Radical Inclusion: What the Post-9/11 World Should Have Taught Us About Leadership

by Martin E. Dempsey

Define and allow others to understand who you are. Leaders at every level must understand who they are individually and within the larger vision of the organization. In describing this, Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of Duke University’s men’s basketball team, notes that he doesn’t want his talented athletes to “leave their egos at the door of the gymnasium.” He wants them to bring their egos in and learn to use them not just for themselves but for the team. Coach K is right. As leaders we should blend egos, not eliminate them. The knowledge of where you fit in the organization gives you strength, aligns your values, and encourages you to lead. The drive, passion, and energy you feel should be worn on your sleeve each day to model desirable behavior and as evidence of how one’s individual purpose can coexist with the overall vision of the organization. 2. Make each individual feel that they have the potential to be a better person. By allowing your subordinates room to grow and fostering collaboration among team members, you encourage the entire team to use their work as a vehicle to the benefit of themselves and the organization. Moreover, if you can be a leader whom others want to emulate, your subordinates will understand what it means to be better people. General Dempsey was fond of telling his colonels, “If your subordinates don’t want to grow up to be you someday, you’re not doing your job.” 3. Make sense of things for the team. It is the leader’s responsibility to inst...