What’s The Right Stuff of Leadership? Think Dog, Turtle, and Cockroach

Growing up in the 60′s and 70′s I was utterly fascinated by the US Space Program, and its corps of courageous astronauts.   They were my childhood heroes, and I still vividly remember that night in July of 1969 when I ran outside moments after Neil Armstrong uttered that famous “one small step” line and stared at the moon, utterly captivated by the notion that a man was walking on it at that very moment.

It took a special kind of person to be an astronaut, and those distinct qualities were captured perfectly by Tom Wolfe in his famous book, “The Right Stuff” (it was made into a great movie in 1983 – if you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth your while).

It was the “right stuff” of physical stamina, courage and (a lot) of ego that put those men on top of a rocket, and as I moved forward with my chosen career in the business world, I realized that there was also a blend of “right stuff” necessary to climb to the top of the leadership mountain.

This “stuff” goes beyond the acumen, knowledge and savvy that great leaders possess – this goes deeper, into core personality and temperament.  Things, that if not possessed and practiced, would make everything else moot.

What are they?

I remember them always because of the animals they represent to me – Dog, Turtle, and Cockroach.

“Dog” -  Dogs have this great ability to live in the moment – to let go of any resentment and seemingly “forget” what happened in the past.  Great leaders know how to properly filter past experiences in a similar way,  so they don’t adversely effect their ability to make good decisions at any given time.   There ARE things we should forget, and let go of – and we need the ability to summon this clear and fresh perspective from within.

“Turtle” – This reptile has a very thick protective shell, that wards off many predators.   Great leaders need to possess a similar “thick skin”,  because critique, second guessing, and other business slings and arrows will always be coming their way – it’s how they handle it that is critical.      It’s all too easy to get defensive in the face of criticism, or lose faith or confidence.  An ability to ward off these negatives, or better still, absorb and process them without weakening ourselves, is critical to survival at the top.

“Cockroach” – You have to respect a creature that has been around for 300 million years (that was even before the dinosaurs), and has lived through a couple of ice ages – that’s resiliency.  And resiliency is something a great leader needs more than anything else.  Things go wrong, mistakes get made, you stop, you fix, you start again, you rise, you fall, you teeter on the edge of complete and utter failure – and then, finally, BAM – success.    They just keep at it with an unyielding belief that eventually everything will come together.

This is the “right stuff” of leadership.  Remember:  Dog, Turtle, Cockroach.  And lead well!!