How Leaders Inspire Future Leaders

 
 

How Leaders Inspire Future Leaders

Bob Hughes spent nearly 30 years in the United States Army, retiring in 2015 at the rank of Colonel. During his time in the Army he had the privilege to lead numerous teams and organizations at the tactical, regional and enterprise levels. With a strong desire to help other leaders be successful, in 2015 Bob began his second career as Clinical Faculty and Managing Director of Executive Education at The Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. In 2020, Bob moved to Chattanooga and continues to help other leaders through teaching and coaching.

March 29, 2022

Over the course of his 30-year career(s), Bob Hughes has been given ample time to reflect upon the idea of leadership—in every sense of the word. His most recent opportunity came in 2020, when he moved to Chattanooga after spending several years at The Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Bob Hughes also continued to reflect upon his career experiences within the armored forces, as well. These lived experiences eventually culminated within three stories, all of which recall formative moments via other leaders, which irrefutably changed Bob Hughes’ personal leadership journey.

Story #1: “In the Hills of Kentucky”

The first story takes place in Fort Knox, Kentucky—best known for basic training (at the time). Having already completed basic training, Bob Hughes was tasked with overseeing new units at the facility. His first-ever boss, Ed, had been with the armed forces over a decade. After several months at the facility, Ed asked Bob Hughes to roam the surrounding countryside with him, and engage in some professional development. At the top of a nearby hill, Ed invited Bob Hughes to explore theoretical tactics for defending said position, and therein lies the professional development: “Ed, as a leader, saw the development of other leaders as his responsibility…and he was investing time in my development.”

Story #2: “A Bad Day on the Range”

The second story also takes place in Fort Knox, Kentucky—”The story of my first failure.” Bob Hughes had recently been moved into another unit. As an armored tank unit, he was required to demonstrate proficiency at the gunnery range. During the qualification round, Bob Hughes’ unit failed miserably. His entire crew understood they were heading into a very tough debriefing, which included their boss, Mark, and their next-level boss, Craig. After sitting through an intense debriefing and a few words of encouragement, Bob Hughes stayed behind to converse with their bosses. Craig spoke to Bob Hughes directly: “Bob, I just want you to know…that I know you’re a good officer. And this gunnery, I know it’s beating at you quite a bit…I just want you to forget about it.” Bob Hughes did not immediately get back into the swing of it—but recovering from failure was much easier with Craig’s help: “Leaders need to be there for other leaders.”

Story #3: “You’re The Expert”

The third story occurred much later during Bob Hughes’ career—at this stage, he occupied a senior position working alongside the Pentagon. Late in the afternoon, Bob received a call from his boss, Lisa, asking him to meet the next morning with an executive leader. He was the subject matter expert, and the meeting concerned a four-star level engagement within the Pentagon. He prepared a quick selection of read-ahead materials, and they both arrived the next morning. After the 30-minute meeting, Lisa approached Bob Hughes to commend his efforts: “Hey Bob — I just want to say that you did an excellent job. He just needed context. You did that really well.” They were both senior leaders within their respective positions, yet Lisa took it upon herself to provide Bob Hughes with actionable feedback: “You’ll have more engagements in your career — I want you to remember one that is really good.”

Leading in the Future

Leaders need dedicated time and resources to make decisions, create visions, and define how their cultures must shift to meet their goals for growth. Leadership acceleration provides a series of customized sessions to accelerate a leadership team’s impact by providing structure and time to vision the future, ask the tough questions, and make strategic decisions.

Bob Hughes’ found his capacity for leadership by learning from others. However, growing your leadership skills may come in different ways. If you are looking to invest your time into developing leadership skills, look no further. Bridge Innovate® offers a wide array of services to accelerate your leadership. Contact us to learn more about our leadership services:

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