Most organisations say leadership matters, but many are just guessing. We promote based on length of service, confuse being “in charge” with being a leader, and create cultures where capable people are too afraid to speak up.
The military, however, has spent decades perfecting the art of building instant trust and providing the clarity needed for independent action.
In this thoughtful debate, Royal Air Force veteran James Hardie and 32-year US Army veteran Major General (Ret) Matt Smith join Danny on the Truth, Lies and Work Podcast explore what civilian organisations can learn from the military (and, perhaps, vice versa) and its application in business.
We’ll also discuss James’ research into veteran transitioning into the workplace and Danny’s Constellation research, which asks who leads when the leader isn’t in the room.
Matt’s experience and work as the head of the Master in Business for Veterans programme at Emory University brings applied academic and lived Army experience to the table, in what was an insightful discussion about an established, centuries-old philosophy: Mission Command.
In Constellation: Leadership reimagined for a connected age, Danny discusses this and includes a case study from the British Army.
This study details the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, where the military responded not only to the medical emergency, but to the spread of misinformation, supporting local authority services, and the wellbeing of its own service people.
