General Mattis - Operations Occur at the Speed of Trust

Cooperation, too, occurs at the speed of trust.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
D. Brown Management
April 19, 2020 3 minute read
leadership
Share

Retired General Jim Mattis uses the word trust 65+ times in his autobiography Call Sign Chaos:  Learning to Lead.  

Leadership Tools: General Mattis operations occur at the speed of trust.

General Mattis ties trust together with building speed into operations to provide an advantage. This was cited multiple times by Michael Valenti, Major in the US Marine Corps, in a study he did on General Mattis's leadership style and the results: The Mattis Way of War: An Examination of Operational Art in Task Force 58 and 1st Marine Division

Construction projects are often chaotic and require a high degree of trust between parties from the initial business development following through to the design and construction phases. Contractors that focus on building trust at all levels move quicker and more profitably than their peers. This is especially true in uncertain conditions like COVID-19 and the likely post-COVID recession.   

Patrick Lencioni defines trust as the foundation of effective teams delivering results.  

  1. Trust in Each Other
  2. Constructive Conflict
  3. True Commitment
  4. Holding Each Other Accountable
  5. Focus on Results

Brené Brown has studied trust deeply and digs into what trust really is, including how to build and maintain it: The Anatomy of Trust. She uses the acronym BRAVING to break trust down into individual components.  

  • Boundaries
  • Reliability
  • Accountability
  • Vault
  • Integrity
  • Non-Judgment
  • Generosity

Additional Book Resources

 

8 Stages of Personal and Team Growth
Exploration expands our context. Learning and deliberate practice builds and demonstrates our individual productivity. Develop team productivity with four levels of leveraging yourself through others. Take an inventory of where you and your team are at.
Related Article
Leadership Spotlight - The Diffusion and Multiplication of Perceived Behaviors
As a leader, you are always under the spotlight and must behave that way. All of your actions and perceived actions will be replicated throughout the organization. They will not be replicated in the way that you think.
Related Article
Perspectives on Development - Focusing on Strengths AND Weaknesses
There are a couple of schools of thought on development. The highest performers tend to embrace both of them. Don’t ever let a weakness of yours or anyone around you become an excuse for not achieving your goals.
Related Article