Everyone knows the story of Benedict Arnold. His name has become synonymous with “traitor” in the American lexicon. Yesterday was the anniversary of one of his more infamous acts as a turncoat. On January 5, 1781, Arnold led a British raid on Richmond, Virginia, destroying a large portion of the city. Arnold is an easy guy to hate, but his treachery is only part of the story.
What made Benedict Arnold’s defection so devastating to the American cause was the fact that he had been one of the Continental Army’s most successful young generals. He had been a protégé’ of George Washington, and many histories attribute the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga to Arnold’s composure and leadership. So how did this American hero become one of our most despised villains? What caused him to become the turncoat we all know him to be?
I would argue that the same force that created Benedict Arnold, the traitor, causes many young and highly promising leaders to self-destruct. Arnold’s Achilles heel was his personal ambition. While he started the war driven by a combination of ambition for personal glory and revolutionary fervor, at some point his personal ambition superseded his nobler motives. The infighting and intrigue within the Continental Army contributed to his transformation. Congress failed to give Arnold the credit he believed he was due for the success at Saratoga.
Regardless of the contributing factors, Arnold’s treason was caused by a combination of impatience and unbridled personal ambition. Arnold lacked the maturity and character to see that his personal success was less important than the cause for which he was fighting. He lacked the patience to see that his (and America’s) long-term success was more important than short-term glory. These factors created the Benedict Arnold we have all grown to loathe.
So what does this bit of history have to do with modern leadership? What lessons can we glean from this story? As leaders, we have the honor and privilege to help develop future leaders. Occasionally, like Washington, we find ourselves leading a young superstar who has the potential to become great. With the right guidance and experience they can reach their potential. How do we ensure that they don’t become our personal Benedict Arnold? Our biggest risk isn’t that they will sell trade secrets to our competitors or betray us in some other way. Rather, the more likely scenario is that they become disillusioned or disgruntled. We risk turning a great asset into a liability.
How do we help our aspiring leaders find the patience to take the long view about their career? How do we help them develop the character to keep their personal ambition in check? The answers to these questions would fill volumes, and I would not attempt to do so in this short piece. However, building and maintaining strong, trusting relationships with those we lead is a good first step. This foundation will help us have the courage to deal with adversity and difficult situations openly and directly. Through these solid relationships, we can foster better two-way communication. A relationship built on trust enables us to deliver unpleasant or disappointing messages in a way that the recipient hears and understands the message. Perhaps even more importantly, a trusting relationship will encourage that employee to come to us with problems – before becoming disillusioned or disgruntled.
Whether or not Benedict Arnold’s treachery was inevitable is moot. It is interesting to speculate whether Washington or other strong leaders could have prevented it. Had they confronted him earlier and helped him see how his impatience and personal ambition were undermining his character, he might have remained a hero. More importantly, it offers leaders a stark example of how exceptional performers can lose their way, and it reinforces the importance of establishing and maintaining trust with those we lead.