Corrections or additions?
This article was published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on May 27, 1998.
Stormin’ Norman’s 7 Commandments
Learn from bad leaders, says the general who led United
States forces into battle in the Persian Gulf. “Some of the best
leadership lessons I have ever learned have been taught by dumb
officers,
absolutely bankrupt officers, who had no redeeming qualities. In many
cases you learn far more from negative leadership, because you learn
how not to do it,” says H. Norman Schwarzkopf, retired general,
U. S. Army.
Schwarzkopf speaks on “Leadership: From the War Room to the Board
Room,” at the 50th annual New Jersey business conference at the
Brunswick Hilton on Friday, May 29. The $120 tickets are sold out,
but call 609-989-7888 for information. The conference is cosponsored
by New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, Public Service Electric & Gas,
Rutgers Graduate School of Management, and the New Jersey Sales and
Marketing Executive Association.
Schwarzkopf grew up in Lawrenceville and his autobiography “It
Doesn’t Take a Hero” is chock full of intriguing Princeton area
references. But for his famous seven leadership rules, they are
contained
in a 22-minute $695 training video called “Take Charge!”
released
in 1992 by the Washington Speakers Bureau (703-684-0555) and excerpted
in “Personal Selling Power.”
1. Leaders help people succeed. People don’t start a newjob with the idea of failing. It is up to the supervisor to help theemployee find success.2. Don’t confuse management with leadership. Manage abusiness, but lead people. To work properly, everything needs people– try telling an airplane to fly.3. Set goals that everyone can understand. The goal inSaudi Arabia was “Kick Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait!”4. Set standards that are high, attainable, andachievable .If a helicopter needs a 75 percent maintenance standard to fly, don’tshoot for 75 percent and get 70 percent, go for perfection and achievenear perfection.5. There is always room for improvement.Admit there couldbe something wrong. Schwarzkopf tells of a Saddam Hussein staff memberresponding to Hussein’s request for suggestions. When he made asuggestion,Hussein took him outside the room and shot him dead, then repeatedhis request for improvement ideas. No one responded.6. When in command, take charge.”There is nothingmore debilitating than an organization where everyone is quiveringwith anticipation, but nobody takes action,” says Schwarzkopf.The cost of indecision is usually higher than the cost of making thewrong decision.7. Do what’s right.Good leaders derive their rewardsfrom the work itself — not from being liked. “You know,”says Schwarzkopf, “that you have done your best when peoplerespectyou.”Previous StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
