Growing the next version of you-Forming Your Ethos of Leadership
Episode 3: Major General (Retired) William Grimsley
Raised to read, to learn, to think and act beyond, Major General (Retired) William F. Grimsley understood from a very young age the world is full of complex problems. He learned early in life that he must be in a constant state of recreating himself in order to solve the complex challenges he would face.
Patience is a virtue — not only a virtue but a mandate-(40:20)
In Episode #3 of the Art of Complexity, Roy tackles the story of General Grimsley in Growing the next version of you- forming the ethos of leadership. So #LeanIn, as we explore complexity from the lens of senior leadership in the US Army.
As a young man, General Grimsley had no intention to serve his country. However, in order to pay for college, his father, an officer in the U.S Army, encouraged him to join the ROTC. Attending Davidson, a small classic liberal-arts college in North Carolina, Grimsley was surrounded by a wide variety of learning opportunities. As an avid learner and thinker, Grimsley did not yet come to treasure his upbringing until the beginning of his time as a professional soldier in the US Army, Infantry.
It was at this time Grimsley was able to appreciate his family, education, and life experiences that led him to understand how to think, how to express his ideas, how to defend them, and ultimately how to build a body of knowledge he could share with others.
Now a professional soldier, the idea of complexity generates an entire new caldron of grappling challenges for Grimsley. However, Grimsley is proud to say he was raised by sergeants.
Grimsley attests much of his foundational knowledge and leadership to his ability to have difficult conversations whilst learning from the experiences of those who he served with.
Into the Caldroun — Combat Operations
Deployed in Iraq, then Brigadier General Grimsley would face complex challenges he seemingly thought impossible. With stability operations an issue, Grimsley sought to fight the battle by influencing the hearts and minds of the people who so desperately sought refuge from oppression. As this tactical complexity grew larger, Grimsley understood that solving the root of the evil was to comprehend and identify cultural bias that shapes the framework for how he and his soldiers viewed daily life.
Fail often, fail fast — but don’t repeat the same failure twice — (29:50)
As his time in the Middle East drew to a close, Grimsley understood that we must find common ground with our partners in order to piece together how to develop solutions over time. By doing so, one can start to see success and exploit that success by building on it.
In truth, Grimsley became a firm believer in strategic and operational design as a means to counteract complexity. In essence, the idea of taking iterative steps starting with identifying commonalities and determining motive allows for various factions to reach a shared goal.
Key Takeaways
- The more you can learn about different things and share those ideas/experiences with others the better and more well-rounded you will become.
- Awareness to allow relationships to grow you — building your knowledge through the experience of others leadership.
- Revert to a first principle of asking the question, “What are you really trying to accomplish?”
- Be okay with small steps that lead to the overall goal — each step matters
- The more authority and responsibility you obtain, the more you must listen and learn from others before acting.
- Keep your eye on the prize while remaining respectful of others civil discourse.
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