The military can be a great leadership example, yet in these days of engagement we need to be extremely careful that we are not treating our team as “troops” as they will soon feel that rank is important and that “the troops” are the ones that are assigned the dirty work and carry the can if things go wrong.
If we are mindful of above and focus on the positives that Military Leadership offers then we can learn a lot about gaining respect and trust. One such example is the US Army Rangers.
David Hart a professional speaker in the US is a former Army Ranger. I have heard him speak on leadership within the Army Rangers.
“The USA Army Rangers have avery strict code of leading by example. In fact, the official Ranger Motto is “Ranger Lead The Way”. Distilled down to its most simple explanation…if a duty is pleasant, like chow time or sleep, a Ranger Non Commissioned Officer ALWAYS allows his subordinates to partake first, no matter how hungry or tired they might be, they always put their troops first.
If an assigment is undesireable or just plain sucks, like wading into a chest deep ice cold stream carrying a heavy load, the Ranger ALWAYS goes first.
In this manner you lead by example and your actions speak louder than words. I remember doing many push ups with a subordinate I was disciplining. That was a direct reflection on my leadership so I should accept the consequences with him.” David Hart
The message is about being prepared to be a true leader; true leaders create “followership” as they are prepared to show the way. It does not mean that you shy away from “courageous conversations”…….These are essential to develop and grow people.
As Rick Charlesworth, an Australian speaker and highly successful Hockey Coach said…….”Some people would rather be ruined by praise than rescued by criticism”.
Leading by example builds trust and respect……..Are you “walking the walk” or “talking the talk”??
It is very sad to see the results of Worldwide Engagement Surveys…..Stating less than 30% of employees are actively engaged……This costs businesses $Billions.
I have developed an Engagement Survey on my website www.engage4results.com if you are running a business and have not put engagement practices in place I would love to have a chat with you about employee engagement. I guarantee you will be amazed at how easy it is to lift engagement and results dramatically by a focus on some simple proven strategies!
Best wishes,
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