General MacArthur was wrong. Old soldiers don’t fade away, they adapt their military crisis management skills to the boardroom. Two other keynote directors at our Forum are well known to most Americans for their boldness in battle: General Hugh Shelton serves on the boards of L-3 Communications Holdings and Red Hat, and General Stanley McChrystal serves on JetBlue’s board.
Generals Hugh Shelton and Stanley McChrystal
Their career highlights speak volumes: Shelton, who has served in Vietnam, Haiti, Kosovo and the Gulf War, was commander in chief of the United States Special Operations Command (units include Delta Force, Seal Team 6 and Army rangers), which focuses on major covert and clandestine missions, and was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Clinton and Bush. McChrystal served as commander, United States Army Central in Camp Doha, Kuwait. He led the Joint Special Operations Command and later directed all NATO forces in Afghanistan. His successes include the capture of Saddam Hussein and the death of Al Qaeda’s Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
No board has a corner on crisis management skills. And yet, having this degree of experience on hand assures whatever threats lurk ahead for a company, they will be seen as just another skirmish on the road to victory.
Jeff Cunningham writes about leadership and business, boards and corporate governance. He is the founder of Directorship Magazine and currently serves as managing director and senior advisor to NACD. Previously, he was president of internet venture firm, CMGI, publisher of Forbes Magazine, and managing partner of the U.K. private equity firm Schroders. He has served as an independent board chair or director of 10 public companies.