Notes from Learning to Lead by Maj. Gen Perry M.
Smith, USAF (Ret)
Student Pages
Thirty Blazing Flashes of
the Obvious
- Know yourself. You are five people: who you
are, who you think you are, who the boss thinks you are, who peers think
you are and who subordinates think you are. Getting feedback from all
allows better �control� and understanding of various selves, thus making
you more effective. - Develop mental toughness. Be brutally honest with
yourself. Know that even the best leaders make mistakes; learn from
them. - Be magnanimous. Gain �power� by constantly giving
it away and not grabbing it back. - Squint with your ears. Don�t be thinking what you
will say next; hear what is being said by others now. - Trust your instinct and impulses.
- Learn by failure.
- Protect innovators.
- Beware of certainty.
- Be decisive. Top leaders make prudent decisions
when they only have about 60% of the information they need. - Don�t become indispensable.
- Avoid the cowardice of silence.
- Fight against paranoia. Welcome criticism; avoid
the �defensive crouch.� - Be goal oriented. Set at least some long-term
goals. People want to know where they are going and in what priority. - Follow the platinum rule: �Treat others the way
they would like to be treated.� - Don�t waste people�s time.
- Thank the invisible people. There are those who
work quietly and competently and often go unnoticed. - Don�t send out I don�t trust you messages, I don�t
want to be surprised messages and check with me before you start anything
messages. Those who don�t feel trusted won�t get to their full
potential. - Serve, don�t humor the boss.
- Criticize up, praise down.
- Be physically fit.
- Develop solid leadership skills: Time management,
speed-reading, personal computing, dictation and use of manual and
electronic brainstorming techniques. - As a leader, help people understand you. Conduct
transition sessions; let people know what bugs you and what pleases you. - Smoke out those of low integrity.
- Concentrate on performance, not just results.
- Maintain a sense of outrage. Controlled outrage can
often make right the wrongs that are levied upon people. - Beware of intimidation. You must have an
independent mind to make the right choices. - Avoid the activity trap.
- Build a robust brain trust: Smart and quick
thinking friends. - Beware of the Paul Principle: Too many leaders
allow themselves to slide downhill in their competence. - Get ready for the future.