Call Sign Chaos

by Jim Mattis

I had a brilliant admiral from a European nation. He looked and acted every inch the leader, always crisp, intellectually fit, and forceful. Too forceful. He yelled, dressing officers down in front of others, and publicly mocked reports that he considered shallow instead of clarifying what he wanted. He was harsh and inconsiderate toward officers from half a dozen countries. My NATO sergeant major was Czech; my deputies were British and Italian. My personal staff was largely German. All were disturbed by his conduct, and his subordinates were fearful. I called in the admiral and carefully explained why I disapproved of his leadership. “Your staff resents you,” I said. “You’re disappointed in their input. Okay. But your criticism makes that input worse, not better. You’re going the wrong way. You cannot allow your passion for excellence to destroy your compassion for them as human beings.” This was a point I had always driven home to my subordinates. “Change your leadership style.” I continued. “Coach and encourage, don’t berate, least of all in public.” He was one of my finest operational thinkers and I didn’t want to lose him. After our talk, there was no doubt he understood my message, and things were all right for a time. But he soon reverted to demeaning his subordinates. I shouldn’t have been surprised. When for decades you have been rewarded and promoted within your own nation’s service, it’s difficult to break the habits you’ve acquired, regardless of how they may h...

Key Question. Walk us through that. What criteria did you use? What lessons did it reinforce to you? What principles would you share with us about how that intersects with the value of being a SL?