EIL36:Building Consensus in International Military Operations Leading in a Complex Operational Environment with Derrick Lee

Leadership in service and working with nations with different leadership styles is a crucial aspect of international cooperation. 

However, the challenge lies in bridging the gap between different leadership styles and approaches. Each nation has its own cultural and organizational context, which can influence their leadership practices.

To overcome this challenge, leaders must have a deep understanding of different leadership styles and be adaptable in their approach. 

And the question, how does one find consensus from different countries in NATO  because each nation has its own priorities.  

Derrick Lee, a military/army officer with 30 years of experience in the intelligence specialty, with extensive experience in multinational,coalition,alliance operational environments, having led both US and allied military service members. Two combat deployments, to Iraq and Afghanistan, and experience in NATO as well as Republic of Korea/US Combined Forces Command. 

Well, let's deep dive with  Derrick Lee about his extensive military experience and his experience in multinational alliance operation and how consensus reached us at all. 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode

• Challenges in Building Consensus within NATO Members: Discover the complexities of aligning diverse national interests within NATO to achieve common goals.

• Leadership Evolution in Military and Organizational Hierarchies: Explore the shift in leadership styles as you progress up the ranks, from a focus on internal operations to strategic oversight.

• The Importance of Relationships in Leadership: Learn how guiding and leading your teams to cultivate strong relationships, not just vertically but also horizontally, can enhance team dynamics and performance.

Derrick Lee on managing different levels of the organization: "As you go up, the ratio of down and in versus up and out shifts. Down and in means you're focused within your organization and you're really kind of being closely involved. Up and out means you're interacting more with your higher headquarters, you're interacting more with your adjacent organization, and really kind of looking at the greater strategic picture."

Topics Covered:

• 00:23 Introduction to Derrick Lee's background in military intelligence, focusing on analyzing threat situations.

• 04:14 Discussion on monitoring Russian military activity in 2021 and the process of determining potential threats and future actions.

• 07:00 Challenges of building consensus within NATO due to different national priorities and threats perceived by countries bordering Russia.

• 09:50 Importance of explaining the strategic context behind orders to enhance team understanding and initiative.

• 12:00 Managing different levels of the organization, emphasizing the shift from focusing within the organization to overseeing strategic contexts.

• 14:46 Learning from various leadership styles and experiences to adapt to different levels of responsibility within the military.

• 17:54 Transition to working in defense contracting, highlighting the importance of understanding financial aspects and budget execution for operational success.

Connect with Derrick Lee

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-lee-1b619436/  

Connect with Katrina Burrus

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinaburrus/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katrina.burrus

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/katrinaburrus?lang=en

• More Impactful Episodes at https://mkbconseil.ch/eil-podcast/