Consider leading …

Before engaging your team, consider for a moment what it is that you are trying to accomplish. Then, take another minute to think about how best to do this as a leader.  

What you should do as a leader may be quite different than what you might do as an individual contributor. 

In  a famous scene from the 1949 WWII film Twelve O’Clock High, Brigadier General Frank Savage, played by Gregory Peck, asks his driver to stop for a moment on their way to the troubled base where he was about to assume command. Stepping out of the car, Savage paces for just a moment, relaxing with a few puffs on a cigarette. Only then, after a moment of reflection, does he get back into the car to enter the base and begin his command.

I know of no moment on film that captures the experience of leadership better than this (except for the anachronistic cigarette). Sometimes as a leader, you just have to slow down, if only for a minute. You need to take the time to steel your spine, to gather your thoughts, and to allow yourself to become the leader that others need to see.

What did General Savage do?  You’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

The Leadership Science mobile resource is here for you. So pause for a moment. Go to the menu above or select the description that most closely matches what you are trying to do. We offer a continual resource that allows you to use the thoughts of others to help you choose how you will proceed. Reflect before you act.