Learning from the 'Long Gray Line'

A former commandant of the Corps of Cadets at West Point talks about a new book on leadership and what it means to MBA students

Major General Joseph Franklin

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A former college football coach and commandant of the Corps of Cadets at West Point, retired Major General Joseph Franklin has lots of experience in prepping young people for leadership roles. That's why when colleagues suggested he write a book, he thought it was a good idea. Members of the committee that created a book commemorating the West Point bicentennial convinced him, he says, by suggesting his own book would be a good opportunity to pass on his knowledge.

In Building Leaders the West Point Way: Ten Principles from the Nation's Most Powerful Leadership Lab, Franklin outlines the traits necessary for being an effective leader—and how you can acquire them. He uses his experiences in the military to highlight his points. The book has been well received by the West Point community, and one alum, who is earning his MBA from the University of Richmond, recently got in touch with Franklin about teaching a course on the book at his school.

Franklin recently chatted with BusinessWeek.com reporter Francesca Di Meglio. Here are edited excerpts of their conversation:

What is the connection between West Point cadets and MBA students?

I'll relate one story from a very close friend of mine who was a marvelous athlete and scholar. After his tour of duty in the Army, he went to business school at Harvard and worked in the Office of Admissions. The director of admissions was a Harvard hard-liner and was magnificently informed and experienced in the field. When my colleague first walked into his office, the director said to him bluntly, "If anyone applies here who went to West Point, he will be immediately accepted because [West Point cadets] are the best students we have." That was quite a statement, I thought. The connection I believe this director was making was that the training, education, and inspiration they experience as military cadets build character. As a result, they can be very successful at any endeavor they decide to undertake.

Why should leaders be physically adept?

Leadership means being able to endure some pretty hard times. You might be deprived of sleep. You have to drive your body to keep going. Your physical condition parallels mental conditioning. Mental and physical toughness are both required—not that one has to be a champion athlete. Rather, you have to be well conditioned physically and mentally to stand up to the rigors of leadership.

What did you mean when you wrote that leadership is "something you catch"?

"Caught more than taught," which is the specific phrase I use, is catchy. [Leadership] is taught, and we work hard at it in our MBA programs, leadership courses at the academy, and in subsequent courses within the Army. Caught means you're watching other people—both subordinates and superiors—and you pick up little tidbits of information and experience from watching how they perform. You watch both the things they do right and wrong. I use the term "caught" to indicate that you are picking things up from other people. I do write as well about the fact that good leadership is one of learning from and teaching others about failure in the hopes that we don't repeat mistakes. "Caught more than taught" means that you can't sit in a classroom of a leadership course and expect to go out and be successful right off the bat. You have to pick it up from experience.