Key Takeaways
1. The Digital Echo Makes Facts Vulnerable and Narratives Powerful
As competing narratives vie to present a picture of the world, we will have a harder time determining what’s real and accurate.
Facts are vulnerable. In today's digital age, information spreads rapidly but often becomes distorted, creating a "digital echo" where truth is hard to discern. This phenomenon can lead to widespread misinformation, as seen in the Berkeley protests where conflicting, unverified narratives about who caused the violence gained traction. Leaders, like the police in Berkeley, can be misled by seemingly legitimate but ultimately flawed information.
Narratives dominate. The world is shifting from debates about verifiable facts to battles of compelling narratives. Unlike facts, which require expert validation, narratives gain power simply by spreading and being interesting, not necessarily accurate. Ori Brafman's "McVegan" campaign, a parody of McDonald's, succeeded not by disproving the fast-food giant but by creating a positive, inclusive, and fun narrative around veganism that resonated emotionally and spread organically.
Inclusion is imperative. To navigate this environment, leaders need inclusion to gain better information and communicate effectively. When facts are unreliable, leveraging diverse voices and perspectives provides the best chance of understanding reality and crafting a winning narrative. The "coal-rolling" phenomenon, where truck drivers targeted Priuses, demonstrated how a negative narrative could harm a brand, highlighting the need for inclusive strategies to counter such forces.
2. The Cost of Control Blinds Leaders to Crucial Surprises
The real danger in battle and in business “wars” is that you may be convinced you have a clear picture when you don’t actually understand what you’re seeing.
Control creates blindness. Organizations, like the human brain, need "surprise neurons" to detect anomalies. However, leaders often exert excessive control, sifting through vast amounts of data themselves, which can paradoxically blind them to small but crucial deviations from the norm. This over-reliance on centralized control prevents the organization from leveraging insights from its periphery.
The "Ace" phenomenon. High-status individuals ("the Ace" in a card game analogy) are often shielded from negative feedback or uncomfortable truths by subordinates who fear repercussions or seek favor. This creates an echo chamber where leaders believe everything is fine, while critical problems fester unnoticed at lower levels.
- Subordinates have incentives to lie or remain silent.
- Leaders become out of touch with ground-level realities.
- Crucial information is withheld or ignored.
Empower "surprise neurons." The Albert Einstein Medical Center's success in reducing MRSA infections by listening to Jasper, a janitor who noticed a shortage of extra-small gloves, exemplifies the power of empowering organizational "surprise neurons." Leaders must create mechanisms for individuals at all levels to voice observations and concerns, delegating the task of noticing anomalies to those closest to the action.
3. Belonging is a Fundamental Human Need, Not an Option
When people lack a sense of belonging, they instinctively seek it in unhealthy ways that may be destructive to your organization.
A core human drive. Belonging is a deep-seated psychological need, rooted in our evolutionary past, providing identity, security, and order. It motivates individuals to set aside personal interests for the group's benefit, as seen in a mother's sacrifice for her children or a soldier's loyalty to comrades. This sense of connection is vital for human health and happiness.
Exclusion causes harm. Research shows that social exclusion activates the same brain regions as physical pain, hinders cognitive processes, and can even shorten lifespan, comparable to the health risks of smoking. In the digital age, while technology offers endless pathways to connection, it can also foster fleeting, superficial ties and disinhibited, aversive social behaviors, ironically leading to a stronger attachment to group identity over personal identity in online forums.
Leaders must cultivate belonging. In a world where traditional community ties are eroding and digital avenues offer both positive and negative forms of belonging, leaders have a critical responsibility to create authentic, positive belonging within their organizations. Failure to do so risks subordinates seeking connection in competing or destructive causes, undermining organizational goals and individual well-being.
4. Leaders Must Create Meaningful Memories for Their Teams
Give them memories, or someone else will.
Invest in experiences. Leaders, despite their busy schedules, must prioritize creating meaningful experiences for their followers. These "memories" are tangible ways to communicate care and foster a sense of belonging, reinforcing commitment to the organization. This involves investing the leader's most precious resource: time.
Diverse memory types. Effective leaders provide opportunities for subordinates to build memories around a spectrum of experiences:
- Successes: Understanding how individual contributions led to team and organizational goals.
- Failures: Learning from mistakes, coping with setbacks, and adapting for future challenges.
- Being cared for: Reinforcing purpose and safety through genuine concern for individuals.
- Doing right/wrong: Navigating ethical dilemmas and understanding the consequences of actions.
The Sister Mary Cecilia effect. General Dempsey's encounter with Sister Mary Cecilia, who challenged him to never give up on his "unruly" soldiers, taught him the profound impact of valuing every team member. This principle, exemplified by his later reunion with Master Sergeant Greg Vincent, underscores that providing positive, formative memories instills loyalty and commitment, ensuring individuals feel valued and part of something larger.
5. Connect Individual Effort to a Greater Purpose to Make It Matter
We all want to believe that what we do matters.
Sense-making is leadership. A primary responsibility of leaders is to act as "sense makers," helping followers understand how their individual contributions align with the organization's broader accomplishments and purpose. This deliberate and frequent communication of relevance inspires commitment and ensures that everyone feels their work makes a difference.
Shared but unequal responsibility. While individuals should strive to find meaning in their work, the greater burden lies with the leader to explain, encourage, and inspire. General Dempsey's "Make it matter" mantra, born from the tragic losses in Iraq, became a powerful call to action for his soldiers, urging them to ensure their sacrifices had lasting significance.
- Define who you are: Leaders must understand their own role and purpose within the organization.
- Foster personal growth: Encourage subordinates to use their work as a vehicle for self-improvement.
- Make sense for the team: Clearly articulate the team's goals and how individual efforts contribute.
The "one thing" principle. When General Dempsey took command of the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment, he challenged his team to identify their "one thing" – their core mission. By defining "We are all scouts" and focusing on mastering "Movement to Contact," he provided a clear purpose that made every role, from mechanic to cook, feel essential to the regiment's success, aligning individual efforts with a shared, meaningful goal.
6. Cultivate Imagination to Solve Unprecedented and Complex Problems
Imagination is a learned attribute.
Beyond experience. In a rapidly changing world, relying solely on past experience or established procedures is insufficient. Leaders must cultivate imagination – a blend of training, experience, and instinct – to anticipate future challenges and creatively devise solutions for problems they've never encountered. This means actively seeking what's not being thought about.
Learning to imagine involves:
- Active listening: Seeking insights from the most junior members and weak signals.
- Challenging assumptions: Questioning established beliefs and avoiding complacency.
- Diverse counsel: Surrounding oneself with advisers who challenge and surprise.
- Connecting disparate thoughts: Finding patterns and solutions in seemingly unrelated areas.
Proactive problem-solving. General Dempsey's foresight during the Ebola crisis exemplifies learned imagination. Anticipating the military's potential role before the crisis escalated, he convened experts and planned how the military's unique capabilities (coordination, logistics, training) could be applied, even though it wasn't a traditional military mission. This proactive approach allowed for a swift, effective, and limited intervention without compromising other commitments.
7. Develop a Bias for Action to Prevent Decision Paralysis
A bias for action is a leadership instinct based on the belief that in order to decide, you must learn, and in order to learn, you must alter the status quo.
The Red Queen effect. In today's fast-evolving environment, constant adaptation is necessary just to maintain position, let alone advance. Leaders cannot afford to be paralyzed by the endless pursuit of perfect information or options. A "bias for action" recognizes that learning is an active, iterative process: act, assess, and then act again.
Overcoming inertia. Faced with a deluge of data and rapidly changing technology, the temptation is to halt motion and analyze endlessly. However, prolonged inaction allows the environment to adapt, making the problem even harder to solve. Leaders must act quickly and intelligently, even without complete information, to influence outcomes before they spiral out of control.
Dempsey's Baghdad decision. In 2004, during a critical handover in Baghdad, General Dempsey faced an unexpected uprising. Despite the political sensitivity and lack of official orders, he and his deputies made the bold decision to halt redeployment and regroup forces. This proactive "bias for action," based on their assessment of risk and the need to regain initiative, allowed them to quickly re-engage and stabilize the situation, demonstrating that decisive action, even in uncertainty, can prevent catastrophic outcomes.
8. Co-create Context by Harvesting Knowledge from All Organizational Levels
An understanding of context is best achieved when there is collaboration at every level of the organization.
Context informs decisions. Every decision is made within a specific context, leading to ripple effects. A thorough understanding of this context is crucial for making better decisions and anticipating second- and third-order consequences. This understanding is not solely the purview of senior leaders but must be a collaborative effort across the entire organization.
Beyond "pulling" information. Traditionally, senior leaders "pull" information through formal channels, often focusing on potential problems. However, a more effective approach involves encouraging individuals at all levels to proactively share not just what leaders want to know, but what they need to know, including missed opportunities. This "co-creation of context" leverages the diverse perspectives throughout the organization.
The Impossible Burger example. Impossible Foods, aiming to disrupt the meat industry, didn't just create a better veggie burger; they co-created its context. By launching in upscale restaurants and allowing chefs to personalize its preparation, they positioned it as a gourmet alternative for meat-eaters, not just vegetarians. This strategy, leveraging external "influencers" to shape perception, demonstrates how distributed collaboration can redefine a product's market and appeal.
9. Relinquish Control Purposefully to Build and Sustain True Power
Real power is measured not in degree of control but rather in the ability to find optimum, affordable, enduring solutions to complex problems.
Control is a liability. In the era of digital echoes and heightened scrutiny, absolute dominance and concentrated control are costly and unsustainable. While control offers a perception of power, it often leads to narrow, suboptimal, and fragile solutions. Leaders must recognize that clinging to control in a complex, rapidly changing world can be detrimental to long-term effectiveness and sustainability.
Power through sharing. Sustainable power comes from a willingness to purposefully relinquish control, allowing it to flow into the capable hands of team members and partners. This isn't about ceding all authority but about strategically sharing control to achieve optimal, affordable, and enduring solutions. The energy sector, facing "democratization of electricity," is learning to empower customers and embrace technology partners to design sustainable energy experiences, rather than fighting the trend.
The "advise; they decide" approach. General Dempsey's strategy against ISIS, informed by Crown Prince Abdullah's advice to "not alter the face of Islam," advocated for a support role rather than direct control. By providing limited resources (air power, intelligence, training) and letting regional partners lead their own campaign, the U.S. aimed for a more enduring solution, fostering ownership and accountability. This approach, though slower, builds sustainable power through genuine inclusion and shared responsibility.
10. The Leadership Instincts: Listen, Amplify, and Include
Listen to learn. Listen to make it clear to those who follow that you value their insights, their judgments, and their advice.
Listen to learn. Effective leaders cultivate the instinct to listen intently, not just to hear, but to truly understand. This involves valuing subordinates' insights, discerning weak signals of success or failure, and being open to having one's mind changed. General Dempsey's "listening tour" before rescinding "don't ask, don't tell" exemplifies how deep listening informs policy and builds trust.
Amplify to establish expectations. Leaders must amplify the best ideas, practices, and values throughout the organization. This means sharing credit, championing successes, and clearly defining the "white lines" within which subordinates can innovate. By highlighting positive examples, leaders reinforce desired behaviors and create a common vocabulary for what is expected, fostering creative friction and alignment.
Include to empower. Inclusion goes beyond mere presence; it's about empowering members to share knowledge, co-create understanding, and take ownership of solutions. This inspires loyalty and builds a climate of trust. General Dempsey's approach with the Joint Chiefs, valuing diverse thinking and encouraging cross-service learning, demonstrates how inclusion empowers a collective to achieve objectives more effectively.
11. Trust, Earned Early and Often, is the Foundation of Inclusion
The essence of leadership is building trust.
The bedrock of leadership. Trust is not a given; it is built over time through consistent actions and genuine respect. Sergeant Major Bernie Henderson's silver dollar, returned to General Dempsey years later, symbolized the profound impact of earning a subordinate's trust. This trust empowers individuals and enables leaders to effectively guide their teams through challenges.
Inclusion fosters trust. Trust begins with inclusion. When leaders genuinely value the contributions of every team member, regardless of rank or background, they cultivate an environment where individuals feel safe to contribute and collaborate. General Dempsey's experience with his fragmented platoon in Germany, and later his "We are all scouts" mantra for his cavalry regiment, showed how making everyone feel included was the necessary first step to building a cohesive, trusting unit.
Transparency in action. In a decentralized and transparent world, trust is paramount. Leaders must be willing to share information, even difficult news, directly with their teams and their families, as Dempsey did during the Baghdad extension. This transparency, coupled with a commitment to valuing individual contributions and fostering collective purpose, allows leaders to build the deep trust necessary for radical inclusion to thrive, enabling teams to accomplish almost anything.
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