Understanding Similarities in Leadership Across The
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EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP ACROSS DISTINCT INSTITUTIONS: UNDERSTANDING SIMILARITIES IN LEADERSHIP ACROSS THE MILITARY, BUSINESS, AND HIGHER EDUCATION Andrew “Cowboy” Rindler TC660H Plan II Honors Program The University of Texas at Austin December 2, 2016 __________________________________________ Bobby R. Inman, Admiral, U.S. Navy, (Ret.) LBJ School of Public Affairs Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair in National Policy Supervising Professor __________________________________________ Brent Iverson, Ph.D. School of Undergraduate Studies, Dean Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Warren J. and Viola Mae Raymer Professor and Distinguished Teaching Professor Second Reader 0 Abstract Author: Cowboy Rindler Title: Effective Leadership Across Distinct Institutions: Understanding Similarities in Leadership Across the Military, Business, and Higher Education Supervising Professors: Admiral Bobby Inman, Dean Brent Iverson There is currently a trend of former military leaders transitioning into leadership roles in higher education and the corporate world. From an outsiders perspective, the leadership styles needed to be successful in each of these institutions is remarkably different, however, the former military leaders are seeing successes in the new leadership role. This thesis delves deeper into what specific skills and techniques the military teaches that allows the leaders to successfully transition into the new institution. Through a series of interviews with former military leaders who have successfully transitioned into a leadership role in higher education and/or the corporate world, five consistent themes are discovered and analyzed. Within each of these themes, there are many skills and experiences that allow these themes to expand and to transform into tangible methods of leadership that can be applied to all those interested in becoming intentional leaders and improving the teams and organizations that they lead. 1 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisors, Admiral Inman and Dean Iverson, for all of their insight and guidance throughout this process. I would also like to thank all of the great leaders who eagerly participated in the interviews for this thesis. Finally, thank you to my family and friends for their encouragement and support. 2 Table of Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………... 4 Findings…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 17 Leadership is Intentional………………………………………………………….................. 18 Utilize Past Experiences………………………………………………………….................... 23 Consensus & Teamwork………………………………………………………….................... 29 Trust & Transparency…………………………………………………………........................ 31 Empathy…………………………………………………………................................................... 35 Interviews……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 37 General Robles…………………………………………………………....................................... 38 Dr. Tom Rozanski…………………………………………………………................................. 44 Admiral Bobby Inman…………………………………………………………........................ 49 General Tony Cucolo…………………………………………………………........................... 54 General Howard Prince…………………………………………………………..................... 62 Judson Kauffman and Joe Wolfel…………………………………………………………... 69 Captain Dave Swanson…………………………………………………………....................... 75 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………... 78 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 80 Biography………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 82 3 What Is Leadership? Leadership is a term that society tends to overuse. In everyday conversation, people discuss leadership—the importance of being a good leader and the ease of blaming bad leadership for problems that arise within a team or organization. Due to the excessive use of the term, leadership has become very general. Individuals have developed their own definitions of leadership and a true meaning has been lost. In fact, there are over 189,000 book titles on Amazon dealing with leadership. However, there is a reason for the extraordinary number of works on leadership; leadership is extremely relevant and important. Regardless of the organization that an individual is a part of, understanding how to be an effective and intentional leader is an important skill for the head of an organization to understand. In order to succeed as a leader and regularly improve an organization, a leader must understand the difference between what it is to manage versus what it is to lead. A manager works to merely maintain the status quo and to manage his or her subordinates. A leader, on the other hand, challenges the status quo and leads a team of followers to places beyond their own vision. For this thesis, the hypothesis of leadership will be defined by Major General Tony Cucolo as “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.” Forming a Tribe There are many key elements of character that leaders embody on a daily basis, many of which directly correlate to the strength of a leader. Some of these characteristics include selflessness, courage, humility, and empathy, among others 4 (Cucolo 11). The combination of all of these characteristics in a leader allows the leader to form his or her own tribe of followers. A tribe “is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea” (Godin 1). As people, we have an inclination to join a number of tribes as we find leaders who we believe influence and inspire us to do something greater. To form a tribe, all that is necessary is for there to be a shared interest and a way to communicate (Godin 2). Therefore, tribes can range from employees of a company with a common mission statement and a passion for their work to a college football team with the goal of winning the national championship. Tribes surround us and most people are members of multiple tribes. A common characteristic between these tribes is that all members are waiting for a leader to be able to energize and mobilize the tribe to become great. Leaders who embody high moral character will have an easier time formulating a tribe around them. Followers are drawn to generous and authentic leaders rather than selfish leaders who simply look out for their own best interests and use their tribes to only better themselves and improve their own situation (Godin 7). In order for the tribe to see continued success, it needs to have respect for both the leader of the tribe and the members that form the tribe. Many institutions represent tribes. These institutions contain important leaders, who have missions and goals to better enhance the tribe. Three of these institutions include the military, higher education, and the corporate world. Although all three of these institutions vary in their make up and purposes, all three of these institutions are lead by leaders who have goals and believe that they will 5 successfully complete these goals. With all three of these organizations, the more an individual rises through the ranks, whether it be military officer, C suite executive, or Chancellor or President of the University, the more power and influence the individual will have over his or her tribe. One of the reasons that I am choosing to focus on these three diverse institutions is because even though the institutions are inherently different, the leaders at the top of the systems are similar. These leaders “use passion and ideas to lead people, as opposed to using threats and bureaucracy to manage them.” These leaders are “aware of how the organization works,” and this understanding allows the leaders to improve upon their organizations and improve those who follow them (Godin 22). Morale in the Workplace Leading the charge of good workplace morale is an important characteristic of a successful leader. While it can be a daunting task to change the culture of an institution, good leadership can quickly change the climate of an institution (Cucolo 19). There are many theories on how to create positive workplace morale. Giving employees a purpose to their work and avoiding brain-dead jobs is one of the best places to begin. If a leader is constantly giving his or her employees jobs that do not allow for improvement and innovation, how can the leader expect the institution to continue to grow? A leader’s goal should be to inspire and create purpose within the respective organization. Reward those who are not afraid to take risks; embrace these people and motivate others to follow in this behavior (Godin 99). If there is a continuing cycle of mediocrity and a lack of avenues to take risks, the possibility of 6 growth is limited. To avoid this, there needs to be excitement in and throughout the workplace. How can a leader establish excitement and morale throughout the workplace? The first way a leader can inspire workers to come to work everyday excited for the challenge that lies ahead is through building a system of trust between the leader and his followers. As J. Randall Keene remarks in his book A Better Way, it is difficult to “enjoy working with someone I do not trust—or who does not trust me” (Keene 84). A distrustful environment can ruin the climate of the work environment—it will create a toxic environment to progress and passion. There also needs to be a mutual respect shown in order to eliminate “the fear of being ridiculed for taking a chance to offer a new idea” (Keene 85). Now, this is not to say that a leader will tolerate uncalculated risks; however, it is also the responsibility