Leadership

Just as discipline and freedom are opposing forces that must be balanced, leadership requires finding the equilibrium in the dichotomy of many seemingly contradictory qualities between one extreme and another." By being aware of these seeming contradictions, a leader can "more easily balance the opposing forces and lead with maximum effectiveness."

"A leader must lead but also be ready to follow."

A common misconception the public has about subordinates is they mindlessly follow every order they're given. In certain situations, subordinates may have access to information their superiors don't, or have an insight that would result in a more effective plan than the one their boss proposed.

"Good leaders must welcome this, putting aside ego and personal agendas to ensure that the team has the greatest chance of accomplishing its strategic goals,".

"A leader must be aggressive but not overbearing."

"A leader must be confident but never cocky."

Leaders should behave with confidence and instill it in their team members.

"But when it goes too far, overconfidence causes complacency and arrogance, which ultimately set the team up for failure,".

"A leader must be calm but not robotic."

While leaders who lose their tempers lose respect, theey also can't establish a relationship with their team if they never expression anger, sadness, or frustration.

"People do not follow robots," he writes.

"A leader must have a competitive spirit but also be a gracious loser."

"They must drive competition and push themselves and their teams to perform at the highest level," "But they must never put their own drive for personal success ahead of overall mission success for the greater team."

This means that when something does not go according to plan, leaders must set aside their egos and take ownership of the failure before moving forward.

"A leader must be attentive to details but not obsessed with them."

The most effective leaders learn how to quickly determine which of their team's tasks need to be monitored in order for them to progress smoothly, "but cannot get sucked into the details and lose track of the bigger picture,"

"A leader must be strong but likewise have endurance, not only physically but mentally."

"A leader must be humble but not passive; quiet but not silent."

The best leaders keep their egos in check and their minds open to others, and admit when they're wrong.

"But a leader must be able to speak up when it matters," "They must be able to stand up for the team and respectfully push back against a decision, order, or direction that could negatively impact overall mission success."

"A leader must be close with subordinates but not too close."

"The best leaders understand the motivations of their team members and know their people — their lives and their families," "But a leader must never grow so close to subordinates that one member of the team becomes more important than another, or more important than the mission itself."

"Leaders must never get so close that the team forgets who is in charge."