General Stanley McChrystal on Myths and Realities of Great Leaders

General Stanley McChrystal talks about the myths and reality of great leaders. He shares how he came to reassess the legacy of his own military hero General Robert E. Lee in the aftermath of Charlottseville, how he personally learned that the man at the top often gets credit he doesn’t deserve, and why leaders aren’t always judged by their results. He discusses a 15th century Chinese admiral who has become the symbol for that country’s global ambitions, why he didn’t realize that Coco Chanel was a real person, and one leadership flaw that he shares with Walt Disney. He reveals why he decided to include his former enemy in combat Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the book, and what it was like to get into the dark mind of the Al Qaeda in Iraq leader.

Order General McChrystal's book Leaders: Myth and Reality on Amazon, Audible, or wherever books are sold. Today's episode was sponsored by Espresso Monster, Homecoming on Amazon Prime Video, Zeel, Bombas, and Flatiron School.