If a leader wants people to help their teammates exceed expectations - whether it's overtime or sales quotas - those team members must feel strongly connected. That mindset is more common at startups, where the founders are involved and where the culture, for better or for worse, takes root among a small group.īut even the most soulless corporation needs to find ways to build a team culture and bonds among employees at the ground level. In the business world, I've found it's critical to remember that real motivation starts with your immediate team rather than some grandiose mantra or mission statement. We were fighting - and willing to die - for each other. For me and my fellow soldiers, that wasn't the motivation. In Afghanistan, I can't recall a single firefight or patrol where I thought about protecting people back home from would-be terrorists. It's with the team.Īt the risk of being blunt, I'd like to share something. Your heart isn't really with the mission. Related: What Two Years in the Israeli Army Taught Me About Leadership 1. For leaders grappling right now with economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability and AI-accelerated transformation - where the stakes are often exceedingly high - here are five learnings that may be applicable. I'm wary of trivializing my time in uniform by making it an expedient metaphor for the corporate world.īut there are some leadership lessons I carried back to business life that may be more important today than ever. For example, no one should risk an employee's life for the sake of a mission. Looking back, I've concluded that many battlefield lessons are irrelevant or counterproductive to business. How many of the lessons I put in my rucksack, to use Army lingo, translate from the field to the boardroom? That service included a tour of duty with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan. I've also had time to reflect on what I learned about leadership during my eight years in the infantry. Army in 2008 as a captain, I've served on a successful presidential campaign, debated national security in the White House Situation Room, led startups in Silicon Valley and counseled Fortune 500 CEOs through leadership crises.
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