the process of influencing others in order to gain their willing consent in the ethical pursuit of missions
— leadership definition from the ‘Royal Australian Navy Leadership Ethic’
The quote above is the leadership definition used by the Royal Australian Navy. I will refer to it frequently in my writings on leadership as there is alot to like, analyse and reflect on but in some ways because of this it is slightly esoteric and not quite as impactful as one might want.
Recently I was at a talk given by a very senior naval officer and he recounted a story from which the quote at the top of this post comes from. He had asked a school boy who had just been presented the annual leadership award at his sports team what he had done to be honoured with the award, he replied….
leadership is easy, don’t be a dick
anon
It might seem rather odd to commence my leadership musings with a statement like this. But it can’t be said that this is in anyway esoteric, inaccessible or lacking in impact.
I also like this quote as it reminds us that being a great leader is not rocket science and most of the time we, deep down, know what the right course of action is but choose the easy or expedient path instead of the right one.
That being said I intend to talk at length on how the military leadership ethos can be effectively applied to business scenarios and everyday life.
More to come, that is all
Dickie
1 Comment.
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.