One of the prime tenets of leadership is that a leader is accountable for his actions as well as those of his subordinates. The resignation of Army Secretary Francis Harvey, regardless of whether it was forced or voluntary, demonstrates this principle in action. Based on this comment by Defense Secretary Robert Gates it appears that he was indeed forced to resign -

“I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed.”

…a leader is accountable for his actions as well as those of his subordinates.While the departures of both Harvey and Walter Reed’s (former) commander were both appropriate and necessary, as a retired Army Senior Noncommissioned Officer I can’t help but wonder what role Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Miller - Major General Weightman’s senior enlisted advisor - played in this unfolding scandal.

For those of you unfamiliar with the ways of the military, taking care of soldiers is one of the most critical and central responsibilities of NCOs at all levels. In addition, the primary role of a CSM is to advise the commander on all matters relating to the enlisted soldiers under his care. The CSM also wields remarkable power when it comes to getting things done to solve problems and take care of his troops.

I would dearly love to know what, if anything, CSM Miller did to rectify the deplorable conditions some of our wounded warriors were forced to deal with and/or advise his commander on those issues and recommend command-level solutions. In my mind he is just as accountable for what has happened as those leaders who have already paid a price.

I recently came across an interesting document titled Standards in Public Life. It’s a 1995 report from the Nolan Committee and was commissioned by British Prime Minister John Major to

“…examine current concerns about standards of conduct of all holders of public office, including arrangements relating to financial and commercial activities, and make recommendations as to any changes in present arrangements which might be required to ensure the highest standards of propriety in public life.”

As part of its recommendations the committee felt it necessary to restate some general principles of conduct. These 7 principles serve as an excellent guide for not just public servants but for everyone in a position of responsibility. They are:

These are not new concepts, of course, but they definitely merit review in the context of how we lead our lives and manage our affairs. I know I struggle with some of them on a regular basis, and I’d be willing to bet that you do, too.

And don’t even get me started on the vast majority of our current crop of politicians….

I long ago developed the habit of waking up at 4:30 a.m. It’s a habit born of necessity - my unit’s physical training program started mighty early - but maintained out of an appreciation for how it shapes my day. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished in a few very quiet hours in the morning. On most days I’m able to catch up on the latest news, analysis and opinion, clean up any stray email I may have missed the previous day and generally lay the groundwork for a productive day.

an early and structured start to the day provides a much needed opportunity for study, exercise and reflection.Now that I’m in the middle of a major personal and professional shift I’m seriously thinking about moving my wake-up call to 5:30 a.m. I would enjoy the extra hour of sleep (or maybe be able to stay up an hour later each day to enjoy the company of my wife) and, I believe, still manage to effectively jump start my day. And, it turns out, I would be aligned with a number of successful business leaders who find that the first few (early) hours of the morning are critical to setting the tone for a productive day. As Jim Citrin discovered when he surveyed 20 top executives, an early and structured start to the day provides a much needed opportunity for study, exercise and reflection.

So, how about you? Do you like to get the most out of your day with an early start, or do you think that some extra time in bed is more beneficial? And regardless of when you get up, what specific morning routines have you developed to set the stage for a productive day?

(thanks, Bert)

UPDATE:  Post modified with the addition of a pull quote.

It’s trite but it’s true - your success or failure is entirely in your hands. And if ever there was a need for an object lesson to illustrate that little truism the Tennessee Titan Football Club has provided it in spades. Consider the unlikely sequence of events that had to occur in order for the Titans to qualify for post-season play:

Remarkably, all 3 teams did, in fact, earn the needed victories. All that remained was for the Titans to defeat the New England Patriots and they (the Titans) would be the first team in NFL history to recover from an 0-5 start and qualify for the playoffs. That they failed to defeat the favored Patriots only goes to show that, regardless of what outside help you may or may not receive, you can only succeed through your own hard work.

Think about it.

One of my pet peeves - and one I intend to focus on with increasing frequency in the year to come - is a general decline in civility that is becoming increasingly evident throughout society. If you’re paying attention you’ve no doubt noticed that actions that are tempered by thoughtfulness, manners, grace and respect are becoming the exception rather the rule. And it seems that those who would be our leaders are a large part of the problem.

The latest example of this trend can be found in this report of incoming Senate Majority Leader Reid’s decision to ignore an implied duty of his position and disrespect the office of the Presidency by not attending any of the public or private ceremonies that will be held over the next week or so in honor of former President Ford. I find it hard to believe that he doesn’t understand the importance of his attending some or all of these events, or that he would be unable to reschedule any of his South American itinerary given the circumstances. In fact, there’s a part of me that sincerely hopes that one or all of the heads of state that he’s scheduled to meet with cancels their meeting in order to attend the Ford funeral.

Ever the optimist, I will be surprised if the outcry over this slight by Senator Reid doesn’t result in his returning to do his duty. It’s just sad that it will take outside pressure for him to recognize his responsibilities as a leader.

UPDATE:  In case you were wondering after the ceremonies at the Capitol on Saturday, President Bush also missed the Capitol Rotunda service (sometimes referred to as the State Funeral) for President Reagan.  He will, of course, be at the National Funeral on Tuesday in the National Cathedral.  On the other hand, I’ve seen nothing so far to indicate that Senator Reid and his traveling companions will return early in order to attend the funeral.

The recent midterm elections and subsequent selection of Republican and Democratic Leadership for the next term of Congress has me reflecting on what it means to be a leader. One particular question comes immediately to mind, and I’d be interested to know what you think. Can one be considered a leader in the truest sense of the word if maintaining the status quo is to be the central theme of their incumbency? I say no, as I believe that one of the core responsibilities of a leader is to take those being led to higher levels of achievement by enabling them to make the most of their skills, knowledge, and potential. If “same as it ever was” is the standard, then of what use is a leader?

What do you think?

Terry Heaton first called my attention to this story -

Chuck Howard says he resigned as sports director of WCNC after management laid out an array of disciplinary options Friday, a day after a technical mix-up allowed a vulgarity to get on the air.

“We had differing thoughts on how the situation should have been handled,” Howard said Monday. “For my future, it was best I resign.”

Mr. Howard’s resignation struck a cord with me for two reasons. First, his actions provide an object lesson in leadership -

Howard, the station’s sports director for 11 years, declined to outline the sanctions under consideration, but said he bore responsibility for the error.

“I was the sports director and responsible for everything that came out of the sports department. At the end of the day, I’m responsible.”

Second, the whole affair demonstrates what happens when fear trumps common sense. As Terry notes in the post I linked earlier -

It’s this way, folks, because we’re sitting back and doing nothing while a tiny group of extremist thinkers who pull the strings of the FCC are allowed to run roughshod over constitutional freedoms in the name of protecting us from what they deem vulgarity.

And then there’s this. I wasn’t there of course, but I find it hard to understand why only Howard would be disciplined for the incident. Surely he didn’t come in personally and cue up the wrong segment for airing, yet none of the coverage I found addressed anyone else being involved in the mistake, let alone disciplined. I found this so curious that I sent a query to the station:

In regards the resignation of Chuck Howard due to the inadvertent airing of a profanity, were any disciplinary actions considered/taken against the individual(s) responsible for airing the wrong segment during the morning show?

Did a station representative answer my question directly? Not surprisingly, no. So did a station representative deflect my question with a “We don’t discuss personnel matters” response. Again, no. Amazingly, this is the response I received from WCNC:

Dear Doug,

Thank you for your e-mail.

Everyone here at WCNC-TV strives everyday to provide the most personally relevant news and information for our customers. And, it is through customer comments that we are best able to appreciate your feedback.

Thank you again for your e-mail. We encourage you to e-mail us again with any other comments, questions, concerns or complaints you may have.

I think you’ll agree that their response raises more questions than it answers. I remain hopeful that we’ll eventually get the rest of the story, but at the same time I’m not very optimistic that we will. I will, of course, provide updates if I learn more.