What the military taught UT Chancellor William McRaven about business leadership
/You may already have seen this video of Admiral McRaven's commencement speech at UT on May 17, 2014 – if not, I strongly suggest you watch it (link below).
This week Admiral, now Chancellor, McRaven shared more leadership tips and why these matter in business.
1. When you get to a new job, step up and volunteer for the worst job there. “A shepherd should smell like his sheep,” McRaven said. “Every decision you make as a leader has an impact on your team, all the way to the guy in the boiler room.”
2. Communicate. “As a leader, you have to communicate your intent at all times,” McRaven said. “It’s easy to be liked as a leader, but you want to be respected. That’s hard.”
3. Good teamwork is paramount. “I will take chemistry over talent any day” he said.
More of Chancellor McRaven's advice is here.
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Video of Admiral William McRaven’s commencement address at the University of Texas
Summary of the address:
“If you want to change the world….
1.….start off by making your bed”. The little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right you will never be able to do the big things right. Start each day with a task completed.
2.….find someone to help you paddle”. You can’t change the world alone. You will need someone to help you.
3.…..measure a person by the size of their heart, not by the size of their flippers”. Nothing matters but your will to succeed. Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status. Respect everyone.
4.…..get over being a Sugar Cookie and keep moving forward .” Sometimes, no matter how well you prepare or how well you perform, you still fail.
5……don’t be afraid of the Circuses.” You will fail. You will likely fail often. It will be painful. It will be discouraging. At times it will test you to your very core. Don’t let that deter you.
6…..sometimes you have to slide down the obstacles head first.” Take risks.
7…..don’t back down from the sharks.” The world is full of sharks and bullies and you will have to deal with them.
8……you must be your very best in the darkest moments.” The darkest moment of the mission is the time when you must be calm and composed.
9……start singing when you are up to your neck in mud.” One person can change the world by giving people hope.
10….don’t ever, ever ring the bell.” Don’t give up. Ever.
"Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but if you take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, ever give up. If you do these things, then the next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today and, what started here will indeed have changed the world; for the better."