Dunwoody at forum: ‘Good leaders never stop learning’
Dunwoody at forum: ‘Good leaders never stop learning’
The first woman in U.S. history to achieve the rank of four-star general said she learned her first leadership lesson as a newly minted second lieutenant: Never walk by a mistake.“I was taught that if you walk by a mistake, you’ve just set a new lower standard,” said retired Gen. Ann Dunwoody. She spoke at the General Bernard W. Rogers Strategic Issues Forum presented by AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare.Dunwoody, a member of the Association’s Council of Trustees, said the first woman in U.S. history to achieve the rank of four-star general said she learned her first leadership lesson as a newly minted second lieutenant: Never walk by a mistake.“I was taught that if you walk by a mistake, you’ve just set a new lower standard,” said retired Gen. Ann Dunwoody. She spoke at the General Bernard W. Rogers Strategic Issues Forum presented by AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare.Dunwoody, a member of the Association’s Council of Trustees, said the how to become a general; I’m not sure I could write a book like that.” Instead, she wanted to encourage soldiers to “dream big” and “continue to find ways to make a difference.” Dunwoody said good leaders embrace diversity, which doesn’t mean “adding one of these, or one of those, to the roster. The real power of diversity comes from diversity of thought.”She also said good leaders tackle challenges instead of running away from them. “Were there times when it would have been easy to quit and run in the face of adversity? You bet.” But she told herself, “If I quit, if I take the easy road, if I don’t try to make a difference, who’s the real winner and who’s the real loser?”She emphasized, “For me, the seemingly insurmountable challenges turned into opportunities, because it was all about leadership.”