One of the biggest killers of success as The Boss is EGO.
Recently, I read the book (and watched the DVD) Band of Brothers. It chronicles Easy Company of the 101stAirborne Division as they trained for battle and then fought in Europe from 1944-1945. Their very first commanding officer, Captain Sobel, was an incompetent moron. He demonstrated his lack of skill in early maneuvers leading his men to remark that they would shoot him in the back as soon as they experienced their first real fight. Fortunately, he was reassigned before D-Day.
I also listened to a great podcast where a member of the Green Berets, serving secretly in Laos and Cambodia near the end of the Viet Nam war, talked about his experiences. He was ordered by a senior officer at HQ to carry a cumbersome and useless navigation instrument. This meant he could carry less ammunition. As soon as his squad encountered enemy fire, he blew it up with a grenade and helped his team repel the enemy attack. Upon hearing about it, the officer charged him and was going to court martial him. By the way, that officer had never been in the field and had no idea how dangerous the conditions were. Fortunately, the Green Beret had only two weeks left in the Army so he managed to avoid punishment.
Sadly, I could add my own stories of the incompetence I experienced from my Navy days. I’ll save them for some of my talks instead. The one common thread in every story of incompetence from both military and civilian failures is the prevalence of EGO.
So here’s my suggestion: When you reach your level of incompetence, STOP DOING WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING and ADMIT IT
I know that’s counterintuitive. After all, The Boss is expected to know everything but I’m telling you that’s impossible. Fortunately, if you’re a great Boss and have been developing your team, somebody probably has an answer. If they don’t, seek the answer from others and don’t let your EGO prevent you from asking.
So the lesson is: You Don’t Know Every Damned Thing There Is To KnowAbout Everything. Now that you know it, seek the answers. Chase the wisdom. Ask for help.
Your team and your organization’s success depends on your ability to quell the EGO and get the right answers.
