In my life as a soldier and citizen, I have seen time and time again that inaction has dire consequences.
Stanley A. McchrystalRead
Many leaders are tempted to lead like a chess master, striving to control every move, when they should be leading like gardeners, creating and maintaining a viable ecosystem in which the organization operates.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Leaders should focus on nurturing and supporting their teams rather than trying to control every aspect of their work.
In this quote, Stanley A. McChrystal emphasizes a significant shift in leadership philosophy. Instead of adopting a rigid, controlling approach akin to a chess master, he suggests that leaders should embody the role of a gardener, fostering a healthy environment that allows individuals to thrive. This perspective encourages collaboration, adaptability, and growth within organizations, recognizing that a successful ecosystem depends on the contributions of each member rather than strict oversight.
Themes
LeadershipEcosystemNurturingOrganizationCollaboration
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing leadership strategies at a corporate training seminar.
More from Stanley A. Mcchrystal
All quotes →I was raised to believe that soldiers were strong and wise and brave and faithful; they didn't lie, cheat, steal or abandon their comrades.
Stanley A. McchrystalRead
I was raised with traditional stories of leadership: Robert E. Lee, John Buford at Gettysburg. And I also was raised with personal examples of leadership. This was my father in Vietnam. And I was raised to believe that soldiers were strong and wise and brave and faithful; they didn't lie, cheat, steal, or abandon their comrades.
Stanley A. McchrystalRead
When you go through some controversy and you see your face on the news in a negative way for 48 hours... you doubt yourself. And your friends make the difference. They become a safety net that come in and say, 'That's not the case.' And the relationships that you've built... come to the fore.
Stanley A. McchrystalRead
The basic DNA we've got to implant in leaders now is adaptability: not to get wedded to the solution to a particular problem, because not only the problem but the solution changes day to day. Creating people who are hardwired for that is going to be our challenge for the future.
Stanley A. McchrystalRead
If every soldier is authorized to make one mistake, then we lose the war.
Stanley A. McchrystalRead
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We'll have a sales leader go run engineering. A lawyer go run business development. A business development leader go run our consumer operations. We're going to train a generalist group of leaders who know how to learn and operate in collaboration teamwork. I think that's the future of leadership.
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I tread in the footsteps of illustrious men, whose superiors it is our happiness to believe are not found on the executive calendar of any country.
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The Navy can lose us the war, but only the Air Force can win it. Therefore our supreme effort must be to gain overwhelming mastery in the Air. The Fighters are our salvation . . . but the Bombers alone provide the means of victory. . . . In no other way at present visible can we hope to overcome the immense military power of Germany.
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One thing I noticed working in the Bronx is that leaders come in the craziest places. They don't always show up at community board meetings. Sometimes it's just the guys on the corner that the boys on the block respect.
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It is a great privilege, as well as our responsibility, to pray for our government leaders.
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My own experience is use the tools that are out there. Use the digital world. But never lose sight of the need to reach out and talk to other people who don't share your view. Listen to them and see if you can find a way to compromise.
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