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When Second Lieutenant Ann Dunwoody reported for duty at
Fort Sill in June, 1976, she’d decided that her stint in the
military would be a two-year thing on the way to a career in
teaching or coaching. As a “sports omnivore,” she was
physically fit for the job and, because she was an Army
brat, she understood what her immediate future would be
like. First, the Army, she thought. Then she’d continue with
the rest of her life.
Thirty two years later, after she’d enjoyed success in the
long military career she didn’t initially foresee, President
George W. Bush recommended Dunwoody as the country’s first
female four-star general.
In the beginning as a 2LT, Dunwoody learned lessons of
leadership: from her first platoon sergeant, she learned the
benefits of inclusion and that one should “never walk by a
mistake.” If something – anything – is wrong in a product or
method, leaving it only sets “a new, lower standard.”
A high standard, she says, is “the difference between the
leaders who excel and the leaders who fail.” The Army
teaches soldiers to “meet the standard… but that’s simply a
starting point.” To get the best from people, “train them to
succeed.”
Know your weaknesses, and be willing to ask for help. Pay
attention to who advocates for you, who detracts from you
and who runs behind your back. Use diversity to your
advantage, but encourage “female-only sessions.” And
finally, although it’s sometimes difficult, learn to
“recognize when it is time to step aside.”
If you picked up A Higher Standard and paged through
it quickly, you could certainly be forgiven for thinking
that it’s a biography – and you’d be close. Author and
retired General Ann Dunwoody (with Tomago Collins) shares
her life and her accomplishments with readers but if you
look closer, you’ll find a wealth of advice perfectly fit
for business.
That’s a unique method with which to impart leadership
lessons, and I rather liked it: Dunwoody’s story is
empowering and entertaining, and instructive to civilians
unfamiliar with Army life, on one hand; on the other, we
become privy to the challenges of military leadership, which
puts into perspective much of her subtle advice. I also
appreciated her balance, in which issues and problems are
not glossed-over.
There’s enough biography here to satisfy readers of the
genre, and anyone aspiring for leadership will find that as
well, in quiet abundance. If those are important things to
you, or if you’re curious about the life of a history-maker,
then put A Higher Standard at your service. |
