10 Tweaks for Leadership from the Marines

Earlier this week, I attended The CIO Leadership Event, a conference hosted by The CIO Executive Council and CIO magazine, in Marco Island, FL. The speakers were outstanding and covered topics from transforming for business growth to securing the mobile environment to harvesting value from multi-sourcing strategies. Great stuff!

To get us all in the mood to learn about leadership, General James T. Conway (left), former Commandant of the US Marine Corps, gave a pretty dazzling keynote on “Winning Strategies to Get the Best from Yourself and Your Leadership Team.” The core of his talk focused on “10 Tweaks for Senior Leadership,” which the good General seemed to pull from the top of his head. Thanks to fellow conference-goers Vicky Osejo from Royal Caribbean Cruises and Kevin Dunn from First Command Financial Planning, I am able to recreate the list here.

General Conway's 10 Tweaks for Senior Leadership

1. Always just do the right thing: even if it is harder, more expensive, or unpopular. Do this, and you will never have to cover your tracks.

2. You have to communicate: Talk to your people every day and be sure they understand your vision. Meet with them face to face. Be careful about unintentional non-verbal communication.

3. Remember your friends: Keep ties with your old friends regardless of how successful you get. Keep old relationships strong.

4. Power down: Delegate your authority, train your people, have a succession plan.  
   

5. Keep your head down: Focus on task at hand. Some ambition is good but too much ambition will catch up with you.

6. Avoid the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde syndrome: Be consistent in your character and demeanor. Don’t make your team wonder which “you” is coming to work each day.

7. Have a sense of humor: It keeps work enjoyable.

8. Have a crisis action plan:

• Identify the problem.

• Gather as much information as you can.

• Develop at least three courses of action.

• Analyze those courses of actions.

• Let your people argue the issue and listen.

• Decide.

• Supervise execution.

9. Eat last: Take care of your team before you take care of yourself.

10. Be a patriot: Love your country. Care about things larger than yourself.