General McChrystal is former head of the Joint Special Operations Command and commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). In a piece for Entrepreneur.com, he outlined three key leadership principles that helped him achieve his career success.
Lead by example on a daily basis
According to McChrystal, subordinates observe how you work each day, how you treat them, and what values you embody. Therefore, when you expect them to act in a certain way or adhere to specific rules and principles, it is far from sufficient merely to tell them so or teach them in special training sessions. You must lead by example yourself, literally every minute of every day.
Decentralise decision-making
As a team leader, you have greater decision-making authority and thus greater responsibility than your subordinates. Nevertheless, it is essential to decentralise decision-making and grant subordinates a certain degree of autonomy. In other words, you should not be a micromanager but rather allow team members to act independently. Only in this way can the team be truly flexible, capable of organically increasing its efficiency and learning continuously.
Accept mistakes and learn from them
According to General McChrystal, partial failures are an integral part of the path toward success. People and organisations that strictly avoid mistakes or sweep them under the carpet gradually create an unhealthy and toxic work environment where employees fear innovation, and the same mistakes are repeated over and over again. It is better to admit mistakes openly and learn how to work with them.
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