Leadership is inherently difficult. It requires tactical nuance, dedicated attention to your team members, and a never ending desire to improve. Countless books have been written on the subject and many more are destined to follow. What makes this one unique is that it was written by two men who learned leadership in the fire and chaos of war.
Although this book is called The Dichotomy of Leadership, it is really about the dichotomies of life. There is a balance to everything in life, and through the lens of leadership, we can study some important aspects of it. Like when to be aggressive and when to be cautious, or when to be resolute and when to be flexible. The dichotomies are complex, but the lesson is simple. All leadership qualities exist on a scale and it is the leader’s job to determine where on the scale he should place his response to any given situation. Every decision made is unique to its context and none should be passed over lightly. The details are always important, especially in war, where lives are literally at risk. What better way to learn leadership (or anything, really) then with the highest of stakes?
An important point not expressly stated in the book, but intrinsically alluded to, is that there are no steadfast rules. This may come as a surprise seeing as this book was written by military men, and the military is known for its Standard Operating Procedures, but the knowledge between the written lines is clear. In nearly any and every capacity, in both leadership and not, rules should be interpreted more as guidelines. What is imperative, is the knowledge as to why the rule is in place. Only then can you understand when it is appropriate, even necessary, to break it. For example, the military has a specific method for entering and ‘clearing’ a house of enemies. Why is this important? So that nobody gets killed. However, if the leader goes right along with the train of men, then he may find himself stuck in one room while the action is suddenly taking place in another. How is he going to make a decision to help his team if he isn’t present? In this situation, the leader must break the rules of formation and go help his squad. His ability to improvise in the moment is critical. For another example, take a company that utilizes a large force of sales callers. They are all expected to memorize a script in order to funnel their prospective buyers towards a purchase. Why is this important? So the company makes sales and earns a profit (and also so the individual sales callers earn their commissions.) But what if the buyer on the line makes a joke and the conversation takes an unexpected turn? The rules would say that the representative should pull the reins back to the script. Anyone who actually does the job will tell you the connection to the buyer is the most important thing, and would perhaps respond with a joke of their own and allow the conversation to meander off script for a while. Again, the ability to improvise in the moment in imperative. The lesson is that no two scenarios in life are ever the same, regardless of whether you’re on the battlefield, in the office, or anywhere else. It makes sense then, that every situation should be handled differently. It is therefore important to learn the rules, follow them, and yet also know when to deviate in order to achieve the desired success. This is the true dichotomy of leadership, and, in essence, the most important dichotomy of life.
Another significant take away from this book was the importance of humility in a leader. In his chapter on humility, Leif writes: “Leaders must be humble enough to listen to new ideas, willing to learn strategic insights, and open to implementing new and better tactics and strategies. But a leader must also be ready to stand firm when there are clearly unintended consequences that negatively impact the mission and risk harm to the team.” Another leader I am quite fond of, famous for his humility, comes to mind. That man is George Washington, one of the most historically respected leaders in history. Ego is indeed the enemy (just ask Ryan Holiday) and everyone, leader or not, needs to keep theirs in check. Many of the ‘rules’ in this book are similar in that they are applicable to all people, not necessarily just those in leadership positions. Although being humble makes for a good leader, it also makes for a good individual. Any person who can take criticism constructively and work to better themselves is a person of strong moral character.
The only part of this book that frustrated me was their purposeful redactions. Due to their desire to keep specific companies anonymous, a lot of details are left out and banal words like “company” and “procedure” are used to nauseating boredom. I appreciate wanting to respect privacy, but I think in this instance it came at the cost of being interesting. The details are what make a story pop! Of course, these guys aren’t writing a story – they are relaying information. And for that purpose, this book is exquisite.
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