MAGAZINE
SPRING 2020
LGEN ( Ret ) Leonardo di Marco :
Leadership Lessons from a
Senior NATO Mentor
Lieutenant General ( Ret ) Leonardo di Marco is a NATO
Senior Mentor helping to teach , coach , and mentor Senior Leaders within the NATO Command Structure ( NCS ) and Force Structure ( NFS ) to more effectively lead their organizations . He served recently as mentor to NATO Allied Land Command Commander , Lieutenant General J . T . Thomson , during Exercise Loyal Bonus and Eagle Meteor in October , 2019 . These are Lieutenant General di Marco ’ s thoughts on leadership .
DEFINING LEADERSHIP Before sharing with you what , according to my experience , the pillars of effective military leadership are , I would like to provide you with my personal definition of leadership . In my humble opinion , leadership is all about inspiring others by the way you behave . This simple definition marks the difference between convincing and compelling . Trusted leaders do not need to compel their subordinates ; they inspire them . And , should you all agree with this statement you should also agree with the fact that leadership style has to be adjusted according to the main characteristics of those you want to inspire and to the environment you are working in . Your leadership style must be agile and adaptive . New soldiers are better educated and more confident with technology than any previous generation . Military operations are increasingly more joint , multinational and multiagency than ever . The operational environment is complex and extremely fragmented . Decentralized decision making becomes a key for success . Effective Leaders must feel comfortable with this continuously evolving environment .
Effective Leaders must continuously adapt to the way they approach the challenges . Great leadership begins with the person , not the position . It is about your ability to inspire others , not your level of authority . If you want to become an effective leader , you must first become a person other people want to follow . This , I believe , is the key factor underpinning every truly successful leader . Before you can lead others , you must first be self-disciplined in your own behavior , the way you act , and the way you present yourself . A leader without self-discipline might become a good manager able to plan , organize and coordinate . But he or she will never be capable to inspire and motivate . Being a leader is about behavior and actions .
PILLARS OF LEADERSHIP Bypassing the discussion on whether leadership is a science or an art , my experience tells me that in order to be a good leader you have always to :
Communicate Provide Vision
Grow Leaders
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Communicate Communication is very important . Those who fail to effectively communicate usually fail . Your subordinates want to know you , they want to be guided , they want to understand you , they want to be reassured that their actions are within the context of your intent . Keeping soldiers informed enhances initiative , team work , cohesion , and morale . Battlefield success is founded upon actions taken in the absence of orders . It doesn ’ t matter how well educated you are , how fluent you are in presenting your views , how many operational tours you have done , or how long your curriculum vitae is . In communicating you must ensure you are understood . Your message must be simple and direct . Very often the staff does not perceive what exactly the commander wants to achieve . In a joint , multinational , and multiagency environment , people come with different education levels , backgrounds , and experiences . What you may view as a simple concept will likely be interpreted in different ways . It happens . So , make sure that whatever you say is fully understood . Prepare a clear mission statement , intent ,