Touchstones

At GEN Eisenhower's Desk at SHAPE Headquarters in Belgium.  SHAPE photo by SSgt Jim Hennessey, UK Army.

As I settle into a rhythm as both SACEUR and EUCOM Commander, it’s a good time to reflect on what kind of organization I want to lead.

Several qualities have worked well for me as touchstones in the past – from my earliest days in the Navy – and I pass them along as a pretty good way to do business.

The first is an old-fashioned word: civility. I find so often in this accelerating 21st century, we are losing our capacity for politeness, for kindness, for genuine concern about the quality of our interactions. In this busy world, the “insulation is off the wires” of so many people – don’t be one of them. Take the time to treat everyone you meet – from the most junior to the most senior – in a polite and civil way.

Civility - ISAF Photo by Sgt Andreas Steindel

I’m also a big believer in creativity. This 21st century is complex – at times it feels like we are reading Shakespeare by lightning, with only a few phrases illuminated to show us the way. If we are going to “fill in the gaps,” we need creative minds that can deal boldly with new ideas and change. One of the respondents to my recent post on “the Transatlantic Bridge” was Turkish; he pointed out that we must all strive to be “bridges” to new ideas as well as geographic bridges – what a superb point.

Determination - Courtesy of Department of National Defence (Canada)

Determination matters, too. All of us are going to make mistakes – I do constantly. The measure of any person or any organization is not perfection, which is unattainable; the measure is how determined you are to come back from your mistakes, correct them, learn from them and move forward with a new and better approach. Remember, your teammates are watching, and how you react matters, no matter where you are in our organizations.

I like people with quiet confidence. I often think of the athlete Roger Federer, this year’s Wimbledon champ, who was the world’s number one player for five straight years and for the same five years won the peer-voted award as the best sportsman. He is quiet, understated, and calm under pressure. That’s a pretty good approach, even if we can’t hit a topspin backhand like he does!

Teamwork is crucial. No one of us is as smart as all of us thinking together – and no one nation is as capable as the international community working together. My approach is to emphasize international, interagency, and private-public thinking – all team sports.

What underpins all of this is honesty and integrity. At the US Naval Academy a long time ago, I learned not to lie, cheat, or steal. Those are pretty good rules for anyone – and the basis for a solid moral code as well. If we are honest with each other, and always maintain our integrity, nothing we do will every truly fail.

Yesterday I went to sea on board the aircraft carrier USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) – named for the first and best SACEUR in history – which is currently in the Mediterranean Sea and heading back home after a successful combat deployment in the Arabian Gulf. What an honor – I’ll write about it next week!

Admiral James G. Stavridis
Commander
United States European Command