What Business Leaders Can Learn from the Military

Colonel Tom Kolditz was the guest at a recent Harvard Business IdeaCast. He is an expert on leadership in dangerous situations. Col. Kolditz is teaching at West Point and the author of "In Extremis Leadership: Leading as if Your Life Depending on It".

Obviously, leadership in extreme situations where lives are in danger is a bit different but the Colonel points our three lessons business leaders should contemplate in the situation with economic uncertainty:

1. With the feeling of increased danger, there is increased focus on the leader. Individuals will rely more on the leaders and try to read how the leader perceives the situation and what approach will be pursued.
2. There is a greater focus on the core competence of the leader while "soft skills" becomes less important as the stakes are higher.
   
3. Trust in a leader becomes more fleeting than normally and trust is largely determined on an assessment of if the leader is going to put the interest of the organization first.

The discussion is also available through iTunes podcast directory as Harvard Business IdeaCast 133.