Dear Friends,

Tolstoy once wrote that “every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Leadership works in reverse. Great leaders vary endlessly. The bad ones are strikingly similar.

This week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave a public seminar in failed leadership. Addressing nearly every American general and admiral to unveil his “new vision” for the rebranded Department of War, Hegseth displayed the three classic traits of leaders out of their depth: obsession with image over impact, self-promotion at the institution’s expense, and open contempt for those who serve beneath them.

First came the superficiality. Instead of tackling the profound challenges of modern warfare—like the drone-driven transformation on display in Ukraine—Hegseth declared, “the era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos.” He went on to chastise troops for being “fat.” It was a remark that ignored not just the military’s readiness problems but the lived reality of soldiers who face medical issues like pseudofolliculitis barbae, which makes shaving painful or even disfiguring. When leaders care more about optics than outcomes, the mission always suffers.

Second came vanity. Like WeWork’s Adam Neumann before him, Hegseth used his position as a stage prop. He flew in 800 senior officers—representing more than 25,000 combined years of service—for a spectacle that could’ve been an email. The massive flag behind him wasn’t for inspiration. It was for the cameras.

And finally, the ultimate failure: disrespect. Hegseth lectured officers who’d commanded armies while he was still a student, publicly criticized retired four-stars by name, and treated a room of experts like a backdrop. It was “Chainsaw Al” Dunlap in uniform—leadership as intimidation, not inspiration.

That might play well on social media. But real leadership is quieter, humbler, and far harder. It’s measured in trust, not theatrics.

For anyone who wants to lead well, the lesson from Hegseth’s performance is simple: do the opposite.

—Gautam

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