Earlier this week I saw a picture of the military leaders who had been summoned to meet with the President. In that picture, I counted five of my friends who are now three-star generals.
I began reminiscing about our time working together many years ago and the discussions we used to have about leadership. I can only imagine the gravity of the decisions they have to make now.
That got me thinking even further back to when I was a young officer.
It was early 1995 and I was a First Lieutenant. I had been given command of a rifle company of about 120 Marines after we returned from an overseas deployment.
(If you get on a Zoom call with me, you’ll see a picture of us on the bookshelf.)
That position was typically filled by a senior captain. My boss didn’t care about that, and he made it known that I would be in charge through our next deployment in 1996.
Obviously, I was not very popular with those who thought they should have been placed in charge, and I wasn’t going to give them any reason to believe I shouldn’t be that guy.
I came up with an 18-month training plan that would have us at our prime when we deployed and was surrounded by some great subordinate leaders who made sure we hit the mark.
In the interim, we were tasked with a 30-day deployment in support of another agency, and we were ready.
One of the things I did before we left was lay down a hardline stance of my expectations, which included how we would conduct ourselves and spend our time. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind what the rules were.
During the first week, one of my senior subordinate leaders advised me that another senior subordinate leader (who held a very significant position) had violated one of the clear rules I had set.
The weight I felt was significant because I knew everyone was watching to see how I would respond, and how quickly.
I was so disappointed but knew what I had to do.
Remove him immediately.
Did he commit an egregious act? No.
Did he make a decision that led to mission compromise? No.
Did he get in trouble with other authorities? No.
What he did was use his position as a leader to make his own set of rules.
That cannot happen.
Everything I had preached up to that point hung in the balance. If I fired him, it would hurt in the short term. If I let it go and found a way to justify his actions, it would have impacted us for the next two years.
Worse, I would have lost all credibility as a leader.
It was a pretty simple cost-benefit analysis.
Within hours he was gone.
I met with the leadership cadre and we made some adjustments. I talked with the larger team to get ahead of the rumors and explained what happened, and then we got back to work.
The immediate impact was a small sense of disruption and friction, followed by an acute awareness that it was all about the team and everyone would be held to the same standards.
In no time we moved past this blip.
We crushed every goal we had set for ourselves, and those set for us by the big bosses. We had an outstanding deployment and were recognized as the top performing unit.
I recognize that I had two things going for me.
First, I worked for an organization that viewed the mission and the team as greater than any one individual. Trust me, I know that’s not the norm and likely not the same where you work.
Second, and of great significance to me, was that I had a boss who had my back.
When I called him and told him what was going on, he said “what do you want to do?” I told him I had to get rid of the guy right away. He simply responded, “Do it. We’ll get him out of there today.”
Here’s the lesson: Leadership credibility is earned by the tough, visible decisions you make every day to accomplish the mission and take care of your people.
That credibility is your currency. Spend it wisely.
Have you handled a similar situation that preserved your credibility as a leader? Hit reply and tell me about it. I read every response.
If you’re facing a decision that could define your leadership this year and are stuck as to what to do, schedule a meeting with me and we’ll work through it together.
Dan
Founder, Leader First Coaching