Today’s topic is a challenge, and is difficult and everyone has an opinion on it so I actually tend to avoid it as much as possible. But today it’s about leadership. I will start from my own experience and with my own practical view of leadership, but with an increasing knowledge and understanding of the academic aspects of the subject. So with my experience from 17 years in the service, and 22 years within management in the business and 24 years as a guide what is my conclusion then? The absolute best leadership training what so ever have been in the army, nothing cant be compared to that. It is outstanding. You have to practice your learning’s and you will get the feedback immediately.  But the funny thing is that the armed forces cant understand their knowledge practice or understanding of the topic. What I mean with that is you will be a product of the organization. 1. a organization build up of career-shattering individuals with their own driving forces. 2. The best person at the best profession is not always the fact due to all of this. But on the other hand I have never met as much good leaders anywhere else than in the forces.

In the business my experience is that there are so many managers with lack of knowledge how to lead. Lost of the inner compass of moral and ethic stands. They often think that they can’t or shall or even provide there own view of things. And to be honest I even think few even reflect of  there stand in thing they perform and drive in their organization. Hm. ok you might say, but they got payed from the upper management, Shouldn’t they then do what is imposed on them? Leadership is about to take stand and think it trough -what is it good for?! Today many of the middle management (and that is quite all including the higher Management) don’t make stand or  are disinclined to make decisions. So it will be decision at the end in anyway, bur within the organization. To be honest, sometime that is even right, sometimes you need to ” let it go”. But however that must be a well-thought-out meaning to it. 

So we come to the third leg, the leadership for a guide. Oups, now we are stepping into a minefield. To compare it with the two areas above, its like the soldiers or the employees pays you. So who do you now need to be loyal to? You also got rules, laws and regulation to consider. A group with quite differ in experience and knowledge etc. I think you got the point. -this is complex. You can also add if you belongs to an organization (ex, SFLO or UIMLA etc.) you also got your loyalty claim there too. So yes it is complex. But now I going back to the basic your moral ant ethical compass. You must develop this over time. This will be the only silver bullet you will get close to.

Jack Savoretti – Christmas Morning (Official Video)

See ya tomorrow