Military

Podcasting

A conversation with Robert Carlson and Fran Racioppi on lessons from the military, threat assessments, leadership, and more.

Listen to a wide-ranging discussion about leadership under pressure

Robert and Fran have both had interesting careers in the military. Robert was raised by a World War II veteran, and joined the military as his grandfather's influence on him. Fran joined the military after 9-11 to do great things and ended up studying broadcast journalism before that. Both of them have learned important lessons about leadership, security threats, and more through their experiences.

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In this conversation, Robert Carlson and Fran Racioppi discuss their military careers, the importance of being prepared for security threats, and how to excel as leaders. Fran, who transitioned from studying broadcast journalism to serving in the army after 9/11, reveals the profound impact of being on the front lines and the lessons he learned about leadership and taking part in the action. Robert sheds light on his experience in the Air Force and as a law enforcement officer, particularly in handling active shooter events. They discuss the crucial evolution of threat response and the need for proactive measures. The conversation delves into fostering trust and efficient teamwork in high-stakes situations, highlighting the power of empowering team members, building trust, and holding them accountable. Tune in to gain fascinating perspectives on how to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of security challenges and lead with excellence.

Can you explain how “leaders are made”? What does it take to build those qualities?

Unveiling the Secrets: Building Qualities that Make Leaders

So the question is, can you explain how leaders are made? What does it take to build those qualities? Okay, first off, I love this question because it states the answer in the question. Leaders are made, right? They're not born, they don't just show up, you don't wake up one day and say, oh, I'm a good leader, right? You have to work, we have to work, as leaders every single day to improve. So how do we do that? Education, right? So, so critical. We have to learn from others, both good and bad. We always say that we learn a lot from good leaders. I would argue that we often learn a lot from bad leaders that we serve in and around. So start with education, assessing those around you. What organizations have you been in where people have executed well? There's been good results. And where has it gone wrong? Where have you looked at someone and been like, that doesn't seem right? Why did they act like that? Second, define your values. Leaders are effective when they have a defined set of values that people can align to. Why do we lose faith and trust in leaders? Because leadership is about trust. Leadership is about, do we trust those above and around us and leaders exist below us to make the right decisions when the time counts? Trust comes from knowing each other, experience, but those critical factors that develop trust help create great organizations. So it takes time, it takes investment, it takes investment in ourselves, those around us, the entire organization. We could answer this question in hours and hours. I do it every week on my podcast, but succinctly, they're made, put in the hard work. You started by asking this question, now go out and seek answers. More to follow on this. Thanks a lot.

Leaders are made, not born. Building these qualities requires education and assessment of leaders around you, defining your values, and investing in yourself, those around you, and the organization. It takes hard work and time to build great organizations.

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To explain how leaders are made and what it takes to build those qualities, it's important to recognize that leaders are not born, they are made. It requires continuous effort and improvement. Education plays a crucial role in this process. Learning from both good and bad leaders helps us understand what works and what doesn't. Assessing past experiences in organizations where execution was successful or went wrong provides valuable insights. Additionally, defining our values is essential as effective leaders have a set of values that others can align with. Trust is a vital component of leadership, and it is developed through knowing and understanding each other, as well as through shared experiences. Building leadership qualities takes time, investment in ourselves, those around us, and the entire organization. This topic can be explored extensively, but in summary, leaders are made through hard work and the pursuit of knowledge and improvement.

How has your military experience shaped your leadership style?

Leadership Lessons: The Military's Impact on Accountability and Ownership

Great question and thanks for asking it. How has your military experience shaped your leadership style? I think for me, it's a foundational element of my leadership style. The military never sits you down and says, today we're gonna teach you how to be a follower. It doesn't happen. From day one of entering the military, I think even before that, when you go down to the recruiting station, they start talking about leadership. They start talking about what you're gonna learn in the experiences that you're gonna get put in as a leader. So whether you're the entry level, junior enlisted private, you're a young lieutenant in the officer corps, or you're a sergeant major or a general, it's all about leadership from day one. And what the military does is they're constantly putting you in different situations in different parts of the world to solve complex challenges as leaders. Because every person in an organization is a leader and that is so important to understand. Anyone who builds an organization and doesn't treat their people like that is doing a disservice to the organization and their people. Everyone is a leader first and foremost. So that's the number one thing that the military teaches you about leadership. Lead from the front, always. The other thing is accountability, responsibility, and ownership. We have to understand, number one, our responsibility. What do we do here? What do we bring to the table? What's our job? What's our role? What's our contributing factor? That allows us to then take accountability, meaning that we understand the results of our action, good, bad, and different, because our action is based on our responsibility, what we're there and defined to do. When we know what we have to do and we assume our accountability for our actions, good, bad, or indifferent, then we have what's called ownership. And ownership is what allows us to look around the table, build trust in each other, and build great organizations. That's what I learned.

My military experience has been fundamental in shaping my leadership style. It taught me to lead from the front and to prioritize accountability, responsibility, and ownership. This allows for trust to be built up within an organization which leads to better results.

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My military experience has had a profound impact on my leadership style. From the moment I entered the military, the focus was on leadership. Whether you were an entry-level private or a high-ranking officer, leadership was emphasized throughout. The military continually places you in diverse situations, both domestically and internationally, to tackle complex challenges as a leader. One crucial lesson I learned is that everyone in an organization is a leader, regardless of their position. Treating everyone as a leader is vital for the success of both the organization and its individuals.

Another key aspect instilled by the military is accountability, responsibility, and ownership. We are taught to understand our role and contributions within the organization. This understanding enables us to take responsibility for our actions and be accountable for their outcomes, regardless of whether they are positive or negative. When we take ownership of our responsibilities and actions, we foster trust among team members and build strong organizations.

Overall, my military experience has laid a strong foundation for my leadership style. It emphasizes leading from the front and recognizing that leadership exists at all levels. It also highlights the importance of accountability, responsibility, and ownership in building successful teams and organizations.

How have you personally been able to motivate and inspire your team?

Unlocking the Secrets to Motivating and Inspiring Teams

So the question is, how have you personally been able to motivate and inspire your team? Well, this is the definition of leadership. How do we motivate and inspire others to do things that they otherwise may or may not be interested or willing to do? That's what our job is. So how do you do it? Number one, you've got to find what motivates them. What I have found time and time again is if we don't figure out what motivates people, what drives them, what gets them excited and put them in the right role, so we call it the right place, right person, right time. That's critical. We need people who want to do what they're doing with the right set of skills at the right time for our organization to maximize effectiveness. The other piece, we have to have mission alignment. We have to have people who want to be there to achieve the overall vision and goals of our organization. We have to clearly lay that out. If we don't, what are we driving them towards? They don't know. We don't know. We don't know what to motivate them towards and why. So we've got to find first mission alignment, define it, understand where we're going and why, get people who generally agree to that, and then put them in roles with the right skills at the right time where they're going to be successful and excited about what they're doing every day. Then give them the resources to do so. That's how I personally motivate and inspire my teams. Thanks for the question.

To motivate and inspire my team, I first focus on finding what motivates them. Then, I make sure that they are in the right role for their skills and that they align with our organization's mission and goals. I also make sure they have the resources they need to be successful.

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Personally, motivating and inspiring my team is a key aspect of leadership. It involves understanding what drives and excites each team member and placing them in roles that align with their motivations. This concept of right place, right person, right time is critical for maximizing effectiveness. Mission alignment is also crucial. It's important to clearly communicate the overall vision and goals of the organization, so team members understand what they are working towards and why. This allows them to feel a sense of purpose and direction. Lastly, providing the necessary resources for success further motivates and inspires the team. These are the approaches I personally employ to motivate and inspire my teams. Thank you for asking this question.

Can you talk more about how the military teaches individuals to lead from the front?

In the military, leaders always lead from the front

The question is, can you talk more about how the military teaches individuals to lead from the front? Okay, let me be very clear. There is no such thing as leading from behind. I don't care who you are. I don't care where you come from. I don't care what your experience is. There's no such thing as leading from behind. Leaders lead from the front always, no matter the situation, no matter the challenge, no matter what they're doing, you lead from the front. The military, any branch, from day one, from when you walk into a recruiting station to basic training to your entire career, teaches you how to be a leader. They never teach you how to be a follower. You never walk in and they say, hey, today we're going to teach you how to follow. No, they talk about leadership from day one. Great organizations invest in leaders from the ground level. That's how you build resiliency with thought leaders who get the job done day in and day out. You lead from the front always.

The military teaches individuals to lead from the front, rather than follow. It starts from day one when you walk into a recruitment station and goes all the way through your career. They invest in leaders from the ground level to build resiliency and create thought leaders who can get the job done.

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When it comes to leading from the front, there is a clear and unwavering principle in the military: there is no such thing as leading from behind. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, or what your experience is. Leaders always lead from the front, regardless of the situation or challenge they face. This is instilled in individuals from the moment they walk into a recruiting station and throughout their entire military career. The military focuses on teaching individuals how to be leaders, never followers. They invest in developing leaders at every level, ensuring that they possess the necessary skills to get the job done and exhibit resilience. Leading from the front is a foundational aspect of military leadership.

How did the military prepare you for being a business executive?

Military Leadership Training: A Strong Foundation for Business Executives

The question is, how did the military prepare you for being a business executive? Well, the reality is, the military did a great job in some ways and didn't do a job at all in other ways. The military is phenomenal in training leadership. It's one of the core foundations of everything you do. You never go into the military and they say, we're going to teach you how to be a follower today. They teach you how to be a leader. They teach you organizational design, what it takes to build effective teams, how you actually put the right people in the right place, meaning the right role, at the right time. They teach you talent assessment. How do you know who's good? How do you give performance feedback? How do you build teams based on feedback, positive, negative, and constructive ways? It teaches you how to analyze complex problems, find resources, understand budgeting. Everybody thinks like, oh, we just get all the money in the world. No, you don't. You have budgets. You have training. You have operational budgets. You have to manage all those things. It teaches you a tremendous amount about people management because you're dealing with so many different dynamic people from different backgrounds. But where it lacks is some of the hard skills like finance. When I got out, I had no idea what a balance sheet was or a profit and loss statement. That hurts. You don't know what marketing is. You don't know what business strategy is. You know what operational strategy is, but not business. So I had to go close that gap. I had to go to business school. I had to figure that out, close that hard skill gap, combine it with the soft skills. That was the best way for me to be effective. So much more to talk about on this. Thanks for the question.

The military does a great job in teaching leadership, organizational design, talent assessment, how to analyze complex problems, and people management. However, it lacks hard skills like finance and marketing which the veteran had to close the gap by going to business school.

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Regarding how the military prepared me for being a business executive, it's a mixed bag. The military excels in training leadership skills, which is a core foundation in everything you do. They teach organizational design, building effective teams, talent assessment, and providing feedback to improve performance. Analyzing complex problems, finding resources, and understanding budgeting are also areas where the military provides valuable training. People management is another strength, as you learn to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds. However, the military falls short in certain hard skills like finance, marketing, and business strategy. Upon transitioning out of the military, I had to bridge these gaps by attending business school and acquiring knowledge in these areas. Combining the soft skills learned in the military with the acquired hard skills was crucial for my effectiveness as a business executive. There's much more to discuss on this topic, but I appreciate the question.

Fran Racioppi answers your Military questions. See all the advice Fran Racioppi has and get answers to your own Military questions.

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