In this episode of @TheScienceofLeadership Dr. Collins is joined by General Scott Wallace U.S. Army (Ret.) for a discussion on the importance of trust in leadership and the challenges of micromanagement. General Wallace is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds three Master’s degrees. During the Vietnam war, he served as an armor officer, and from 2001 to 2003, he was the commanding General of the Army’s Fifth Corps, which included the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2005, he became the commanding General of the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command. He was awarded numerous medals, including a Defense Distinguished Service Medal, a Legion of Merit, and a Bronze Star. Following retirement, he has served on the Board of Directors of Oshkosh Corporation and CACI International. General Wallace shares his leadership lessons on trust and the importance of training. He recounts the story of the Thunder Runs during the invasion of Iraq, highlighting the need to trust subordinates and the value of tough, realistic training. He emphasizes that leaders must create conditions for training and underwrite the mistakes of their subordinates. General Wallace also discusses the importance of communication and the leader's personal involvement in critical decisions. He shares a personal story of a failed deep attack mission and reflects on the lessons learned. The conversation also explores the science behind trust and its positive effects on relationships, retention, psychological safety, and decision-making. General Wallace emphasizes the need for leaders to trust themselves, create opportunities for training and shared experiences, and identify areas where extra oversight may be necessary. The conversation concludes with a discussion on hiring the right people and the importance of letting go of micromanagement. Key concepts include leadership, trust, training, communication, decision-making, micromanagement, relationships, retention, psychological safety, decision-making, and shared experiences. Takeaways • Trust your subordinates and believe that they are fundamentally good people who want to see the organization succeed. • Tough, realistic training is essential for developing teamwork and a culture of trust within the organization. • Leaders have a responsibility to create conditions for training and to underwrite the mistakes of their subordinates. • Communication is crucial in conveying expectations and providing proper guidance and supervision. • In critical decisions, there are times when the leader personally needs to be involved. Trust is essential in leadership and creates a reciprocal state where trust is extended and returned. • Trust strengthens relationships, increases retention, fosters psychological safety, and improves decision-making. • Leaders must trust themselves, create opportunities for training and shared experiences, and identify areas where extra oversight may be necessary. • Micromanagement is not sustainable in complex organizations and leaders must learn to let go. • Hiring the right people, training them, and making tough decisions when necessary are key responsibilities of leaders. Sound Bites • "Trust your subordinates and believe that they are fundamentally good people who want to see the organization succeed." • "Tough, realistic training is a glue that binds organizations together and leads to a culture of trust." • "Leaders have the obligation to create conditions for training and underwrite the mistakes of their subordinates." • "The leader might need to be personally involved in decisions associated with it." Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:16 The Power of Trusting Your Subordinates 14:29 The Importance of Tough, Realistic Training 21:51 Creating Conditions for Training and Underwriting Mistakes 25:37 The Crucial Role of Communication in Leadership 33:32 The Leader's Personal Involvement in Critical Decisions 34:19 The Importance of Trust in Leadership 35:20 Lessons Learned from a Failed Deep Attack Mission 48:30 The Science Behind Trust and its Positive Effects 53:42 Building Trust: Trusting Yourself and Others 59:21 Letting Go of Micromanagement 01:03:03 Hiring the Right People and Making Tough Decisions Key References • Burke, C. S., Sims, D. E., Lazzara, E. H., & Salas, E. (2007). Trust in leadership: A multi-level review and integration. The Leadership Quarterly. • Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2002). Trust in leadership: Meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology. • Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly. • Covey, S. M. R. (2006). The Speed of Trust. Simon & Schuster. • Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The Leadership Challenge. Wiley.
