Admiral Thad Allen, USCG (Ret.) has lead the emergency response efforts in extreme situations that present unique problems that are well outside the traditional disaster response models. Most recently, he led the response to the BP / Deepwater Horizon oil spill and previously led the emergency efforts after the Hurricane Katrina disaster. He is accustomed to working outside the box, going off book, departing from protocol and leading in unfamiliar territory. And, although he’s retired, if called upon, he says he’ll go where he’s needed. He is a bonafide, Heroik Bad-Ass.

His definition of leadership: the ability to reconcile opportunity and competency.

And if called upon again to respond: “It would be a little irresponsible on my part to not respond, when the opportunity was provided, with whatever competency I could bring.”
In both Katrina and BP disasters, the challenges he faced leading the response efforts were well beyond the play book and training. Here are some little blurbs of wisdom that  reflect his own brand of leadership to know what to do and how to get through it.

“I’m a big fan of Peter Senge, at MIT, who talks about learning organizations and the use of mental models. You have to understand at a very large macro level what the problem is that you’re dealing with and what needs to be done to achieve the effects you want- and you have to be able to communicate that.  You also have to create a set of shared values that everybody involved can subscribe to.”
“…with Hurricane Katrina it was clear to me after about 24 hours in New Orleans that we weren’t dealing with only a natural disaster.”
“Under the hurricane response model, resources are provided to a local government, which applies them and runs the response. But we had lost continuity of government: There was no functional local government that could take the resources and apply them to the mission.”
“So the mental model became more like the response to a weapon of mass effect. When I realized that, things started happening.”

Noteworthy Quotes About Leadership

“You’re always in a teachable moment. There’s always somebody watching you, and you’re mentoring without knowing it.”

“Everybody can be a better leader. You should focus on trying to optimize what you can do with the skills and talents that you’ve got.”

“The more you’re a lifelong learner, and the more intellectually curious you are, the bigger the base of potential you’ll have to build on when the opportunity presents itself.  It also makes you better at recognizing opportunity.”

“Leaders are responsible for their own morale. If you become too caught up in the emotion of a situation, you’re not going to be as effective. The calmer you are, the more you’re going to get done”.

Where Allen Finds Guidance

Peter SengeBook: The Necessary Revolution: How individuals and organizations are working together to create a sustainable world
Warren BennisBook:On Becoming a Leader
Peter DruckerBook:The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done (Harperbusiness Essentials)
Steven SampleBook:The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership (J-B Warren Bennis Series)
Read This: HBR Article about Admiral Allen.