Fresh Eyes of Leadership

July 18, 2023

By Stephen T. Messenger

Last week, I officiated two and attended two military change-of-command ceremonies.

Unlike in the civilian world, the military conducts ceremonies to officially declare that the former leader has departed for another assignment, and a new leader is in charge.

This new commander is responsible for everything the unit does or fails to do. Commands usually last for a short two years, and it can often feel like a revolving door of leadership.

Twenty-four months is not a lot of time to make long-term, cultural changes and developing multi-year plans is difficult to accomplish in that period. However, changes of leadership are healthy and help organizations thrive.

Passing of the Colors

The military change-of-command ceremony is steeped in tradition. In Roman times, flags were chosen with unique color arrangements and symbols for each unit. They served as a rallying point to their leader during battle. Where the flag went, so did the unit. Soldiers on the battlefield would know when and where to advance by following their flag, now called colors.

The history, tradition, and accomplishments of the command position are embodied in the colors. In the ceremony, the custodian of the unit colors—the senior non-commissioned officer—passes the colors to the outgoing commander. They, in turn, pass the colors to their direct commander, signifying the relinquishing of unit leadership.

Next, that senior commander passes the colors to the new commander symbolizing them placing their trust and confidence in the new leader, and finally, the incoming commander passes the colors back to the custodian.

This ceremonial passing of colors from an outgoing commander to an incoming commander ensures that the unit and its soldiers are never without official leadership, represents a continuation of trust, and signifies an allegiance of soldiers to their unit’s commander.

Not a Change of Direction

When a four-star general took command a few months ago, I heard him state that this was “a change of command, not a change of direction.” Great point!

Great organizations don’t reroute their planning when new leadership is in charge. Instead, they trust the path of previous and current leaders and continue to make forward progress on the same initiatives—with the caveat that the organization was performing well when the new leader arrived.

It’s not a bad thing to change leaders every so often. I think we can all attest that repeating the same processes and actions over and over can lead to stagnation, routine, and boredom. Often, it brings up the dreaded phrase: “It’s how we’ve always done it.”

Don’t get me wrong, a high performing unit who does routine things routinely is critical to the health and success of their organization. But organizations who don’t regularly reframe and review past practices are in danger of missing efficiencies and better ways of doing business.

The Fresh Eyes of Leadership

I’ve been in command for one year, and now myself see new leaders arriving in the organization. One of the first questions I get asked is: “Why do we do things like that?” My immediate and human reaction is to get defensive—we all do. But my leadership reaction is to think about the reasons behind what we do and see if it still makes sense.

New leadership is great for any organization. They come with fresh eyes, a new perspective, and innovative ideas from their past. Their job is not to create a change of direction but to find better ways of doing the same things.

Whenever I take over a new position, I like to say that I’m not better or worse than the old person, but I am different. That’s why the first thing I do is move my desk. It’s a visible reminder to everyone walking in the office that I’m different. And that’s okay. New leaders are not good or bad, but they are different.  And that’s good!

New People Are a Great Thing

While it often doesn’t feel like it, new people in any position are great for an organization. They come in motivated to learn, explore, and discover their job. From this, change will naturally occur when fresh ideas, eyes, and initiatives combine with reliable routine ways of doing things.

As I passed the colors from one leader to another last week, it made me think of the value that new leadership brings to an organization. I encourage you to harness the immense power of new people and make your organization better because of them.

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