A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the Marine Corps decentralizes decision making via the Rule of Three. I talked a lot about how information moves down the chain of command to those in the trenches, and a few readers reminded me that I glossed over the flow of information from the trenches to […]
General Mattis on the Flow of Information Read More »
Let me tell you a secret about a simple mechanism that the U.S. Marine Corps employs to decentralize decision making. The brilliance of it is in its simplicity, and I do believe it’s mostly a secret. Only once in all my years have I run across anyone who has described what I’m about to describe
How the Marine Corps Decentralizes Decision Making Read More »
Transactional leadership makes me cringe. Transactional leaders focus on title and hierarchy. They search for and crave prestige and authority. It all feels so political, and it’s a real problem for me. You manage things. You lead people. Grace Hopper Maybe it’s quotes like this that began my rub. Or maybe it’s my preference for
Why Transactional Leadership Sucks Read More »
I can’t tell you how many times I heard LinkedIn’s former CEO Jeff Weiner echo these words. Trust is consistency over time. There’s no shortcut for either. It’s great advice whether we’re an aspiring or experienced leader. And I think it’s just as appropriate for coaches. Why? We don’t have this pesky thing called authority,
Trust Is Consistency Over Time Read More »
I find myself saying something often. It’s a thing implicitly taught to me as a Marine, but it wasn’t until years later that I heard it put to words: An organization cannot empower you. You can only empower yourself. Many times, it feels as if we’re waiting for our manager’s permission to explore a new
You Can Only Empower Yourself Read More »
I was getting breakfast with a colleague last week, and we were talking about leadership. Specifically we talked about polish. I told her that I preferred unpolished leaders; she disagreed. For me, it’s examples like General Mattis that come to mind as an excellent and unpolished leader. I had the honor of serving under him
We Need More Unpolished Leaders Read More »
I think every agile team should be viewed as a small startup. When you do so, you can begin viewing senior leadership largely as venture capitalists (VC). They’ll occasionally visit your office, they’ll provide valuable expertise and insights that will help your small company succeed, they’ll paint a vision of your competitive landscape so you
A Simple Model for Better Decision Making Read More »
