8 Leadership Lessons From the Best War Leadership Film of All Time

Great leaders do one thing others don't — they get maximum effort.

This is what General Frank Savage was asked to do when he took command of the 918th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Eighth Air Force during World War II in the 1949 film 12 O'Clock High. The 918th was the hard luck group. A group led by a man, Colonel Davenport, that his team was devoted to. A leader, that on paper, looked like the best the Air Force had — hardworking, courageous, and loyal. Yet it was the worst group in the Air Force.

If the 918th folded, it would trigger a domino effect taking down other groups and eventually the strategically important Precision Daylight Bombing campaign as a whole.

As General Savage took over command of the 918th from Colonel Davenport he had to figure out what their max effort was and the only lever he could pull was great leadership. He wouldn't benefit from more resources; the German Luftwaffe was getting stronger, not weaker; and every one of his men had all but given up.

Leaders in the tech industry can relate to General Savage's situation. When taking command, you almost universally face stiff competition, have limited resources, are responsible for critical missions, and results must be realized immediately.

What follows are the 8 leadership lessons that, if followed, will flip the chances for success in your favor and result in getting a max effort from your team. While these 8 are the most important I draw from the film, I'm sure you'll find even more when you watch it yourself.

Great Leaders...

1

Have an uncompromising belief in the potential of their people

To achieve max effort a team must be trusted and challenged.

After handing over command of the 918th, Col. Davenport suggested to General Savage that he give the boys 'somebody to lean on'. General Savage considered this for a minute before replying: "No, I think they're better than that. If that's true, we're a dead duck and we better find out about it right now. Once and for all."

Savage had a high expectation for his group and held them to it even though doing so was hard for his men. Conversely, Col Davenport provided a sympathetic ear for his "boys". This won him favor with his group, but came at the expense of its collective potential.

Applying this lesson in today's tech environment can be hard because work is more informal, matrixed, and remote. Striking the right balance takes care. On one extreme, setting a high standard and holding people to it can be perceived as dictatorial leadership and there's a risk people won't feel respected when constantly being told to do their job better. On the other extreme, overly identifying with your team, as Colonel Davenport does, results in mediocre work that might meet requirements but nothing more.

Tech leaders need to understand this delicate balance and identify on a person-by-person basis how to stretch someone. But you must be mindful of the extremes.

When the right balance is struck, you'll see two things. First, individuals will grown and produce better work. Secondly, your team will unite. Bob Dylan summarized this latter point well in his song Brownsville Girl:

Strange how people who suffer together have stronger connections
Than people who are most content

2

Promote and maintain group integrity at all costs

Teams succeed when the right people play the right roles and remain committed to each other.

General Savage's men where responsible for executing high risk missions over Germany and Western Europe in the light of day. To maintain defensive strength, particularly from Luftwaffe attack from above (i.e. 12 O'Clock High), the group had to fly in a combat box formation at all times. If just one B-17 pulled out of formation, say to support a friend that was hit, the formation was weakened and the remaining 20 planes had 10 less guns to protect itself from attack.

Applying this lesson today requires leaders to consider what the essential members of a team are (i.e. what's the formation that results in the best chance of success?). Too often leaders don't address this foundational step before their teams begin work. Once the right people are in place, the leader must ensure each role remains committed. Commitment often breaks down across functional silos. So knowing this, leaders should monitor this point of weakness and ensure it doesn't breakdown, thus leaving teams weak.

3

Execute

A team's mission is to execute; not question the validity of the mission.

General Frank Savage highlights this lesson by telling Col Davenport:

"When the old man cuts a field order, he's thought about it. There isn't enough time to take everyone of them apart to see what makes them tick"

Applying this lesson requires leaders to own their responsibility to execute. Openly questioning missions, or allowing a team to, takes away from execution and fosters discontent. This said, leaders must respect that an individual must play situations how she sees them. If she doesn't believe in the mission and wants to move on, then that's likely for the best.

4

Foster a sense of pride

Pride unites teams and multiplies productivity

General Frank Savage assessed the 918th and after a week said:

"I think I know how deep the problem here is Major. I'm convinced that the one thing that can solve it is pride. Pride in this group. The kind of pride that will make it the last thing a man wants to be is left on the ground."

Applying this lesson requires leaders to intentionally foster it. This can be done through enforcing discipline, such as timeliness of work or the quality of presentations. But it's also accomplished through knowing what victories to go get and actually getting them. You can't build pride without accomplishing something tough that you didn't think was possible. A leader's mission is to identify these things and let their team accomplish them.

Pride is critical to reaching max effort because it breeds selflessness. When pride grows, teams begin to fight for each other. Individuals step outside their defined roles to help to collective. If you lead a team and don't see this dynamic, the team likely hasn't fully developed a sense a pride.

5

Instill a sense of ownership

Leaders promote a sense of ownership where teams know they control their own destiny. They're not subject to hard luck or doomed to a bad fate.

Applying this lesson requires leaders to not engage in complaining about resources or competition, nor allowing a team to. Leaders need to focus teams on overcoming struggles, not sympathizing with them.

6

Fight alongside their team

Great leaders don't just lead, they're "individual contributors" too.

General Savage was frequently seen captaining bombing runs with his men. This contrasts with a scene at the start of the movie where wounded soldiers were carried out of a B-17 with the words "Where angles and Generals fear to tread" above the door.

Applying this lesson requires leaders to know they must not only lead. Nor must they only contribute. They must do both. Leading and fighting alongside your team builds team pride and grows confidence.

7

Provide clear direction

Missions are rarely fully defined. Your responsibility is to provide clarity so people can execute.

In the film the 918th's doctor didn't have a measure for evaluating who was fit to fly and who wasn't, i.e. he couldn't effectively do his job without clear direction. Col. Davenport and General Savage provided very different guidance:

Doctor: Someone should give me a policy, a yardstick of what a maximum effort means. I wish you could tell me what it means.

Col. Davenport: Doc I wish I knew, I wish I could answer that.
General Savage: If a man is physically capable of handling his airplane, then he goes.

Applying this lesson requires leaders to identify ambiguity and clarify it. Failing to do so hinders a team's ability to execute and reach a max effort.

8

Reserve praise for when it's deserved

Don't cheapen praise by doling it out all the time. Teams must earn praise.

General Savage withheld praise until his men "really earned it." This moment first came when the group carried out a mission that every other group aborted. No longer was the 918th a laughing stock. On this day they accomplished what no other group did and Savage praised them for it.

Applying this lesson is tougher than it seems because the culture today praises even the smallest accomplishments. Whether it's with emoji reactions to posts or just outright praise on a video conference. People are increasingly accustomed to receiving positive feedback. While feedback is fine, overt praise should be throttled back and used mainly when significant accomplishments have been realized. This will result in teams striving to gain the recognition.