Table of Contents
The purpose of this paper is to explain the leader General Stanley McChrystal, his accomplishments, his military impact, his leadership attributes, and how he makes an impact in my leadership.
General Stanley McChrystal continues to make a significant impact on the military while refining both the military and business worlds. McChrystal’s practices and concepts learned during his military tenure influence military members and business professionals through books, articles, and discussions which can be found on the internet. His influence continues through today and will likely remain as he instills change in both the military and business worlds through his theories and concepts.
General McChrystal’s Attributes
Character
Retired Four Star General McChrystal, “‘lanky, smart, tough, a sneaky stealth soldier’ with ‘all the special ops attributes, plus an intellect,’” (Beaumont, 2009) spent over 30 years as an Army Officer, many of which as a Special Forces Officer in Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). (The Telegraph, 2011)
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“Once an Eagle” written by Anton Myrer serves as a basis for McChrystal’s leadership style. Even though the character is fictional, McChrystal actualizes many attributes the character holds which McChrystal uses to serve as his role model and leadership style. (Stan McChrystal, 2015) The character, a soldier with the name of Sam Damon, ‘is a professional who puts duty, honor, and the men he commands above self interest.” (goodreads, 2002)
Additionally, McChrystal demonstrates extreme resiliency, as seen during his time when commanding JSOC and accusations of hiding evidence regarding the death of football player Pat Tillman arose. (Beaumont, 2009) Another example of his resiliency and integrity displays during his early retirement ceremony regarding comments written about President Obama in the Rolling Stone magazine. (Ray, 2018) My respect for General McChrystal is greatly enhanced knowing McChrystal did not make the comments published in the Rolling Stone, as told to me by someone close to him. McChrystal owns the comments his staff officers made, demonstrating his willingness to sacrifice his self-interest to preserve the honor of his subordinates.
Presence
General McChrystal is an avid proponent of physical fitness. As an early lieutenant, McChrystal noticed his weight gain, therefore adopting one meal a day to control his weight and running long distances. His diet and workout, which he maintains today, allows him to remain and look physically fit. McChrystal continues his workout regimen by waking up at 0430 hours, work out at home, then travel to the gym and continue working out until 0830 hours. (Stan McChrystal, 2015) Through McChrystal’s TED Talks or interviews, you can see McChrystal still maintains his physical appearance, even after being retired from the military for over 10 years.
McChrystal’s presence captivates a room when he speaks. McChrystal is calm and well organized while speaking, vital to teaching people new concepts or ideas. McChrystal draws the attention of the audience when he speaks, likely what makes him an influential leader.
Leads
To this day, General McChrystal still captivates a room. McChrystal walks and talks with confidence. His thought is strategic, never an afterthought, and not accidental; like a balance between chess and backgammon. (Stan McChrystal, 2015)
McChrystal works long hours without taking days off to accomplish what he needs to be complete. (Beaumont, 2009) This workaholic mentality is infectious to the people with whom he works with. As a result, McChrystal’s immediate team is left to inherit McChrystal’s work ethic according to McChrystal’s aide-de-camp, Chris Fussel. (Stan McChrystal, 2015) Long days with extreme payoff keep McChrystal’s team engaged, dedicated, and loyal.
McChrystal easily imparts his skills and knowledge to his organizations and its members, a term he dubs “shared consciousness.” (Stanley A. McChrystal, 2015) The concept from his book Team of Teams closely mirrors the Army’s mission command philosophy. (ADRP 6-0, 2012) This mentality allows officers and non-commissioned officers to lead as independently as possible while still understanding McChrystal’s vision and ensuring mission success. Allowing McChrystal to focus on strategic tasks, personnel under McChrystal are empowered to lead their own teams based on McChrystal’s teachings and make the best decision without fear of retribution.
General McChrystal’s Competencies
Intellect
During McChrystal’s early college years at West Point, he struggled to achieve success. After McChrystal’s sophomore year, he found a mentor who was able to guide him, ultimately leading him to the understand the importance of knowledge and self-discipline. (Stan McChrystal, 2015)
Today, McChrystal is a constant consumer and sharer of knowledge who writes for many publications, to include books and articles both online and in print. Time constraints prevent McChrystal from reading as he would like. Alternatively, McChrystal now listens to most of his books on audio, especially while working out. McChrystal reads numerous books at a time because he has a constant thirst for knowledge, a practice adopted during multiple deployments and not having enough time to read. (Stan McChrystal, 2015)
McChrystal is a graduate of West Point and has fellowships from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Council of Foreign Relations (Ray, 2018).
Achieves
The flat organization concept at JSOC, General McChrystal’s implementation, accomplishes rapid success without stove-piping the process of actionable intelligence. Realizing traditional military flow is too slow, McChrystal theorizes the concept to rapidly execute missions to achieve success for the battles. (Stan McChrystal, 2015) Employing this method and gaining trust from superiors, JSOC’s transition to a more agile and lethal force actualizes battlespace dominance. This achievement is unconventional and allows leaders to make decisions without waiting for approval, almost guaranteeing mission success on time-sensitive targets.
Develops
General McChrystal is a phenomenal leader to all that have served with him. Many leaders within the Special Forces community regard the teachings of McChrystal as one of a kind. Since leaving the Army, McChrystal formed the McChrystal Group, a consulting group dedicated to transforming organizations, based on knowledge and skills developed while working in the military. (Stan McChrystal, 2015) Many commanders have McChrystal’s books on their reading lists for officers. Although much of McChrystal’s development of his subordinates remain in Special Forces, his books allow his knowledge to propagate far beyond the shadows and allow all leaders to learn from his knowledge.
General McChrystal’s Army Impact
During McChrystal’s many years as an Army Officer, he made numerous contributions to the military and the world. As a result, the world has become a safer place. McChrystal has credit for capturing Saddam Hussein, the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and transforming how the military fights counter-insurgency. (The Telegraph, 2011)
JSOC’s flat organization concept increases adaptability and lethality within the organization, greatly enhancing the ability for Special Forces to operate. (Stanley A. McChrystal, 2015) The flat organization greatly reduces the hierarchy and bureaucracy of the military structure to make rapid and effective decisions at the lowest level possible. (Stanley A. McChrystal, 2015) In a traditions-based military, the flat organization is unlikely to catch on; however, unit’s that are expected to make rapid decision making will likely benefit from this concept.
An example: many leaders in a field artillery unit I served, subscribe to McChrystal’s concept. Implementing McChrystal’s strategy, decisions made at the ground level allows the battalion to focus on other tasks without micromanagement of the batteries. The battalion is free to deconflict essential battle space, allowing artillery fires to accurately target the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq more successfully than both predecessors and successor.
My Growth from General McChrystal
Learning from General McChrystal continues to help me understand there is no limit to accomplishments, regardless of the hurdles or obstacles, perceived or actual. Being adaptable and innovative brings success even when going against the grain and trying new ideas.
Currently, within my organization, officers and non-commissioned officers struggle to understand how my team integrates wholly within the unit, especially when it comes to intelligence operations. Using McChrystal’s “team of teams” concept (Stanley A. McChrystal, 2015), I sought to learn how my unit fits into the Army team, then taught how the intelligence team fits into the unit’s team. Persistence and adaptability allow me to overcome barriers which continue to propel my unit and allow outside units to recognize the concepts we are developing.
My Personal Legacy
I am a leader who never gives up no matter the situation, especially when I knew it was the best thing for the unit, the mission, or me. Every day when I consider the risks or decisions I make, I ask myself: “am I living the life of whom I want to emulate?” Making the right decision is tough, but knowing the outcome and knowing others look up to me keeps me aligned. I was given a plaque from my previous Special Operations assignment that says ‘Aut inveniam viam aut faciam’ which translates to: “I shall either find a way or I will make one.”
Without consistent internal dialogue, focus on the future or introspection, this is unachievable. My previous soldiers and leaders still contact me for advice, respect my opinion, and follow my direction which ensures I am on the correct path. Being able to mold future leaders is my biggest honor.
Conclusion
General Stanley McChrystal is a timeless leader who knows and understands the value he contributes to the military. Regardless of his early departure from the Army, McChrystal continues his influence to lead from afar through his books, articles, and discussions. Although I cannot work for McChrystal, his influence to be a strong and adaptable leader is attainable by reading his works and watching his discussions on the internet. Using his philosophy, I have been able to make a positive change in the units I have been a part of and will continue my influence to train and develop future leaders who will serve our country and have pride in all they do.
