
Yes, there actually are many misconceptions about leadership. And seeking understanding, knowledge and clarity will sure help one do better.
Not that I do like long comments. I just find myself expressing my thoughts so much sometimes. It actually doesn't take me long, most times, to type them down.
Expressing yourself isn't a bad thing, I didn't intend to indicate that it was, or that you were doing anything wrong. It's better you do so, express yourself, than not; if there's something to say, say it. If there's not, then not. A simple strategy huh?
Yeah, it's quite a simple strategy. It sure would make things much easier if people just acted accordingly.
Thank you for clarifying, sir. Good afternoon.
I am totally agree with this sir. After testing my leadership skills, I realized that all my team members have the ability to lead, as a leader, I just need to motivate them that they can do what I do and at the same time, give them a bit harder work which I know will test their capacity as a member.For me, leadership comes with styles. You have to know your team's strengths and at the same time, reducing their weaknesses so that the whole team would be functional and strong.
Have a good day sir. ✨
Yep, motivate and empower.
Indeed. Provide support without removing responsibility.
Correct, and also your own strengths and weaknesses; build on the former and develop and mitigate the latter.
Exactly, sir. thank you. 🤗
A couple of the kids from gym were talking about this last night. One of middle child's friends were saying she was a leader not a follower and the other one was saying she was a follower not a leader XD
So generally agree on the trust and harmony thing, but I think some people despite what they say are just super addicted to the opposite. Like I have known people in the past (and I'm sure you have encountered the type too) both online and offline that would lament about how they just wanted good relationships but seemed to go out of their way to sabotage and cause drama so they'd then have something to lament about. And I think that's pretty much the reason why we can't have nice things XD
I know the type yes, and have encountered a few. I've never been able to work out why they do it though, what they have to gain from being that way. Do you have any ideas on why?
With a couple of the people that I knew that acted like this, they had low self-esteem and didn't think they deserved any of the nice things that were happening so they would deliberately sabotage it back to whatever they felt they deserved and then be upset about it because they knew they had ruined it themselves.
I figured this out because I started doing exactly that with J, after 6 months I assumed he was sick of me and would dump me and started acting like we were on the verge of breaking up, which confused him immensely, made him wonder why and if I wanted to break up and if we should, then he sat me down to talk about it and I realised what I was doing and that was two decades ago
With everyone else I honestly don't know, the vague ideas I have is that they want as much attention inn as short a time as possible and/or they're manipulative asshats.
I thought as much, low self esteem is insidious.
It's interesting what you were doing back in the day too, sabotaging the situation. It's fortunate you talked it out though, that' often the best way.
Talking it out is usually the best way yes, some people are so ridiculously conflict averse that they would rather ignore things desperately hoping that somehow things will go away/get better on their own or will just ghost and then wonder why things never get any better.
Or maybe they know but just can't bring themselves to change anything.
Is there a way around that other than head on?
I'm with you on it, head on, say the words and move forward. Anything else wastes time.
How brilliant and wise we are on the battlefield of life; it would be somewhat useless when we cannot fully control and create harmony with it. It's actually good that a leader is brilliant and a great tactician because it creates good results.
If this happens, then I can imagine a better world wherein each nation would have a peaceful, progressive, and wars will cease to exist.
I agree completely, but I don't think it will happen. Some would say that's pessimistic but I say it's realistic. How about you? Do you think real change is viable and possible? I don't mean sometime in the misty future either, I mean do you see it happening in your life time? If so, why; and also, how do you think it will occur?
Oh, that's tough! Well, I can say that real change is possible, but that change will not occur in just a day. It takes time to turn the world upside down but possible. Just like when Covid existed, it shook the world, change the policies, and each nation tried to work together to formulate an effective vaccine to fight it. So, yeah, real change is possible.
I really admire your sentence above. According to me. leadership is exemplary. It has to do with the conformity of thought to action.
More precisely the harmony between speech and action. The speech comes from the mind.
If the action differs from what has been said, then it is destruction. You will not be followed by anyone. You will never earn the trust of anyone.
A leader has failed from the start if he cannot lead himself by always adapting his words to his actions. That is basic harmonization.
Thanks for a very nourishing post, Mr @galenkp.
I like this and would add, the harmony between thought, speech and action. This starts with the individual, the leader, and will touch others if the right things are done.
Enough said, and completely accurate.
When reality Hits, kudos to you
What a delightful writing, thank you for this. Exactly! I do agree. But leaders should prioritize other people in their thinking, I don't know about leadership much But It's true that there is no doubt that harmony and trust will have a huge positive effect on our social system or our workplace.
When I think of leaders, I think of those leaders who can bring the whole system down to where all units, department, sectors can coexist together with harmony and unity. I strongly believe that there are leaders who really understand their roles and ethics in leadership, and not being a Boss, but being a good leader your subordinate can really called or even refer as a leader.
Indeed, as per my post. Thanks for paraphrasing so succinctly.