There's an art to asking questions. Briefings are valuable but normally communicate primarily what the subordinate leader wants you to know, and often the picture they provide is incomplete. Stanley A. McChrystal More Quotes by Stanley A. McChrystal More Quotes From Stanley A. McChrystal Leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure. Stanley A. McChrystal failing leader I came to believe that a leader isn't good because they're right; they're good because they're willing to learn and to trust. Stanley A. McChrystal willing-to-learn leadership believe I was raised to believe that soldiers were strong and wise and brave and faithful; they didn't lie, cheat, steal or abandon their comrades. Stanley A. McChrystal motivation strong wise Leadership contains certain elements of good management, but it requires that you inspire, that you build durable trust. For an organization to be not just good but to win, leadership means evoking participation larger than the job description, commitment deeper than any job contract's wording. Stanley A. McChrystal good you trust leadership With my resignation, I... left unfulfilled commitments I made to many comrades in the fight, commitments I hold sacred. My service did not end as I would have wished. Stanley A. McChrystal end fight service resignation Public broadcasting makes our nation smarter, stronger and, yes, safer. Stanley A. McChrystal yes nation broadcasting stronger We need a strong civil society where the connection between different people and groups is firm and vibrant, not brittle and divided. Stanley A. McChrystal need society strong people Anyone in a position of power is either corrupt or assumed to be corrupt, and the assumption of corruption is as bad as the reality of it. Stanley A. McChrystal bad corruption power reality Many leaders are tempted to lead like a chess master, striving to control every move, when they should be leading like gardeners, creating and maintaining a viable ecosystem in which the organization operates. Stanley A. McChrystal control like organization chess I think life is hard at the combat outposts, and anything that distracts us from supporting them, in my mind, is something that we shouldn't do. Stanley A. McChrystal think life-is-hard mind life I was raised with traditional stories of leadership: Robert E. Lee, John Buford at Gettysburg. And I also was raised with personal examples of leadership. This was my father in Vietnam. And I was raised to believe that soldiers were strong and wise and brave and faithful; they didn't lie, cheat, steal, or abandon their comrades. Stanley A. McChrystal leadership brave wise father There is no avoiding the realities of the information age. Its effects manifest differently in different sectors, but the drivers of speed and interdependence will impact us all. Organizations that continue to use 20th-century tools in today's complex environment do so at their own peril. Stanley A. McChrystal will information age today Americans enjoy the exciting, cinematic vision of a squad of muscle-bound Goliath boasting Olympian speed, strength, and precision - a group whose collective success is the inevitable consequence of the individual strengths of its members and the masterful planning of a visionary commander. Stanley A. McChrystal enjoy vision strength success Mike Hall was my old friend and, more important, the finest soldier I'd ever known. After over 30 years of service and then 18 months at a good civilian job, a phone call had brought the retired command sergeant major back on active duty to become the senior enlisted adviser of all international forces in Afghanistan. Stanley A. McChrystal phone-call job good service I don't miss the bureaucracy of being in the Army. But I still love the relationships you can build. And it doesn't have to be in military service - it can be anything you're doing with someone that matters. You develop a bond. Stanley A. McChrystal bond service you love Leaders must establish common purpose and build trust within an organization. Stanley A. McChrystal build trust organization purpose If every soldier is authorized to make one mistake, then we lose the war. Stanley A. McChrystal lose soldier mistake war In every relationship, there are two perspectives to it. Stanley A. McChrystal perspectives every relationship two In my life as a soldier and citizen, I have seen time and time again that inaction has dire consequences. Stanley A. McChrystal my-life soldier time life Strength is leading when you just don't want to lead. Stanley A. McChrystal just you strength want
