Teaching Notes
Capstone Perspective: Leading Through Fear
Leader: Will Swenson
Topic: Motivating Teams
Topic: Medal of Honor Leadership Series
Capstone Overview
Medal of Honor recipient shares the importance of being immersed with his team to motivate others while balancing emotions tied to fear, anger, risk, and sacrifice.
Capstone Summary
As a leader on the battlefield, you are always balancing emotions. You must moderate your emotions to be effective. Fear is a very important survival mechanism but must be managed to not take over. Anger can drive you forward for action, but not always for the right decision. Where do you put yourself on the battlefield as a leader with shared sacrifice which is shared risk? Shared risk is a carefully balanced analysis of what you want to achieve and what you are willing to sacrifice for success. As a leader, you must be immersed in the battlefield to fully understand what is happening and in a position to motivate others to follow you.
Context
Swenson managed important partnerships in Afghanistan to help transition control of the war from the United States to the Afghan military leadership. Swenson led mixed units with soldiers from both Afghanistan and the United States in an effort to train, equip, and prepare the Afghan military for future command and control of the war. Swenson worked in combat zones to develop partnerships in Afghanistan. Swenson is a Medal of Honor recipient, having received this prestigious award for his acts of valor in Afghanistan. The Congressional Medal of Honor is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor.
Capstone Perspective Design
The Capstones Perspectives are short commentaries by leaders on a particular leadership topic. The run times for these videos are shorter than the leadership cases (typically less than five minutes) and there are no pauses for discussion. They are designed to spark conversation among small groups, but they can also be used for individual viewing.
Facilitation Questions
Use the brief video of this leader to spark discussion on the topic. You might want to consider a couple questions such as:
- Do you agree with this leader’s perspective? Why or why not?
- Share a personal experience that aligns (or conflicts) with what the leader shared.
- What personal values help you structure your own thinking on this topic?
- What leadership principle or perspective drives your behaviors and actions?
Considerations
The lessons shared by this leader are based on his own experiences. These lessons are not necessarily substantiated by academic research but are shared to spark consideration and insight.
Teaching Notes
Capstone Perspective: Leading Through Fear
Leader: Will Swenson
Topic: Motivating Teams
Topic: Medal of Honor Leadership Series
Capstone Overview
Medal of Honor recipient shares the importance of being immersed with his team to motivate others while balancing emotions tied to fear, anger, risk, and sacrifice.
Capstone Summary
As a leader on the battlefield, you are always balancing emotions. You must moderate your emotions to be effective. Fear is a very important survival mechanism but must be managed to not take over. Anger can drive you forward for action, but not always for the right decision. Where do you put yourself on the battlefield as a leader with shared sacrifice which is shared risk? Shared risk is a carefully balanced analysis of what you want to achieve and what you are willing to sacrifice for success. As a leader, you must be immersed in the battlefield to fully understand what is happening and in a position to motivate others to follow you.
Context
Swenson managed important partnerships in Afghanistan to help transition control of the war from the United States to the Afghan military leadership. Swenson led mixed units with soldiers from both Afghanistan and the United States in an effort to train, equip, and prepare the Afghan military for future command and control of the war. Swenson worked in combat zones to develop partnerships in Afghanistan. Swenson is a Medal of Honor recipient, having received this prestigious award for his acts of valor in Afghanistan. The Congressional Medal of Honor is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor.
Capstone Perspective Design
The Capstones Perspectives are short commentaries by leaders on a particular leadership topic. The run times for these videos are shorter than the leadership cases (typically less than five minutes) and there are no pauses for discussion. They are designed to spark conversation among small groups, but they can also be used for individual viewing.
Facilitation Questions
Use the brief video of this leader to spark discussion on the topic. You might want to consider a couple questions such as:
- Do you agree with this leader’s perspective? Why or why not?
- Share a personal experience that aligns (or conflicts) with what the leader shared.
- What personal values help you structure your own thinking on this topic?
- What leadership principle or perspective drives your behaviors and actions?
Considerations
The lessons shared by this leader are based on his own experiences. These lessons are not necessarily substantiated by academic research but are shared to spark consideration and insight.