A retired four-star general, General Stan McChrystal is the former commander of the US and International Forces in Afghanistan and the former commander of the nation’s premier military counter-terrorism force, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). He’s the founder & CEO of The McChrystal Group and a senior fellow at Yale, where he teaches a popular course on leadership. An expert on leadership and teams, General McChrystal is the author of several books, including his new book, Risk. In this conversation, we talk about the future of leadership, leading through adversity, and building resilient teams.
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Show Notes
- The non-negotiables of leadership (1:34)
- The biggest myth about leadership (4:11)
- Leading through change and uncertainty (7:09)
- How to get people to embrace change (9:49)
- Leading with both empathy and accountability (13:51)
- Give people missions, not tasks (15:17)
- Can resilience be taught? (16:03)
- How to build collective resilience as a team (17:41)
- The mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic (19:38)
- The decision to “live looking forward” after the abrupt end to his military career (21:56)
- His thoughts on America’s exit from Afghanistan (26:43)
- Leadership is a complex system (29:57)
- The 10 factors we control that can help mitigate risk (32:07)
- The “say-do gap” and the power of narrative (36:01)
- How diverse teams can mitigate risk (38:48)
- The future of leadership in a post-COVID world (41:11)
Resources / People Mentioned
- The McChrystal Group
- Risk by Stan McChrystal
- Team of Teams by Stan McChrystal
- Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)
- Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs
- Once An Eagle by Anton Myrer
- Ulysses S. Grant
Recommended For You
Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:
- Simon Sinek on How to Lead with an Infinite Mindset
- Patrick Lencioni on The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team
- Rorke Denver on Leadership Lessons from a Navy SEAL
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