Why the Military Produces Great Leaders
(Peaceniks, bear with this; there’s some excellent advice!)
I was a bit surprised to see this at Harvard Business Publishing, yet it makes perfect sense.
Why the Military Produces Great Leaders makes a case for “servant leadership“, a concept which I imagine appeals to those of us who cringe every time a CEO grinds a company into the ground for personal gain, then seemingly gets away with it.
Quoting Colonel Tom Kolditz, author of the post, “military leadership is based on a concept of duty, service, and self-sacrifice”.
“When serving in crisis conditions… transactional sources of motivation (e.g. pay, rewards, or threat of punishment) become insufficient… When followers have trust and confidence in a charismatic leader, they are transformed into willing, rather than merely compliant, agents”.
This is called “transformational leadership” – the kind of leadership that inspires everyone in a company to give his best.
Go read the article. It has additional insights and asks some thought-provoking questions. You’ll be a better leader for it.
