MAGAZINE
SPRING 2020
TRAINING
By Mr . David STOFFELL , Department Head ETEE , NSO collaborative relationships with NATO ’ s Centres of Excellence , NATO ’ s Partnership Training and Education Centres and other leading academic institutions to collectively provide the most efficient and effective training capability for the Alliance and its partners . Our classrooms will reflect the diversity and reality of coalition operations , learning together , in support of NATO ’ s comprehensive approach .
TEAM Understanding the team that you are leading / working in . Diversity . Often defined as “ the state or quality of being different or varied ”³ the word itself leaves plenty of room for the term to be misunderstood in relation to leadership . Diversity , in this context , is not about balancing the team in terms of gender , age , race , ethnicity etc . Rather , diversity in the leadership realm is about bringing different perspectives and strengths to the team . Key scholars of leadership⁴ discuss the style trade-offs to consider within a team : task focused versus people focused , controlling versus empowering , risk taking versus risk adverse , individualistic versus team player and flexible versus structured . This sort of diversity should be considered within the organizational teams of NATO to maximise their effectiveness .
Culture . Peter Drucker famously said “ Culture eats strategy for breakfast ” ⁵ and whilst this is another often misunderstood topic , this author will not attempt to offer yet another definition of NATO culture . However , every NATO leader could highlight a number of descriptors to include , many found in the various value statements of our NATO organizations – but does this lead to the behaviours being sought ? More relevantly , NATO needs a culture that supports Alliance success in its three core tasks⁶ by staying ahead of its adversaries . Does your part of the NATO organization have a culture that has a good two way flow of information , is nimble at making decisions , innovative in its thinking , adopts coaching and mentoring as the norm and looks to improve the Alliance in all that it does ? If not , it should be remembered that culture is the behaviour of management⁷ and therefore an inward look at what you can contribute is a good starting point !
Generations . Understanding your position in the generational timeline ( Silent Generation – born 1928 to 1945 , Baby Boomers – born 1946 to 1964 , Generation X – born 1965 to 1980 , Millennials – born 1981 to 1996 and Post-Millennials – born 1997 to the present ) and those general characteristics expected in terms of social , economic , political and technological ability will teach you much about yourself . However , more than just your personal understanding , dissecting the
attributes and positions of your colleagues ( superiors , peers and subordinates ) will lead to increased leadership and management efficiencies . Aristotle is famously quoted with “ the whole is greater than the sum of its parts ”. The NATO Team⁸ is as complex and varied as any commercial company . We must understand our own role within the NATO Team and ensure we are doing everything we can to maximise the sum of our multinational parts .
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