Stanley McChrystal is a retired US Army four-star general, with over thirty years of army service for his country, and an outstanding record of accomplishments as a leader. He’s been leading soldiers for many years, his leadership skills being of the highest quality possible.

McChrystal is probably best known for his leading capabilities proved as the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command in Iraq. He’s also known for his role as commander of the International Security Assistance Force under President Obama in Afghanistan.

After his outstanding career as an army general, McChrystal is now a successful author and entrepreneur, his book “Leaders” representing a source of wisdom for many.

Take Responsibility

As a leader, your main responsibility is to guide your team on the path to success, ensuring that you are accomplishing your set goals. Regardless if you’re a CEO, or an army general with soldiers under his command, knowing how to lead your team and how to build relationships is essential.

The best way of building a strong bond with your team is by being authentic, and by taking responsibility for your team. Even if your team ends up failing, you still must take responsibility for the result since, in the end, it is your fault for not leading them better.

The key to success is treating people right, and building a reputation for honesty and effectiveness.

While leading the Afghanistan operations, McChrystal had to make sure that his actions represent his mission and his country in the best way possible. Even if Stanley worked constantly to protect American interests, his staff publicly criticized government officials in 2010, in a Rolling Stone article.

As the great leader he is, McChrystal took responsibility for his team’s comments and ended up taking the whole blame, even if that meant that he had to step down eventually.

Be Open to Learn

As a great leader, you must be able to show weakness to your team and be open to learning from them at any time. Too many leaders are afraid to admit when they don’t know something, thinking that their team would lose trust in them.

In McChrystal’s three decades of military service, his methods and equipment have changed tremendously. While being in command of younger troops, Stan realized that his tactics and knowledge might not be as relevant to the younger generations.

I came to believe that a leader isn’t good because they’re right; they’re good because they’re willing to learn and to trust.

Because he wasn’t aware of how some things worked, Stan asked his subordinates to teach him the new things, showing weakness, and building a stronger bond with his team in the end.

As a leader, being honest and self-aware of your shortcomings are two essential things. The times are changing fast and all leaders that want to stay relevant should be open to learning from their team without feeling ashamed.

Conclusion

Stanley McChrystal’s knowledge in the field of leadership allowed him and his numerous teams to succeed in the many operations they had to take part in as US soldiers. Considering his leadership knowledge, we also included Stan’s book on our The Best Business Books of 2018 list.

The lessons mentioned above, and the ones featured in our other articles can represent a great source of wisdom.