Veteran failures highlight critical traits for leaders

Some of the greatest leadership lessons come from war.

Capitalists like to draw analogies to battle. The “in the arena” meme that recently trended for a month is evidence of that, and we’ve all seen the endless quotes of “The Art of War.” At the end of the day, though, if your company fails, you live to fight another day. But we can still look to the leadership of our military heroes for lessons. 

I love our country, despite its flaws. I didn’t serve, but am so grateful to those who did. I’ve spent much of the last few years studying the battles of the revolutionary war, the world wars, and our nation’s battles in the middle east. Today, I want to draw some parallels and surprising lessons I’ve learned about in my reading. 

The most famous failure of our country? George Washington.

Meet the face of a failure: George Washington.

As a military leader, Washington participated in several battles before the Revolutionary War that made him famous, but today, few talk about the losses. 

1754 — Washington led a British militia to the Ohio River Valley to combat the French and their Native American allies. The French were victorious in the Battle of Fort Necessity, forcing Washington to sign a surrender agreement that ceded much of the Ohio River Valley to the French. 

1755 — Washington was part of a British force that was defeated by the French and their Native American allies at the Battle of Monongahela. Washington was only able to retreat with a small fraction of the troops, as most of them were killed or captured. 

1758 — Washington was again defeated at the Battle of Fort Duquesne, as the British forces he was leading were unable to overcome the French defenders. 

Despite these losses, Washington would go on to be one of the most successful military leaders in the Revolutionary War, leading the Continental Army to victory in several battles. 

Washington’s challenging battles & their losses

• Battle of Great Meadows (1754): Washington surrendered his forces, and lost ~40 soldiers.

• Battle of Fort Duquesne (1758): Washington and his troops were forced to retreat, and he lost about 400 soldiers.

• Battle of Monongahela (1755): Washington was defeated in this battle, and he lost around 400 soldiers.

• Battle of Brooklyn (1776): Washington lost, and 2,500 soldiers died.

• Battle of Germantown (1777): Washington didn’t lose outright, but achieved mixed results and lost 600 soldiers.

• Battle of Brandywine (1777): Washington was defeated, and 1,000 soldiers were lost.

• Battle of White Marsh (1777): A defensive battle neither won nor lost, but 300 soldiers died.

• Battle of Monmouth (1778): A contested battle that was a sloppy win, but 300 soldiers died.

• Battle of Camden (1780): Washington wasn’t directly involved in this battle, but his troops lost 1,000 soldiers.

• Siege of Yorktown (1781): Washington won this battle, which was a turning point for the war and the last major engagement. 200 soldiers were still lost.

My 6th great grandfather fought alongside George Washington at Monmouth, Brandywine and Germantown. 

The losses are what made Washington a great leader

Despite his losses, Washington had five character traits that stemmed from his defeats. 

Resilience: Washington displayed remarkable resilience in the face of setbacks and losses, such as the Battle of Brooklyn and the famed harsh winter at Valley Forge. He maintained his commitment to the American cause, even when the odds seemed stacked against him and congress had failed to provide the necessary funding. 

Adaptability: Washington was adept at adapting to adversity. He adjusted his tactics and strategies after losses, demonstrating a willingness to experiment and find new approaches. 

Strategic Vision: Washington had a long-term strategic vision for the American Revolution. Despite temporary defeats, he remained focused on the ultimate goal of achieving American independence, and he made decisions that aligned with this overarching objective. He stayed above the fray of the politics that nipped at his reputation. 

Inspiration: Washington's personal courage and steadfast demeanor inspired troops. His ability to lead by example, sharing the hardships and dangers faced by his soldiers, earned him the respect and loyalty of his men even in the most challenging times.

Respect for Civilian Authority: One of Washington's enduring legacies was his commitment to the principle of civilian control over the military. He voluntarily resigned his commission as commander-in-chief after the war, setting a precedent for peaceful transitions of power in the new United States.

A personal hero

Another great war hero comes to mind for me this weekend—this one a bit more modern. My great uncle was a war hero and after 33 months as a prisoner of war, he did something incredible. 

This uncle, John Luttrell, wrote one of the best books I read last year. It spans his 25 year military career and documents tales from his service in a very plain spoken, Eastern Kentucky fashion.

A few highlights:

• Saving a ship: John saved an entire cargo ship after leaving Australia one morning. A submarine was pummeling the cargo ship, and the ship's own guns could not reach the submarine. From his ship, he took 3 shots and the third shot sank the sub.

• Serving under celebrity: He was in the Navy and served under a Conrad Hilton, who he notes was a gentleman who had not put in much time at sea. I haven't confirmed this yet, but the Conrad Hilton, Jr. did join the Navy around this time, and would have likely been an officer with little experience.

• Kamikaze kabash: He fought off kamikazes diving at US merchant ships. In one tale, a kamikaze had broken through the first line of defense and through the Air Force and was circling his warship. As it dove to crash his ship, he fired upon it with a 20 millimeter cannon. The plane flew so close to him that he could see the pilot slumped over as it flew past, crashing a mere 70 yards away.
  
  The fear from this moment was so intense, much of his hair turned gray in the young man's mane, and the gray hair fell out within days. The soldiers he saved bought him endless drinks, despite being younger than 21.

• Honorably Discharged: John was honorably discharged from the Navy, but returned to the 101st Airborne Division.

• Sniper battle: John was manning a .50 caliber when an assistant reported a sniper firing at them. He exchanged fire with the North Korean sniper, realizing afterwards he (John) had been shot—a bullet grazed his nose and exploded behind him during the gunfight.

• POW: John was ultimately captured and survived being a POW for nearly 3 years, seeing 1600 captured men die and tossed over a hillside into a grave by the Chinese army. 

When the American POWs were finally released in a prisoner exchange, rumblings from those captured made it up the ranks:

“John Luttrell saved me.”

John had become the de facto leader among the captured because he fearlessly refused to allow the Chinese to break his spirits, even when they ground a pistol between his eyes.

When leadership asked John about it, he humbly said he felt some men did not have a code of conduct in mind, leading to them being brainwashed. When he realized what was happening, he began coaching his fellow POWs on how to stay strong.

John was asked to craft a Code of Conduct for POWs, which was adopted & published in 1953 & taught to military servicemen and women. When John crafted this book 50 years later, the Code of Conduct was still in use.

John operated with many of the traits we see in Washington. In both of their actions, I see that these traits are directly applicable in the business arena today. 

Great leaders need these traits:

Resilience. How you handle the losses as a War-Time CEO/leader says more about you than your actions in peacetime. Washington’s leadership was formed by his losses. John’s will to survive went viral among his troops, saving lives in the worst of times. 

Adaptability: If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that things may not (and probably won’t) go as planned. Leaders must be ready to adapt to changing markets, consumer behaviors and supply chains. Both John and Washington adapted in the heat of battle to find a way to win and survive. 

Strategic Vision: Leaders who can get a team onboard with the vision win more than those who lead with charisma alone. Jim Collins’ books prove this out time and time again with public data on companies that have faced adversity. John’s vision for a standard his fellow POWs could follow saved lives. Washington’s vision of what they were fighting for instilled resolve in his troops. 

Inspiration: Teams respect a leader who can roll up their sleeves. John once had a pistol held to his head by his captors, and kept his resolve. He led by example. There are many moments in Washington’s career where he did the same. 

Respect: Great leaders manage bottom up, not top down. Empower your team to make decisions and to act with autonomy and agency. A great leader’s team will continue to perform even if they’re taken out of the picture. Both Washington and John respected their fellow soldiers, putting them in charge of their own actions, yet still operating under the vision. 

Today, I truly intend to honor those who served

I have been guilty of saying war-esque calls to my team, but here’s the truth—I’m not on a real battlefield.

If it all goes belly up tomorrow, I will live to fight another day. 

I have the privilege of chasing my dream because of our armed service men and women. 

I am grateful to the service of John Luttrell, and others in my family who have served. I'm grateful to those of you reading this, many of whom I call friend, for your service.

I know America has its problems, but this is still the best country in the world and it's because of the sacrifice that came well before today.

To our veterans, I salute you. 

To you leaders, the least we can do is learn from those who came before us. 

Some of my favorite books on war:

“Alexander Hamilton” - by Ron Chernow
“Extreme Ownership” - by Jocko Willimk & Leif Babin
“The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” - by William L. Shirer
“Beyond Band of Brothers” - by Dick Winters
“I saw the Elephant” - by John Luttrell

Who I’m listening to: “Dress Blues” by Jason Isbell

What I’m reading: American Moonshot: JFK and the Great Space Race

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