Something New
Field notes on everyday leadership.
I’m a big fan of
’s Friday newsletter “10 things worth sharing this week.” It almost never fails to produce an interesting new thought, link, person of interest, or idea. In his latest edition he mentioned the value of endlessly repeatable formats, and right when I read that I had an idea for one (maybe).While I was writing Everyday Leadership, I thought about trying to include a host of what I considered to be examples, exemplars, and evidence of everyday leadership in the wild. But I also wanted the book to have a sort of timelessness to it, and I worried that tying it too specifically to current people or events would age it too quickly.
Nonetheless, that idea has persisted, so I thought I’d start a new section of this newsletter where I’ll collect field notes on everyday leadership. Without further ado…
Here are a few notes from the field this week:
“It’s no good if all you do is shout.” British Army leaders are being taught a more diplomatic and approachable leadership style, or “more David Beckham” as the headline reads, less Gunnery Sergeant Hartman... In an interview, Warrant Officer Matt Howarth noted the importance of building trusting relationships with lower level soldiers so they know they can challenge senior officers when needed.
“You don’t really discover what your values are until they cost you something,” says, Dr. Justin Habash of the Medal of Honor Center, which is teaching participants “how to translate […] values-based character skills into everyday scenarios.” The center aims to develop leaders who exhibit the values we celebrate in medal of honor recipients, like courage, integrity, and commitment.
And finally, “remember to ask yourself where value and meaning […] come from.” It’s commencement season, and Hank Green had a few thoughts about humanistic design for MIT graduates. “People are so complex and messy,” he said, “some of you may be tempted to build around them and not for them.” May the same be true of how we choose to lead.
I’ll close with a quote from Oliver Burkeman’s 4,000 Weeks:
Judged by the flawless standards of your imagination, you definitely won't do a good enough job. So you might as well make a start.
Thanks for reading!
jrb