#14: Showmanship–a vital technique of leadership
#14: Showmanship–a vital technique of leadership
Thoughts on leadership lessons from the book About Face
Last week, we covered Colonel Johns farewell address and the leadership principles that he shares detailed in the book About Face. One of the points that stood out to me on the list was the idea that showmanship is a vital technique of leadership.
This week, I want to dive into a story from About Face that Hackworth uses to explain this idea of showmanship, from the Korean War in 1951.
You know how our CO clears minefields?
Down below, a few of my guys began opening a wider path through the minefield for the relieving force; I went down to have a look. I moseyed around the position a bit, and when the boys yelled, "All clear," I started back to the top, only then noticing that one of my boots had trip wire wrapped all around it–normal debris from defused mines. I gave my leg a mighty kick to get rid of the stuff. My troops hit the ground instantly. Before I could figure out why, a Bouncing Betty exploded about four feet away from me, sending scores of ball bearings into the air. When the dust settled I was still standing up, untouched. "What the hell are you guys doing down there?" I asked, as the boys slowly got up and looked at me in amazement. The fact was, my hearing had deteriorated a lot after I got hit in the head on 6 February. The only difference between the mine clearers and me was that I hadn't heard the "click" when the firing mechanism went. "Thought you fuckers had cleared this area," I barked, and hotfooted it back to the top of the knob–so I could go into shock in private.
It would just become part of the legend: Let me tell you about our Old Man . . . our CO doesn't give a damn about anything. You know how he clears a path through minefields? He just walks out and stomps and kicks. He blows the shit out of mines and isn't even touched!
Hackworth later explains:
After all, showmanship is vital to being a good troop commander. The only problem was that my audience kept demanding encore after encore. Many, many times in a firefight-when the slugs were really snapping I'd find myself snugged up close to a solid dirt wall or behind a tree enjoying perfect cover, and just as I'd begin thinking how comfortable I was, I'd start feeling the eyes of my command boring in, saying, We're in a real tough spot here, baby. Just what trick are you going to pull out of the old hat to save our sweet asses? And I always pulled out something, with one more wild or brazen stunt, confirming to my troops (and maybe to myself, too) that I was the bravest dude on the block.
Thoughts
When I think about leadership, showmanship certainly isn't the first trait that comes to mind. It's not one of the core leadership principles I was taught growing up. I'd guess this is probably because when we're young (and even still as we grow older) it's difficult to separate showmanship from being boastful and absorbing all the credit for the success. But, as we can clearly see in this story, the actions taken Hackworth undoubtably have a large, positive effect on the soldiers under his command and the culture of the unit.
Now, I don't see myself in the near future being in a place to display showmanship by daring to take a Bouncing Betty to the face in the hopes of gaining some leadership capital. So, how do I translate this into some tangible takeaways I can move forward with in my life?
I find some insight from Admiral McRaven in The Wisdom of the Bullfrog (also discussed in Jocko Podcast 383), where breaks down this idea of showmanship–what he also calls swagger:
"Every great leader must exhibit a sense of boldness, because the rank and file don't want to follow a timid soul. Those leaders must be prepared to act when others are weak-kneed and fearful of failure. They must embrace the motto Who Dares Wins. But no leader should confuse daring audacity with brashness and impudence. The former is fine, the latter will surely result in failure."
At the end of the book, McRaven adds:
As a leader you must have a little swagger, a healthy confidence that you are the right person for the job. Your self-assurance will instill confidence in others, confidence that they can meet the challenges, confidence that no matter the obstacles, you will rise to the occasion and lead them to success. But don't mistake cockiness for confidence. You must be humble enough to see the value in every member of the team, and humble enough to seek counsel when needed. It is not mutually exclusive to be both confident and humble.
I think this combination of boldness and confidence is what can end up resulting in actions that are seen showmanship as a leader. Its important to note that the blind luck of Hackworth not getting killed from that Bouncing Betty is not the display of boldness we're looking for. I think its his ability to maintain his cool in the moment and deliver the response that builds the legend and displays the boldness that we all seek in the leaders we follow. Countless times throughout the book Hack's ability to keep a clear head and lead with confidence when the bullets (and mines) started flying allowed him to solve the problems necessary to get his men out of the hairy situations they continued to find themselves in over and over again.
So, going forward, I don't think I'm going to necessarily focus on working on my showmanship and swagger. I think, for me, that focus may lead me down the wrong path. But, I will do my best to be someone worth following. Someone bold enough to make the hard decisions. Someone who seeks opportunities to take calculated risks. And, someone who can keep their cool when the when chaos ensues.
