Thus, as an intelligence professional, by mid-career, you should have developed goals in terms of the intelligence discipline (collection, analysis, reporting), subject area (nation, region, global issue), or professional function (administration, management, technology) that will become the focus for your career path; the Service (line, branch, staff, joint duty) or Community organization that will be your career home-base for advancement; the type and level of ultimate position to which you aspire and the post-government career or interest you would like to pursue.

Once such goals are established, they can form the basis for a strategic career plan to acquire the training, get the work experience and seek the positions that will help you develop the professional expertise, demonstrate the leadership talent, make the personal contacts and build the reputation that will mark you for promotion to a career position of the kind to which you aspire. Depending on your tenure in the Community, included in that career plan can also be training, experience and contacts that will also contribute to a resume that will allow you to move assuredly and smoothly into the future civilian occupation or activity that you desire to pursue after a successful government career and retirement.

Success will come from an unchanging focus on the ultimate goals, but from flexibility in adapting the plan to achieve those goals. Without career goals and a plan to achieve them, no matter how well you do each job, your career progression will ultimately be seen as unfocused, your commitment to one discipline, function, or organization will be seen as weak and, therefore, you will be seen as unqualified for selection to a leadership position.

Thus, the first step in personal-professional development ought to be the definition of a set of career goals and a strategic plan to achieve them.

Trust is the single quality that will cause people to willingly follow lead of another. Would you willingly follow someone who you didn’t trust into a pitch black cave, or continue to follow when their actions inside caused you to no longer trust that person?  Probably not!  Thus, to entice people to follow your Lead into an unknown future, you must gain and sustain the trust of the people of the organization.  To gain peoples’ trust a Leader must have the Integrity to do the right thing and sustain it by having the Courage to take the risk of doing the right thing even in the most difficult situations.

Webster defines “integrity” by such words as “perfect”, “whole”, “undivided”.  Today, we often speak of a person with integrity as one who “has it all together”.  Webster, when describing a person, defines “integrity” as “firm adherence to a code of esp. moral values.”  James Kouzes and Barry Posner in describing “the leadership challenge” and the importance of “credibility” emphasize that a Leader must not only be “truthful” but also “ethical and principled.”  But, it is not enough to insure that you have integrity, it must be demonstrated. Followers will only trust a Leader who “walks the talk”.  In integrity, “actions speak louder than words.”

Thus, there are at least 4 good and practical reasons to demonstrate your integrity everyday.

·  Doing so will help you gain the initial trust of your followers as you take over an organization.

·  It will strengthen that trust and confirm you as a Leader as you Lead the organization on a day-to-day basis.

·  It will prepare your followers to follow you with confidence in unexpected or crisis situations.

·  It will set the example for your followers and motivate them to also act with integrity so that you can trust them.

To learn more about integrity and why and how it must be demonstrated every day, go here and scroll down to “Trust Requires Integrity” _____.

According to Webster, ”courage” is “the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.”  But, as the early philosophers emphasized, courage is also the mean between foolhardiness and timidity.  Having courage permits one to take calculated risks.  An intelligence professional, perhaps more than any other professional, must have the courage to take risks, yet do so in a way that consistently establishes and maintains a reputation for personal integrity and the integrity of the organization.

Intelligence professionals, especially military, must have physical courage to risk their lives collecting intelligence in combat areas or when providing intelligence support to forward deployed combat forces. Certainly, human source (HUMINT) collectors require physical courage to risk the consequences of disclosure as they carry out their efforts in clandestine situations.  But, just as physical courage requires one to risk one’s life or safety, moral courage requires one to risk one’s reputation, position or career to do the right thing in difficult bureaucratic circumstances.  Such courage is required by all intelligence professionals and intelligence Leaders.

All intelligence professionals require the courage to "speak truth to power". It takes moral courage to give honest and objective briefings which clearly provide information and analysis to top-level political and military Leaders even when that information or analysis indicates that the official’s policies are not working or suggests to operational commanders that their plans are not succeeding.  To risk being accused as less than thorough in one’s efforts or wrong in one’s conclusions and, perhaps, even being removed from the assignment or position for sticking to one’s analytical findings in the face of pressure to provide the expected answer, to conform to the consensus or to make more palatable interpretations of the evidence takes both moral courage and a commitment to personal integrity. 

Every intelligence Leader needs to have the courage not only to take the creative risks required to devise and implement previously untried collection, analytical or management solutions necessary to succeed when faced with new and demanding circumstances; but also have the courage to take the risks of not becoming a micromanager or imposing a zero defects mentality on the organization and trust the people of the organization to do their job well when carrying out those solutions.  In addition, Leaders must also have the courage to take the career risk of facing possible failure when implementing those solutions and trusting the people of the organization, by providing guidance and placing limitations that set ethical standards or establish principles for performance to maintain the integrity of the organization and insure that the efforts are conducted within the legal and ethical parameters demanded by American society and the highest standards of military and public service.  For Intelligence Community Leaders who provide the basis for national security and military decisionmaking, this is especially critical.  The national interests can only be served by intelligence collected by aggressive and innovative means and based on analysis derived from a balanced and unbiased consideration of all sources and presented in a non-parochial and impartial manner.  No matter what the ends---hoped for success or possible failure---the collection means must be legally and ethically conducted and the analysis derived and presented without being tainted by political, economic or bureaucratic pressures or enticements.  In the American Intelligence Community, it is not only winning, but also how you play the game that counts. 

Furthermore, Intelligence Community Leaders are public servants working with other public servants.  Those who have dedicated their professional lives to public service, often making personal and financial sacrifices to do so, deserve the best Leaders.  An intelligence Leader, must have the courage to maintain personal and organizational integrity by providing the promised or implied professional and career opportunities and security, even when under bureaucratic pressure to curtail such benefits in the name of efficiency, effectiveness or resource constraints.  It takes courage to do what is right for the interests and concerns of one’s followers during a period of organizational turmoil---i.e., reorganization or downsizing---or to “fight the system”---i.e., with regard to evaluations or promotions---on behalf of one’s followers, even at the risk of being seen as “not a team player” or even to the point of angering seniors and putting one’s own career progression at risk.  Even in the normal high pressure times of intelligence work, to care for the people of the organization by maintaining a reasonable work schedule or by continuing to permit adherence to promised training opportunities or rotational assignments when more senior Leaders are demanding the maximum organizational response requires the courage and the integrity to do what is right for the people while also doing right by the organization.  Likewise, in times of transformation, it takes courage to introduce the required change or improvement in a way that is sensitive to the needs and interests of the people while still maintaining the integrity to support the organizational vision of senior Leaders. 

Given their demonstrated probity as verified by the security clearance process and their continued dedication and commitment to the highest standards of military and public service, intelligence professionals are clearly people of integrity Yet, maintaining the honesty and objectivity of one’s intelligence analysis when being challenged;  taking the risk of trying something new to get the job done while still insuring that it conforms to legal, ethical and expected standards; and standing up for one’s people rather than worrying about the consequences for one’s own organizational reputation or career progression clearly takes a person of integrity and courage.  In such situations it is often tempting to “just this once” re-interpret the evidence, or take a shortcut or skirt the bounds of propriety to “get the job done”, or go back on a commitment to the people of the organization and “go along to get along” with seniors.  All intelligence Leaders need to perfect their integrity and demonstrate courage by not falling into such traps.  By doing so, they will engender the trust of their followers.

In addition, some people have personality characteristics which could cause them to lose their integrity, especially if they are not careful in crisis situations when it is urgent to get the job done. For example, those with an NT temperament usually "stand on principle...no matter what the prince" and, especially, the ENTP is said to have a "strong value system", all of which suggest high integrity.  Yet, the typical ENTP is also highly "competitive" , a "risk taker", sometimes tries "brinksmanship", "has the capacity to ignore the standard, the traditional and the authoritative" and enjoys " outwitting the system and using rules and regulations to win the game".  There are many NTs among intelligence professionals and it is important that these people pause to think and balance the integrity of their NT temperament with the courage generated by their E “enthusiasm” and P “spontaneity”.    There are also a very few intelligence professionals who have a SP temperament that makes them great “firefighters” but also causes them to be “spontaneous”, “impulsive”, “risk takers” and sometimes “too expedient”. Of that group, especially, the E/ISTP are sometimes by nature “concerned more with what works than with traditions or morals” and “want to follow their own lead and to have their impulses not subject to rules, regulations or laws”. They “can be fiercely insubordinate, seeing authority as unnecessary and even annoying. It is not a matter of going against regulations as it is simply ignoring them, and not allowing them to influence execution.”  Likewise, it is important that these people pause and to think and balance the desire of their SP temperament to get the job done with the need to maintain the integrity of the organization and their own integrity.

To insure that they do not fall into the trap of violating their integrity “just this once” or let some of their temperament and personality characteristics to get the job done overrule common sense, intelligence professional Leaders must always be working to perfect their integrity so that they have the courage to act with integrity, even in the face of any temptation or challenge.  In short, intelligence professionals must be striving to be persons of Character.

To become a person of Character is a life-long commitment and journey.  To begin that journey, go here_____.

Sometimes in crises, people come to the fore who inspire others to great efforts based on their enthusiasm, optimism and outstanding rhetorical abilities along with a reputation for past success and the creation of a persona that that conveys courage and competence.  Such so-called "heroic" or "charismatic" Leaders are rare and need the stimulation of  a challenge to bring out their leadership abilities and are not interested in day-to-day leadership activities. Those who are ESTPs, the type comprising the smallest portion of the total population, often fill this role. (Note: Go to"Have the Courage to Take Risks Yet Sustain Personal and Organizational Integrity" above and read about a potential trap to be avoided by the ESTP.)

Other people have true personal charisma, that "certain something that attracts people to them" and inspires people to follow.  They have an enthusiastic, optimistic, positive, approach to life,  an understanding of and genuine regard for the needs of others and the ability to communicate that spirit in words along with a willingness to back it up with deeds.  For example, ENFJs can be an inspiring Leaders because they are "intuitive about people" and, "pay attention to what motivates others and encourage them to act..." and are good at spoken communications.  But, fundamentally: "People follow them because they place people at the top of their priority list and take seriously the feelings of others" and "enjoy meeting peoples' needs, even in small matters."  Others, such as ESFJs also recognize the "importance of social relationships", "will attend to the needs of others" and "work to promote harmony".  On that basis and because they are "usually able to call people by name, even after only one meeting " and are "outstanding at selling...themselves" they can usually develop an inspiring relationship with others.

But not everyone has a past reputaion for success and can be charismatic in persona or speaking to inspire others or not everyone naturally relates to people in an understanding and empathetic way,  yet everyone can do things that will inspire and motivate people to trust them and follow their leadership.  Indeed, there is nothing more inspiring or motivating for people than for them to realize that the Leader knows who they are, knows what they are doing, thinks it is well done and valuable and cares about them as individuals and professionals. To convey that message to the people of the organization it is necessary to get out of the office and walk around to meet and interact with them in an interested, empathetic and appreciative way. 

Unfortunately, many intelligence professionals don't get out of the office and interact with people as often as they should.   While, most Es who are "interested in the activities of their work and in how other people do them" and "develop ideas by discussing them with others" are motivated to get out and walk around the organization on a regular basis, others do so less often.  The Is who prefer "working by themselves" and to "develop ideas through reflection" are less inclined to get out and walk through the organization talking to people on a regular basis.  Likewise, Ps who often let themselves get "over-committed" and, thus, "defer needed tasks" also don't get out into the organization and talk to people as often as they should. 

And, even if  and when they get out into the organization, most intelligence professionals are usually acting in a task-focused manner, focused on the work of the organization rather than the people.  For example, the TJ will tend to focus on the substance and issues of work rather than on the people of the organization.  Some of those, the NTJs, tend to discuss ideas and strategies while others, the STJs, tend to be more bureaucratic and emphasize rules, regs and schedules. In general these people may fail to notice other people’s need for personal connection, appreciation and praise from peers and seniors.  For example, NTs are "not good at small talk" and may "need to be drawn out" on a personal level so they sometimes appear "cold and distant to others".   The SJ is "not very comfortable comfortable with personal expressions of appreciation".  Those typical E/INTJ or E/ISTJ qualities can give people the impression that they are just “workers” and the Leader does not care about them as individuals or professionals.  That can undercut the ability to build a relationship with the people of the organization that is conducive to building a team and Inspiring them over the longer term.  

Thus, it can be seen that E/INTJs and E/ISTJs who are aspiring Leaders should be out of their office and walking throughout the organization developing their leadership taltent to be caring and inspiring Leaders. They normally  constitute about 60% of senior intelligence professionals  and must prepare themselves for that role by getting practice and experience mingling and interacting with people in a non-task-oriented, empathetic and appreciative way so that, when in a leadership position, they can build the relationships with the people of the organization that will provide the basis for trust and will motivate and inspire people to follow their Leadership.

Furthermore, when in a leadership/management position it will be necessary for these same people to be out walking in the organization checking on task accomplishment.  As professionals and Leaders they have high standards and expect others to meet those standards. But, frequently those high expectations may not be met by others.  When that occurs,  The E/INTJ and E/ISTJ Leaders must be able to quell the instinctive response which, by personality temperament, they might like to make.   

For example,  whether E or I, the Ns want to hear about "all options", they like ideas that have a "cutting edge focus" and want "people to consider future possibilities and challenges.  The S "likes straight-forward and feasible suggestions" and "practical and realistic applications".   The Ts "want the pros and cons of each alternative to be listed" and are "convinced by cool impersonal reasoning". The Js “dislike surprises and want warning" and "expect others to follow through and count on it."  These preferences, when combined, can create some strong reactions.  For example, NTs "expect people to think about things differently" and "experience conflict when principles are faulty."  And, when conversing on a task they may not "moderate their expressions", or may "react quickly without thinking" and "use emotions and feelings as secondary data" so they surprise others and "inadvertantly upset people by overlooking their emotions".  On the other hand, the STs will "experience conflict when work is not done correctly" and when that happens will "tend to be firm-minded" and "short with people" because they "can get along without harmony".  As a result, they are likely to "become critical of others" and "hurt peoples feelings without knowing it".  The SJs will "be impatient with projects that get delayed by unforeseen complications" and "irritated by followers who brush aside their responsibilities and disregard schedules."  Thus, the SJ tendency would be to"admonsish people for minor delinquencies" and "point out deficiencies" and do that "publically rather than privately". 

The Leader/manager checking on task accomplishment will want to avoid these negative reactions which can only serve to demotivate the person and, if done in the midst of the working area, can demotivate the entire organization.  Rather, the Leader will want to be prepared to listen and provide some motivating guidance and encouragement.  Coaching or counseling, if required, should take place later in private. 

Thus, to develop their leadership talent and prepare themselves for leadership positions, intelligence professionals should be out walking in the their organization and practicing both relating to people in an intereste, empathetic and appreciative way as well as practicing listening to others talk about task accomplishment and responding in a positive and helpful manner. Since intelligence professionals should be out in their organization and allied organizations anyway, to make contacts and network with other professionals in order to insure that their intelligence activities are cooperative and coordinated, they can also use that time to develop and practice their inter-personal skills for Leadership.

To make sure that you do so, you should schedule yourself to get out of the office and walk around frequently in the organization to which you are assigned and to sister or collocated organizations. To maximize this opportunity, plan to do it in a structured, organized and prepared way. Plan who you are going to see so that you don’t show favorites and eventually contact all the people of the organization.  Plan a topic to talk about with that person that demonstrates your interest in their professional interests or activities but not a specific work project and one that can't be answered just with a "yes" or "no" to get the conversation started with them speaking. (How was that recent training session?  Was that conference you attended worthwhile?  Have any travel planned? etc.) or broad personal interests (“how ‘bout the Redskins?  How was your recent leave?  Where’d you go?).  After your initial question, especially, practice listening in an active or empathetic manner and quelling those kinds of off-the-cuff, unthinking responses that reveal impatience, disinterest or disagreement and that can give people the impression that you don’t care about their interests or views as people or professionals. People like to talk about themselves, their interests and activities, so just use these walks to practice asking questions to show interest, listening and responding in a positive complimentary way. Likewise, be prepared to meet other people as well, by having casual small talk prepared, and some general encouraging and complimentary remarks ready to include in any conversation, and having a list of tasks in mind for which certain people should be commended or appreciated. The more you practice these inter-personal niceties, the better you will become at it. When you move to a new position, new place with a new group of people, you’ll have to start all over, but remember you are doing this to develop a skill and a reputation as a “people person”.

When you are then placed in a mid-level Leadership position you will find that these inter-personal skills that you have developed will pay off because your reputation as a people person may have preceded you. By using the interest and listening skills that you have practiced and are now second nature you will be able to stay in touch with the people of the organization, get them to open up to you with regard to their needs and desires, and be seen as the caring Leader who is willing to listen and understand the concerns of the people to support their morale and carry their concerns up the line to help sustain the stability of the organization.

Furthermore, as a mid-level Leader, having developed this skill of planning your forays into the organization will pay off as you become involved in monitoring performance or checking up on tasks and issues that are important to you and for organizational performance.  You will be accustomed to planning who you are going to meet and your goals for the meeting before you leave your office.  From your knowledge of the person you are planning to meet, based on your earlier forays into the organization, you can think about what to expect from the person in terms of a reaction to your initial question about the task or issue. Thus, you can have a prepared follow-up response in mind in case of an anticipated unwelcome response. But, still listen first and modify your prepared remarks to the actual response which, hopefully, will be better than you had expected. This pre-planning will help you continue the encounter with positive, encouraging and motivating statements to the person and avoid making spontaneous impatient, critical, and discouraging remarks that may just turn the person off from improving their effort. Remember, as a Leader, this brief encounter is an effort to show the person that you are interested in them as a professional and care about their professional activities.  That is not to say that you cannot show disappointment at their remarks such as “I had hoped that...” or set higher standards on the spot such as “I think it would be better if you....” But,    reprimands, coaching and counseling, if required, are to be conducted at other times.

Also, as before, always leave the office prepared to meet others in the organization armed with small talk topics ready to initiate discussion and a list of tasks in mind for which certain people should be commended or appreciated. In fact, plan your walks in order to find people doing things for which they can be congratulated, thanked or commended.

Thus, for intelligence professionals, the best way to inspire people to commit themselves to the organization and its goals is to show them that you really care about them as both as people and professionals, that you are interested in their work and  that you value and appreciate their efforts.   The best way is to do so by walking through the organization interacting with them on a one-on-one basis in both a non-task and task-oriented manner.  This takes practice and the earlier you start, the better you will become at it.  

The most important leadership style for an intelligence professional to master is a generally Participatory style. Such a style encompasses the styles first described by Hersey and Blanchard as "Selling" and "Participating", and later modified by Blanchard as "Coaching" and "Supporting". (For a discussion of leadership styles, go here____ and use the index.) 

When an intelligence officer or senior NCO, is working with junior enlisted personnel or when a civilian intelligence professional is working with new entrants to the Community, the Leader will generally be required to use a Selling/Coaching leadership style. These personnel are not novices. Most junior enlisted are specialists who have been trained and qualified in a particular intelligence function. Likewise, most new intelligence professionals come to the Community with a professional degree. But, it is still early in their career and their professional readiness or development has not reached the level where they are fully confidant about taking on new projects or tasks or meeting new requirements. While generally able and competent, they may not feel fully confident in undertaking the specific project, task or requirement under consideration and, thus, while generally motivated, may be less willing or have a low commitment in the specific instance.

Thus, when assigning a new project or task, or initiating an improvement or change to the existing way of doing things, the Leader needs to engage the people and explain  the reasons for the assignment or change being made and clarify the task to be accomplished. Then the Leader needs to solicit their concerns and listen in order to gain an understanding of any insecurity that they may have about undertaking the effort which may be undermining their commitment to try.  Based on having gained follower input, the Leader can make a decision concerning how to undertake the task or introduce the change in a way that is shaped to alleviate their concerns and can take steps to coach and guide the followers in order to build their confidence and reveal to them their own potential for accomplishing the task.  The goal is to sell them on the importance of the project or task and persuade them of their own ability and competence to accomplish it and, thereby raise their willingness and commitment to take it on in an enthusiastic and dedicated way.  

This style requires open communications about impending new requirements, listening to follower concerns, showing appreciation to people for raising issues and, then, a making a decision that focuses equally on accomplishing the task and accommodating the concerns and needs of the people. In this case the ultimate decision about how to undertake the project remains with the Leader.

When an intelligence Leader is working with the experienced personnel of an organization or a team to undertake a new or unusual effort or task or introduce improvements or changes into the organization, a Participating or Supporting style is required. These are highly qualified professionals whose readiness or developmental level is fairly high. They certainly have the competence to take on any task or make the improvements or changes in their professional area and they certainly are committed to the organization and its goals. But, like most people, their commitment to undertaking a new or additional task or to accepting significant change can vary depending on the impact it will cause to their work or life. For example, they may feel that the specific task or change being introduced might require more time or more resources than has been allotted, or they may feel that the impact of the task or change on the consumer has not yet been defined, or may have ideas about how the implementation of the task or change can be further improved .  Thus, the Leader needs to participate with them and support them as they work through the process of deciding exactly how to approach the task or deal with making the improvement or change.

This style requires not only open communication but a commitment to a dialogue which allows the followers to participate and collaborate with the Leader in deciding how to undertake the task.  It requires, not only listening to but, accepting some follower suggestions, showing appreciation to people for their contributions and accepting that the specifics of the decision about how to accomplish the task or make the improvement or change must be based on the people’s inputs. It may also require the Leader to make a commitment to get more support or take other steps desired by the followers which will facilitate their accomplishment of the task. 

It should be noted that, by involving the people of the organization in decisionmaking about how to handle the tasks and problems facing the organization, the Leader is drawing on their substantive expertise or working-level experience, not abdicating leadership responsibility and authority to make the final decision. The Leader still makes the final decision about how to proceed, taking into consideration the views of others. If the Leader is not willing to incorporate some of the views of others into the final decision, then it is best not to ask. There is nothing more discouraging for followers than to be asked for their views and then to have them totally ignored. On the other hand, having had a chance to make inputs and seeing that some of the group’s views contributed to shaping the task or addressing the problem, they will be more motivated to give their all to make its implementation succeed. After all, it is their idea, to some degree and they won’t want it to fail.

As a Leader, working with the people of the organization in a Participatory way you will begin to convince people that you are open to their ideas and suggestions concerning the vision and goals of the organization, how to undertake the work of the organization and the ways of improving the organization itself. You will be encouraging their creativity and innovation in addressing the tasks or solving the problems of the organization. Seeing that you as the Leader have trusted them as professionals to make useful contributions to the your leadership decisions and that you as the Leader can be trusted to consider all their contributions and take some will deepen their trust, which is the ultimate basis on which your Leadership rests.

Also, by working with followers in this Participatory manner, you can learn their interests, capabilities and strengths, which facilitates moving to use of a Delegating style. That will further deepen the people’s commitment to the organization and their trust in you as a Leader.

Furthermore, this is the only style available for working with Leaders, peers and members of other organizations when in a staff position and trying to gain their support for positions of one's own organization. By being able to participate successfully in discussions, planning sessions, brainstorming efforts with peers, on a staff level or with seniors you will gain opportunity to introduce your views to others, refine and improve those views based on the input of others and gain broad support for your views by making them part of a consensus which all support.

To perfect your ability to use a Participating/Supporting leadership style, you should start to volunteer to serve on teams, working groups, and committees headed by senior people. Begin in the passive observing mode and see how experienced senior people use a Participating leadership style, what seems to work and what does not. Note, especially, the way they Lead without controlling, how they generate participation by others, draw out views from reluctant participants, handle dominating or disruptive participants, defuse conflict between differing views during the discussions and sum up results as a consensus.

Then, up the ante and volunteer to head such effort using the insights that you have gained from your observations to practice some of the techniques and see what works for you in terms of comfort. To do this, you just can’t schedule a meeting and show up. You will have to be prepared. Have in mind the topic(s) to be covered, some short statements on those topics couched in a way that they are not seen as your views, some questions to elicit responses from the attendees on those topics. But do not feel required to respond directly. Too often Leaders of such groups feel the need to respond substantively by critiquing---that turns off the responder from giving views again---or agreeing---that turns off others who might not agree from giving their views. To avoid responding in that manner, it is a good idea to take notes and be prepared to respond by summarizing or paraphrasing what the person said followed by thanks and compliments to people for their contributions. In conclusion you should be prepared to summarize in a way that gives credit to people whose ideas seem especially useful pro or con, and indicates to people that their all their needs/views have been considered and some have been/will be included in your decision on how the task will be undertaken.

For an intelligence professional, participating with others as an analyst or collector, as a Leader or in a staff position is the key to the improved cooperation and coordination being demanded of the Intelligence Community.  The key to success is a Participatory style of interaction or Leadership.