Lessons in Leadership from the Military

Are you a risk taker?


Are you a leader?

Can you be one without the other?

Today I read a great article on this topic - I highly recommend you read it too. Generally, society recognizes that when the chips are down, soldiers in the military shoulder an amazing responsibility to stand on the front lines of our country and our freedom. They have, are, and will take risks that most of us will never fully appreciate. But what we can grasp is some insight from their example on how to realize success by facing inherent risk.

Col. Eric G. Kail suggests that there are some lessons from military life that can be carried over to any profession; he outlines them as follows:

First, not everyone is prepared to lead in risky environments. Second, as leaders who are assessing risks, we need to have skin in the game; otherwise we are only pretending to lead. Third, character matters just as much as any knowledge or skills acquired from training and education. 



Flickr photo by abdallah



I couldn't agree more. In my line of work I engage with business owners and teams that are striving to set the standard of excellence in their industry. These are amazing people who are prepared to take risks, who have their hearts set on success, and who have characters that are not only beyond reproach, but set a standard for others to aspire to. They are truly great leaders.

I am grateful every day for the men and women who selflessly built the nation in which I live, and for the those who continue to lead. I will proudly celebrate the national holiday that pays tribute to the greatness of our country - built by the greatness of our people.

A BFO!

Quick, powerful, and enlightening - a "blinding flash of the obvious" (BFO) makes us feel instantly more intelligent. And we always wonder why we didn't see it before.

These moments of sudden inspiration are priceless - when they happen, take another moment to write down what just came together in your mind. In most cases, your actions or behavior are directly influenced by the BFO and you can't afford to forget it.

As a business coach, I see business owners experience BFOs when they change the way they view their business. It's part of my job to assist business owners in repositioning their mindset. Changing their point of reference shifts their perception and reveals aspects of their business that were previously obscured. The old adage that numbers do not lie remains in force; in fact, the right numbers can provide amazing clarity on the reality and success of a business and business owner. Discussing possibilities, probabilities, problems and profits in light of goals, strategy and satisfaction can reveal connections and contingencies not perceived beforehand. They were there; they appeared when we worked together to cross-examine the chassis of business and apply it to a particular endeavour. At ActionCOACH, we work to illuminate these business blind spots.

What was your most recent BFO? What were you doing when the dots suddenly connected? And did you write it down?