Read, Write and Lead – CDS Thoughts on Leadership

The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), General Wayne Eyre was recently interviewed by the founder of From the Green Notebook (FTGN), Joe Byerly, to share his leadership lessons learned through his career (link to podcast here). One of the critical premises that was explored throughout the episode was how reading, writing, and reflecting have shaped his career. The purpose of this professional development toolset is to do just that. It will encourage reflection on the themes that were mentioned during the podcast episode through group discussion. This podcast offers the opportunity to hear directly from the CDS what he considers to be important and relevant to professional development in the CAF.

FTGN is a grassroots professional development forum that is focused on helping military leaders turn experience into wisdom. FTGN believes that reading, writing, and reflection are the best methods to do this. As one of their lines of effort, they host a podcast interviewing military leaders, coaches, artists, athletes, and business leaders to find lessons that we can all use to lead with the best version of ourselves.

Key themes that were discussed during the podcast episode are broken into three levels of discussion questions that you can use to conduct professional development sessions within your organization. The first level is “hip-pocket training”, the second level is “next level”, the third level is “advanced”, which provides additional readings that could be integrated into a deeper facilitation of discussion into the themes.

Each theme will have a writing prompt. Your response to this prompt doesn’t need to be long. Maybe it is an email you send to your team that you do additional reflection on internally, maybe you send it to Line of Sight and it is shared across the Army for others to consider, or maybe it is just a good practice for you to better understand yourself and how you think.

Discussion Questions

1. People (Relationships, Recognition, Being a Sensor for the Commander)

• Key moments in the episode: 5:06-9:14
• Hip Pocket:
  - What relationships are important to our success as a unit? How do we build and maintain those relationships?
  - Do we recognize soldiers effectively in our unit? Is H&A the only way to recognize soldiers? (A recommended reading related to this is The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace)
• Next-level:
  - Building on the hip-pocket questions, what can we do better as a unit, and an institution, to recognize our soldiers?
  - On the flip side, if a soldier is not performing to the standard how do we build up soldiers that are not performing as well as the others? Is that what we should be doing, or are there alternative methods we can use to ensure they achieve the standard?
• Advanced:
  - Read Chapter 4 of Fearless Organization.
  - What is the current culture of our unit?
  - Does our current culture promote speaking truth to power? What changes do we need to make to work towards a culture that is more conducive to speaking truth to power?
• Writing prompt: what methods have you noticed units successfully (or unsuccessfully) use to cultivate cultures that enable psychologically safe workplaces? Reflect on and write about one of those methods.

2. Professional Development

• Key moments in the episode: 9:14-17:14
• Hip Pocket:
  - How does our unit’s professional development program build on the knowledge we gain through the training system? What can we do better at the unit level to develop ourselves?
• Next-level:
  - What are your thoughts on Gen Eyre’s assessment that today’s platoon or company commander requires the same understanding of history and the broader geopolitical context of their operations as a division or corps commander of World War 2?
• Advanced:
  - Read “Why we Study” by Gen Eyre.
  - What do you do in your life to develop yourself? How do you encourage your subordinates to develop themselves?
• Writing prompt: why is professional development important to you and what methods do you use personally to achieve the geopolitical context Gen Eyre suggests are required as a modern military leader?

3. Personal Development (Values, Power, Ego, Failure)

• Key moments in the episode: 17:14-29:08
• Hip Pocket:
  - What values are important to us as an organization? In this unit? In the Army? In the CAF? Are the values of different levels of the CAF different
• Next-level:
  - Do you feel comfortable making decisions in the absence of explicit direction as a member of this organization?
• Advanced:
  - Read “What is Stoicism?” on dailystoic.com.
  - How is Stoic philosophy similar to the CAF Ethos? Where does it differ?
  - How do you think the CDS has used Stoic philosophy to help him through some of the crises he described in the podcast episode?
• Writing prompt: Think about a time that you have failed in the Army. How did you react to this failure? How did your chain of command react? What did you learn from that failure and how did it shape your future? Did your Army training prepare you for that failure?

Read, Write and Lead – CDS Thoughts on Leadership: Facilitator Notes (PDF 8 pages)

Did you find this professional development tool useful? Tell us what worked and what did not at CACSCPME@forces.gc.ca

Books:

• Starship Troopers
• War of Patrols
• Supreme Command
• Fearless Organization
• Ego is the Enemy
• Meditations
• Five Dysfunctions of a Team