Military vs. Corporate leadership

This is a pretty powerful article that discusses why leadership in the military is different that leadership in corporate America. The big take-away? Sacrifice.

 

Military leaders put their team before themselves and the welfare of the team comes first. By showing service toward his followers, the leader establishes a feeling of trust and camaraderie amongst the group. When things are getting tough, they know that their leader has their back, and they have his (hers). 

 

In corporate America, too much stress is placed on competition among the team that leads to distrust, infighting and politics. When this happens, leadership has been ineffective. It has created a culture that detracts from the purpose of the group/department/organization and erodes trust. In this dog-eat-dog culture, the strongest, most manipulative survive and the cycle continues.

 

To truly become a leader means to stand in front of your team and take the hits. You are the one they are counting on to have their back and their best interests in mind. If you can’t do that, then don’t expect them to have yours.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-managers-act-like-military-leaders-2015-8?nr_email_referer=1&utm_content=BISelect&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=BI%20Select%20%28Wednesday%20Friday%29%202015-08-14&utm_term=Business%20Insider%20Select