(ThyBlackMan.com) A snippet to all our loyal readers on the eve of my soon to be released book: The Moses Principle of Leadership: Teach, Tell & Train. I wrote this book as an intro to all pastors and those that aspire to labor in the Christian vineyard as a groundbreaker or manager of people. Written for the church, yet, valuable to all managers of people in all walks of life! Always remember that every leader including as far back as Moses; whether in business, politics or the contemporary church, has what one might call a default style of leadership. In business, most of the time you’re likely to be most effective and most comfortable when you are leading using that chosen default leadership style. However, the ability to adapt or mold your style of leadership is critical when you are required to deliver up to the minute results on a sensible basis while still presenting positive outcomes to would be receivers or followers on-time. You’ll never be an effective leader if you only practice as a crisis manager; one who only adjust to problem situations as they arise! This is ludicrous…have a plan!
Among the simplest and most powerful frameworks that can be of great assistance to you is to adapt the time tested concept of peacetime and wartime leadership. The best thing about this leadership philosophy is that it’s completely natural. Once you have grasped the difference between these two management or 
leadership roles, the framework you implement will continue to be very useful whenever you are thinking about the qualities of great leadership styles.
Peacetime Leadership
Peacetime in a business environment is when your company has a sustainable and clear-cut competitive advantage over your competitors. Your market is experiencing unprecedented growth, and you possess the skills, the resources, and time to focus on innovation and market based expansion. Because of these factors, you’re likely to be focusing all your efforts on inclusive decision-making. Simply put in layman’s terms; asking supporters for and receiving input on maintaining the status-quo.
Leaders in peacetime broaden and maximize the current opportunity. A CEO during peacetime focuses on the great picture, empowering followers to make well-thought and detailed decisions. The goals of a peacetime CEO, manager or leader are big, daunting, awesome, and audacious. This type of manager is a visionary always looking to an optimistic future. A good peacetime manager always knows: “When outgo exceeds your income upkeep becomes your downfall!”
Wartime Leadership
Wartime, in a nutshell may be described as the period when your business, organization, company or church for that matter; is focused on a threat to its very survival. You typically have just a single remaining arrow in your quiver and at all costs, must hit the target. Survival depends upon strict alignment and adherence to this single survival mission. If you know of a scenario where a Shepherd (Pastor) goes on to his heavenly reward; and someone carries the ministry forward in a different style/format you may understand my premise. People don’t always respond kindly to a new leader even when that individual has essentially the same subjects/employees. That’s because people will oftentimes respond to a person more so than the movement or challenges that lie ahead. Know when to adjust your management style for the better based upon your followers/employees.
Maximizing on Both Styles
The moment you start noticing that your company, church, organization or your individual role is shifting or moving from wartime to peacetime or vice versa, you must begin making some hard changes in your leadership style if you are to continue delivering the same kind of effective results. When all is said and done, it all comes down to the results you achieve. This is the primary reason losing coaches in major sports are canned when the going gets tough. The team owner knows it’s easier to terminate the coach than a whole squad of “overpaid” professional athletes. So as a leader begin thinking wartime/peacetime. It forms the initial step towards leadership that is highly adaptable to your ever changing role or responsibility.
Practical Examples/Illustrations
When John Swearingen of Standard Oil made a comeback as CEO of Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago; at that time the 6th largest bank in the nation; he found the bank just a couple of months away from going under —the wartime classic scenario. Swearingen required every manager there, including this writer; who at the time was a Supervisor in the Distribution Services Department at CINB to follow his exact plan with precision; outside the core mission of survival, there was to be no room for any kind of “rogue” or individual creativity. And did he succeed! The holding company was secured by the successful Chemical Bank and is now quite profitable as the revitalized Bank of America.
On the other hand, as Google had already achieved global search market dominance, the management encouraged peacetime innovation by making it possible and even requiring each Google employee to spend at least 20% of their time on new personal projects.
Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister was a fantastic communicator and an exceptional wartime leader. His style of leadership greatly inspired the people of Britain throughout the war, lifting the nation’s morale. He was hugely effective when it came to rallying the entire nation to one cause: survival.
Churchill at the same time gives us an excellent case study of what can potentially happen when you are unable to adapt your leadership style to a changing environment. His proven success as a wartime leader failed during the post-war environment of inclusive peacetime politics. In the era of the freshly minted President Donald Trump that is a subject for another time.
Bottom line
It is vital for leaders to know whether their business is at war or at peace. And to state the truth, in most times if you practice the concepts of Teach Tell and Train; as discussed throughout this publication you will be having a pretty good grasp relative to your personal status. Where we fail as managers/leaders is that often, we don’t connect the dots regarding our own personal style of leadership. Simply put we make it up as we go along without having a concrete plan of action.
Though they are quite different, peacetime and wartime management techniques or leadership styles, when used in the proper context can and will be highly effective. The bottom line is that a wartime manager or CEO does not resemble a peacetime manager or CEO. To be a truly effective leader, you need to be adaptive to both styles of leadership as demanded by the state of affairs you are handling in your business, church or political role. I put a simple catchphrase on the board which was uttered by my business mentor; Mr. H. Craig Jones, when I taught my first business class at Concordia University in River Forest; Illinois many years ago: “The whole is always greater than the sum of the individual parts.” I still believe it today and so should you.
Staff Writer; Stanley G. Buford
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