A Lesson On Leadership

Friday May 4 |

Stanley McChrystal: JOSC Conference (Joint Special Operations Command)

Written by Jennifer Goodman

In last weeks Friducation, before watching an episode of Star Trek, we watched an unedited Conference video of Stanley McChrystal, presenting his take on Leadership and the lessons he has learned as a director of the Joint Special Operations Command. Stanley McChrystal is the CEO of Crosslead, which focuses on how organizations and individuals can operate better. In the conference, he gives wise and accurate opinions on leadership and explains the restructuring of leadership formations. McChrystal also explains his different experiences commanding in the service and how they apply to the business world.

McChrystal first explains how there was a major problem with the way American Organizations were running. He discusses how in the past, we thought we knew the rules of the system of business and politics and how it worked. However, over time things began to evolve and started to move faster, competition began to increase everything became more complex therefore the current way organizations were running wasn’t good enough anymore. However, the American Operating Forces failed on this attempt to persevere and surpass the complexity of the changing systems because even when the inside of an organization is strong, the cohesion can cause a tribal effect and over confidence. Or in other words, stove piped. This results in excluding everyone else that may be crucial to the matter. As a result, a “gap” came into effect and to fill this gap, the Operating forces needed to reach out and bring in other partners in the US Government that carry the necessary capabilities into the task force.  By bringing people together, they had to change the way they operated as McChrystal states, “You got a problem, share it with people, problem solved”.

That is where the JOSC comes in. The JOSC was created to create a “team of teams” and to bring organizations together. After 9-11 America realized that there was a different problem, the world drastically changed after that and for that reason organizations needed to change too. He stated that the JOSC were successful, however they were very narrow-minded to deal with the situation. To fix the narrow mindedness of the organization, and fix the “capability gap” they pulled other organizations together. To do this successfully however, they had to change the way they operated because McChrystal did not command the other organizations and there were potential cultural issues that could arise. There needed to be a solution.

So how was this solution implemented? Through restructuring the traditional hierarchy system of an organization where the highest person at the top and the rest underneath, into a network system by promoting shared consciousness and purpose. “Instead of using the traditional decision making method of the decisions being made with the wisest and most senior, instead they were made with the wisest, and those people were usually closer to the problem” (Stanley McChrystal). In result, there is a shared consciousness and information. This idea was divided into three parts:

1. Design

Demonstrated in the Battle of Trafalgar: Although the leader, Lord Nelson didn’t make it through the battle, he won another way. He won by shaping his force, allowed them to be confident, competent, and able to operate.

2. Execute

Used Mike Blumberg as an excellent example. McChrystal describes how his office where he runs New York City from is not a private office. This is done purposely because it executes the idea that information flows by putting everyone together in one place (Kind of sounds familiar to the way PD’s office is constructed?!)

3. Lead

The leadership aspect is crucial to this notion, as when there is a good strategy, you need an inspirational leader to lead it and give moral courage. For example, the great Martin Luther King, who defined himself as a leader role through those attributes. As Martin Luther said, “You’ve got to mould the consensus of your organization”

He also discussed what works and what doesn’t to further prove the theory of a shared network organization:

Works:

  • Shared Consciousness and Purpose (Where everyone understands the context, not just the superiority)
  • Inclusion and Transparency
  • Team
  • Trust

Doesn’t work:

  • Traditional decision making (hierarchy, too slow, doesn’t output enough information)
  • Information Ownership (Makes CEO more powerful but makes the overall organization weaker: when information is available and accessibility it has more value because people can use it)
  • Organizational equities
  • Command and Control

McChrystal concludes the conference with a compelling thought/ statement,” I don’t think you are born to be a leader, I think you decide to be one”

­ And I couldn’t agree more

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