You don’t have to like ‘em

  • Published
  • By Maj. Rich Branson
  • 736th AMXS commander
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The legendary Vince Lombardi was well known for having gritty, strong and tenacious teams - teams that were highly successful. Although physical prowess and natural aggression were strong components to the makeup of his teams, a more powerful element laid underneath it all. For the coach, the men on his team didn't necessarily have to like one another, or him for that matter, but they were certainly going to love one another. This was not a love based in weakness, but rather one that bolstered a mental toughness required of all men on his team. A love that he described in Spartanistic terms ... loyalty, teamwork, respect, dignity of the individual and charity.

Putting these qualities into a more tangible venue, that of developing leaders, the late Army Gen. John H. Stanford was quoted as saying that, "...the secret to success is to stay in love. Staying in love gives you the fire to ignite other people, to see inside other people, to have a greater desire to get things done than other people. A person who is not in love doesn't really feel the kind of excitement that helps them to get ahead and to lead others to achieve." This statement conveys three powerful principles for leadership at all levels. Being in love: 

· Helps to ignite other people. It's difficult to find passion for something we are not truly in love with. We often see many drudging their way through their family, work or social calendar without love for many, if any, aspects of their life. Without a driving sense of dedicated purpose inside one's self it is virtually impossible to inspire others to achieve greatness in any of these areas; especially if you're the individual leading the pack. The ever insightful Coach John Wooden put it this way: "a leader's most powerful ally is his or her own example." The leader's love and excitement about a subject or direction is contagious. 

· Helps us to see inside other people. Only when we truly connect with those around us do we build the necessary foundation of trust that it takes to lead others. Leadership in its most primal form is influence and the act of influencing necessitates a relationship. It takes an investment of time, energy, and love itself to want to know another person's inner drives, dreams and fears. For leaders, the old adage holds true: people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. 

· Creates desire within us. To lead means to be out ahead. That often means taking on risks that others are not willing to take and calming the fears of those you take along with you. In leadership we're often driving towards an end state that we feel is needed and an improvement over the current. Inspiring others to step out into the unknown, take on challenges they've never anticipated and overcome the self doubt that comes with such events takes a leader who has a desire to achieve the goal and the energy and commitment to bring the others along. The ultimate in leadership is when those traveling with you come along not just willingly, but eagerly.

An old proverb states that "the weapon of the brave is in his heart." Love is potentially the greatest asset a leader has in creating a sense of purpose, inspiring others, and achieving that which seems beyond grasp. With that backdrop, there are some prevailing questions I'd pose for reflection: 

· What am I passionate about? Is my life in line with my passions? 

· Do I truly 'love' those I am closest to or responsible for? Supervisors, peers, subordinates, family, friends? Am I investing myself into them to build them up? What would they say? 

· Am I investing in myself so I can better serve those around me?

The military uses the term 'force multiplier' for things that exponentially add to the effectiveness of other things. In leadership, love may be the ultimate force multiplier, whether you like it or not.