David Petraeus
The Commander
Decision under pressure, front of house, leads visibly from the front.
David Petraeus is a former U.S. Army General known for his leadership in military operations during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This interview reveals his strategic mindset and ability to drive accountability and results in high-stakes environments.
“On a dark night, can see that this is in this case was not going to turn out well. And tragically, sadly, that assessment has borne out and it's provided, that's the source of a number of the challenges that your party has dealt with, Rory, and not particularly well, in part just because they're so difficult as a result of this.”
“Well, what's interesting is that leadership at the very top requires the performance of four tasks. And success generally is a result of superb strategic leadership. The first task of which is to get the big ideas right, to get the strategy right, to understand the context.”
“Times that you have to subordinate your sort of real inclination or desire for the greater good. But yes, some of this, you know, the guys just uber competitive, all out for himself and his unit, you have to contend with some of that. But you try to mitigate that to the extent you can.”
“It is, and they did not consult those on the ground who actually have been dealing with it and actually had learned a bit about how to move forward in the wake of the collapse of all of the government.”
The Rest Is Politics: Leading — 107. General David Petraeus: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the US military's role in the world
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