,

Be Like Water: Where To Begin With Leadership?

,

Ask 10 different people their definition of leadership and you will likely get 10 different answers.  There are literally thousands of books on the subject with hundreds of books on leadership theory because there is no simple answer. Too much depends on the people and the circumstances involved. All we can say for sure is that leadership involves a person influencing or directing at least one other person to accomplish something. That covers a lot, which may help to explain why there are so many books on the subject.  Anyone who tells you that there is one way or best way to lead is likely not a practitioner. There is no book of leadership recipes that says in circumstance x, with people y, do z and all will be well. 

The great martial artist Bruce Lee put it this way: “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.  Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” The most successful leaders over time are those who can adapt like water, but there are also exceptions; leaders who happened to have the ideal temperament and leadership skill set to be highly effective in a time of crisis.  Difficulty can follow these types of leaders when the situation is resolved and they lack the leadership acumen to adapt their style to be effective in the post-crisis environment.

Situations are fluid and people are complicated.  Those who embark on a leadership journey are well-advised to cultivate the competencies necessary to address a broad range of circumstances and lead many different types of people.  After returning home from a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan where I led a team comprised of Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, and civilian contractors, one of my team members reached out to me saying, “You know, I admire how you led our team, so I tried to figure out your leadership style.  I couldn’t.  Sometimes you were directive, other times you were inclusive.  In some situations, you were hands on and in other cases you delegated and left us to figure things out.  I don’t know how you did what you did but it worked.” My leadership success in that environment wasn’t an accident, it was the result of 18 years of active and conscious practice filled with triumphs, failures, and thousands of hours of reflection.  I tailored my leadership approach in accordance with my assessment of the individuals and the situation at hand.

While everyone can develop leadership skills, not everyone can or will be a great leader.  Every person has their strengths and limitations. Some people are not well-suited to be leaders because they lack the necessary psychological or intellectual capacity.  However, with a few exceptions, almost everyone can become a good leader if they are willing to put in the effort.  To become a great leader, however, requires a commitment to leadership mastery and a growth mindset.  Mastery is a lifetime pursuit because there is always something more to learn.

Be like water.

Authored By:  Jason Lamb, Managing Director

Jason Lamb

Jason is the United States Space Force's Talent Strategist. In this role, he is actively involved in crafting and executing the United States Space Force’s human capital strategy and plans. A nationally recognized thought leader in leadership and talent management, he advises Space Force senior leadership on how best to acquire, develop, engage, assess, promote, and employ its military and civilian members. Prior to his current position, Jason served over 25 years in the Air Force as an intelligence officer and retired in the rank of Colonel.

In uniform, Jason served with distinction in a variety of intelligence, staff, and command assignments in deployed combat environments, geographically dispersed organizations across the globe, and in the United States. As an intelligence group commander, he led over 650 personnel in eight units spread across four continents supporting everything from national decision making to time-sensitive tactical operations.  Jason has deployed in support of Operations SOUTHERN WATCH, IRAQI FREEDOM, and ENDURING FREEDOM. During his career, Jason was recognized as the Air Force’s Intelligence Officer of the Year, graduated number one from his Air War College class, was awarded the Bronze Star in Afghanistan, and twice awarded the prestigious Legion of Merit.

While those accomplishments are noteworthy, he is perhaps best known for leading a significant culture shift in the Air Force and across the Department of Defense beginning with a series of articles he published under the pseudonym “Col Ned Stark.”  In those articles, Jason highlighted significant organizational culture and leadership alignment issues, provided root cause analysis, and offered innovative solutions resulting in the Chief of Staff of the Air Force offering him a senior position on his staff.  To the surprise of many, Jason chose to end his fast-track career and retire instead so that he could coach and engage with broader audiences.  The Space Force reached out to Jason to architect an innovative new approach toward talent management and leadership development that would ensure the long-term alignment of the newest armed service’s mission and values.  The result was The Guardian Ideal, described by the Chief of Space Operations as the single most important accomplishment of the Space Force to date.

Jason understands how to create and develop high-performing teams of teams.  He knows how to uncover organizational misalignment and dysfunction to craft tailored solutions that improve workforce retention and performance.  Jason is a proven leader and solver of wicked and complex problems.

Jason graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in International Relations with a minor in Japanese.  He holds four advanced degrees in organizational management, national security policy, and strategy.  Additionally, Jason is an International Coaching Federation-certified professional coach with an additional certification as an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner.  He resides in Colorado with his wife and daughter.

Victory Strategies is a Veteran Owned Business.