LEADERSHIP WISDOM LQ – Legacy Quotient: Leave Your Enduring Leadership Imprint
Consider Field Marshal Lord David Richards GCB CBE DSO DL
(Podcast 298). Throughout his career, he led operations in East Timor and
Afghanistan, commanded NATO forces, served as Chief of the General
Staff (CGS) and, ultimately, became Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), which
is the professional head of Britainʹs armed forces.
In our conversation, we addressed a crux point in David’s leadership: his
command in Sierra Leone in 2000, where he defeated brutal rebels and
protected many lives. His actions to avoid bloodshed required ingenuity
and moral courage. He shared:
ʺIn Sierra Leone, I knew I could do more than what I was ordered
to do, but I couldnʹt openly disobey orders. I had to find a way to
achieve my objectives while appearing to follow instructions.”
Leaving a meaningful legacy can sometimes require finding thoughtful,
principled ways to bend rules when necessary – not out of defiance, but out
of a deep commitment to what must be accomplished.
How Much is Enough?
