Kendall Card 2.0

General Robert E Lee is likely one of the most brilliant and intelligent men to ever lead an army. The unfortunate thing for him is that he lead the wrong one, but I believe that in no way diminishes his skill for leadership or the art of war. Apparently I’m not the only one to see it this way.

The CFO where I work sent out his recent update on how the company is doing along with his typical narrative that generally includes some inspiring quote/text to motivate the troops. I find most of them very interesting and insightful. I’ve never really asked my co-workers what they think about his e-mail’s but out of interest to know if I’m alone on this one or not I believe I will do so.

Anyway, I thought this month’s insights were worthy of reprinting here if anything for my own preservation to reflect and re-read.

I was reading essays by Confederate General Robert E. Lee on leadership. He espoused the following as keys to leadership:

• • 1. Always do your duty. In any endeavor there is no substitute for tackling a challenge head-on. He said to his son; “Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more; you should never wish to do less.”
  • 2. Know your strengths and weaknesses. The most common component I find in failed interviews are people who ‘do not know what they don’t know’ and are unwilling to admit it. Honesty in assessing your strengths and weaknesses is essential to long term success.
  • 3. Seek further education. Surprise…no one knows it all, regardless what they may tell you. Lee said; “The education of a man is never complete until he dies.” There is always more someone else can teach you.
  • 4. Focus on your goals. He said; “You can have anything you want – if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, have anything you desire, accomplish anything you set out to accomplish – if you will hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.”
  • 5. Exercise self-control. “I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself.” He claimed self-control may be the single most important leadership trait, especially in a demanding situation. A self-composed leader inspires confidence in the ranks.
  • 6. Make a decision and move on. To me this is essential. Not all decisions are right or wrong. Some may be better than others, but indecisiveness is killer. Decision making requires confidence and a lack of conscience at times. Lee said; “Ruminating over a decision keeps a commander from dealing most effectively on the next situation.” He once said to a women lamenting over the battle damage suffered by a tree; “Cut it down, my dear madam, and forget it.” For him it was about moving on to the next challenge, not looking back and agonizing over failure or lost opportunities. This does not mean not to learn from our choices, just not to allow the agony of them diminish your decision-making capability. I tell prospective managers that they are paid much in part because of their ability to make decisions. Hopefully correct ones, but to make them non-the-less.