Succeeding in Your Business: In praise of choosing ‘quiet competence’ over visibility

Cliff Ennico 

On the rare occasions I have time to just read for reading’s sake, I try to stay away from books on business and economics (too much like work). But somehow, almost always, I learn things that my entrepreneur readers can benefit from.

While most folks are out reading the latest Stephen King, or chilling with a dog-eared murder mystery from the local library’s used book sale, a few of us are catching up on the latest books of business wisdom, looking for something that hasn’t been said 10,000 times before.

Now, readers of this column know that I’m not a big fan of the type of business book that might be called “Some Obscure Historical or Literary Figure You Vaguely Remember from High School, and What He or She Can Teach You About Running a Business.” But for every rule, there are a few exceptions.

How I missed this one I don’t know, but the next time you’re in your local bookstore’s business section, you might want to pick up a copy of Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker: Leadership Lessons from George C. Marshall, by Jack Uldrich (AMACOM, $24.95).

Don’t remember who George C. Marshall was? Well, don’t feel badly. Back in 1967, when I was all of 13 years old, I was an avid stamp collector. That was the year the Postal Service released a 20-cent stamp (very damaging to my weekly allowance, I can tell you) commemorating George Catlett Marshall, someone I never heard of before. Checking my Grolier encyclopedia and learning he was one of America’s top generals during World War II, I asked my dad, a decorated U.S. Navy veteran, “What battles did Marshall win?”

Dad’s answer: “None, Cliff. He wasn’t a battlefield general; he was more of a behind-the-scenes guy.” A whopping 20-cent stamp to commemorate a behind-the-scenes guy? It just didn't compute.

So here’s a quick history lesson. Subject: George Catlett Marshall.

As head of logistics for the U.S. Army during World War II, Marshall almost single-handedly transformed 175,000 poorly trained, poorly armed men into more than 8 million soldiers strong in the frantic months after the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941.

A leading strategic adviser to Gens. Dwight D. Eisenhower, George Patton, et al., during World War II, Marshall became the chief architect of the “Germany first” approach that focused on defeating Adolf Hitler in Europe before concentrating on the Japanese threat in the Pacific.

As secretary of state under President Harry Truman after the war, he introduced the European Recovery Program, which became known as the Marshall Plan for its leading role in “winning the peace” and securing America’s superpower status.

Ultimately, after serving as the president’s emissary to China, head of the American Red Cross and secretary of defense, Marshall became the first professional soldier ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Clearly, Marshall was someone who knew how to operate and manage one of the biggest enterprises in world history — someone who probably could teach you a thing or two about running your business better. I’m not going to reveal any of the “business” lessons of Marshall’s life; you’ll have to buy and read Uldrich’s book yourself.

But in my mind, Marshall’s biggest “business lesson” comes not from what he did during his life but what he didn’t do. The very fact that we struggle today to remember his achievements is, paradoxically, one of his greatest achievements.

Years ago, when I was writing a book for lawyers on how to improve their people skills, I interviewed several dozen law firm partners and asked them what they valued most in a young lawyer. It was amazing to me how often the same two-word answer came back: “quiet competence.” Competence — the ability to get jobs done consistently right and on time — coupled with quiet — not drawing undue attention to yourself or how important your project was to the firm.

If you had to describe Marshall in just two words, they would be “quiet competence.” Marshall’s place in history cannot today be questioned, yet it is amazing how little he tried to gain media attention or cultivate “superstar” status, unlike some other military figures from World War II. His achievements spoke for themselves, and consistently led to ever-greater achievements.

The point: To win a war, or succeed in business, you need heroes. But not all heroes are, or are meant to be, famous. In our media-saturated world, it is possible to become a world-famous celebrity without having achieved anything of lasting value. Given the choice, the better of us choose quiet competence over visibility for its own sake. In the long run, as Marshall knew, it’s the better choice.

Cliff Ennico (crennico@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist, author and former host of the PBS television series “Money Hunt.”

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