Sebastian Junger’s Tips for Leaders

Sebastian Junger is the author of Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, which is featured in the U.S. Navy Reading Program. While I was host of the podcast for the Navy’s Leadership and Ethics Center, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sebastian about his book. To listen to the full interview, check out the YouTube video below.

At the end of our discussion, Sebastian shared his specific advice for leaders. Below, I’ve broken it down into three tips, through my own experience as a military officer.

1. NO SHELTER. If the team is experiencing hard times and you shelter yourself from something dangerous or unpleasant, the sense of trust and tribe erodes immediately. This is why we say “Officers eat last.” Instead, find a dangerous situation that you can step into first, when appropriate. At my last unit, we had an annual drill where someone gets “trapped” underwater and stays strapped-down underwater for a long time while others practice a rescue drill. I volunteered to take the “trapped” role. It was actually very exciting for me and set a good tone for the group.
2. STEP BACK. Often, it’s not appropriate for the leader to be hands on. Instead, it’s your role to step back and see things with clear eyes. If you must leave hard work for others, be sure to do everything you can from your position. This could mean going to the top of a hill to get a view over combat or it could mean an executive makes sure that payroll comes through smoothly while people are working overtime during a busy season.
3. CHALLENGE. Military environments generally create big challenges that drive people to work hard and eventually succeed as a team. This has a powerful bonding effect. If your organization has it easy, develop a challenge. Make sure that it is appropriate to your group and something they must take on with vigor. As Sebastian pointed out, being trapped in an elevator is challenging but probably not vigorous. If anything, it makes people eager to separate, not closely bonded. A more active challenge draws us closer together.

Check out the full interview with Sebastian Junger by clicking here.