Leadership Lessons from Cap'n Anderson

Obituary of LTC RB Anderson, USA (RET)

I regret not thanking “Cap’n Anderson” for changing the course of my life. 

There are few college courses I still remember. If any other professor died, I might say “wow, I haven’t thought about him in years.” But Cap’n Anderson never left my thoughts. He made me want to be a great leader. 

Prematurely gray, with a quick smile and bright blue eyes, he began the first class by humbly sharing his personal story. He left college for the Army, serving two tours in Vietnam as a Special Forces NCO. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he returned to active duty as a commissioned officer. He later earned his Master’s Degree at Virginia Tech, and stayed on to teach us in ROTC. That story was enough for two lifetimes, but he would later serve in Operation Desert Storm, retire as a Lieutenant Colonel, teach JROTC, help at-risk children, and serve in prison ministries. 

Serving as both an enlisted soldier and an officer provided a unique perspective for training young, aspiring officers. More than that, he was a passionate teacher and student of leadership. He learned from his early superiors – the good and the bad. He watched naïve and cocky young officers pummeled by their wiser, war-hardened troops. He wanted us to avoid their mistakes – as a matter of life and death in battle. 

Here are two of his lessons I still try to apply today:

1. Humility: Cap’n Anderson spent an entire class session discussing our first meeting with the senior NCO under our command. The script he suggested was “I look forward to learning from you. I’d appreciate you not letting me step on myself.” He used an extreme example of how a lack of humility might be rewarded – with a hand grenade tossed in an officer’s tent. That image stays with me today. 

After arriving in Charlotte for my first management assignment, the first subordinate I met was Ray Heatherly. I was twenty-four and looked seventeen. Ray was an intimidating figure, well over 300 pounds, and he had been with the company for forty-four years. I said, verbatim, “I look forward to learning from you. I’d appreciate you not letting me step on myself.” 

2. Professionalism: Don’t mistake humility for weakness. An officer must lead, and make unpopular decisions that could result in casualties. Cap’n Anderson taught us to balance being close to our troops and maintaining a professional distance. He said officers (like managers) are held to a higher standard of integrity and decorum, and must be “an officer and a lady or gentleman.” He said sergeants (like supervisors) might curse and “roll around in the gutter” with the troops. Officers must not. Soldiers watch our every move and hear every word, whether we realize it or not. He taught us that foul language is unbecoming of an officer. He said that we must first demonstrate integrity, and then demand it from our team.

My third management assignment was in Albuquerque NM. The team of about 100 people was doing well by most every measure. I was tasked with keeping and building on the momentum. At twenty-seven, I still looked younger. Each of my direct reports was older than I, most significantly more experienced. During our first meeting, I said that we would make mistakes, but they should be mistakes of action – not inaction. I went on to say that the only mistake that would not be tolerated was a lapse of integrity. 

A few weeks later, “George,” a tenured manager, lied to me about what would have otherwise been a minor issue. George was liked and respected, with good financial results. I terminated his employment. The word spread, to the shock of our team. Professionalism prevented me from telling them the reason for his firing. It was George who turned a potential morale problem into a positive outcome. He told friends what had happened, and put the blame entirely on himself. Integrity was now firmly in place as a team value, and a job requirement.

Cap’n Anderson, you probably don’t remember that one skinny kid in ROTC class thirty-plus years ago. Since then, I have not led troops in battle or been awarded medals for bravery. But I have enjoyed some successes as a business leader. All were made possible by your leadership lessons.