Was Ben Horowitz Wrong About Wartime CEOs?

Ben Horowitz popularized the Wartime/Peacetime CEO trope, postulating that companies facing imminent existential threats must adopt a wartime approach. Many companies (he cites Google and Apple as prime examples) change leadership when transitioning between war and peacetime, as embodying both states is extremely difficult for many leaders. I in no way think that Ben Horowitz is wrong. However, I’ve seen many leaders, including myself, take her profile of a wartime CEO a bit too much to heart without considering the long-term impact of this type of leadership, particularly when it can be difficult to tell when it’s ‘wartime’ and when it’s ‘peacetime’ in an early stage startup. 

We started Pilea to help Leaders step into the dynamic role of building and leading a company through Integrative Leadership. An integrative leader is equipped with the skills to lead and inspire their company through peacetime and wartime with confidence and integrity. So, I’d like to revisit the concept of the wartime CEO with you.

Horowitz lists 16 contrasts between peacetime and wartime CEOs, and I’m going to go through a few that I think are important to highlight.

Horowitz: “Peacetime CEO knows that proper protocol leads to winning. Wartime CEO violates protocol to win.”

My Take: This might mean to be opportunistic. This does not mean abandoning systems and routines.

I see leaders do this all the time, even when it’s not wartime… things are too important, the deadline is too tight, or the people aren’t good enough, so we violate protocols and best practices.  Especially when it comes to letting people go.  As a wartime leader, acting decisively and opportunistically is important. IT DOES NOT benefit leaders to violate routines and systems. In organizational psychology, we see that people operate at their best when they can predict a certain number of things around them. We grow with consistent tending, we perform with predictable targets, and we are motivated when the goals and rules can be navigated and learned. While training pigeons for my undergraduate studies, I noticed that when we started changing the rules, the pigeons would demonstrate paranoid behavior, which caused them to perform all sorts of wild tricks, none of which were the ones we wanted.  

Do this now: When the environment is uncertain, create certainty in your people-related protocols, especially around layoffs and firings. Culture is solidified in times of crisis, and you want trust and transparency at the center of your life.

Take it further: Create consistency and transparency whenever possible.

1. Avoid unnecessary withholding.

2. Speak to the truth.

3. Listen and hear when the truth is shared.

4. Build candid relationships (Recommend: Radical Candor, by Kim Scott)

Horowitz: “Peacetime CEO spends time defining the culture. Wartime CEO lets the war define the culture.” 

My take: Oh boy.

Most of us form our most essential bonds and ideas about the world in trying times. This is when company culture needs to be at its strongest. However, if you have not thought about culture before wartime and then let wartime define your culture, you will build a toxic and fear-driven organization. Now, we will likely see people hang on through wartime, but when sailing is smooth again, your talent will leave for greener pastures. The way you treat people during times of crisis matters more than usual. This is to say, if you did not have a solid intentional culture coming into Wartime, you cannot afford to put this consideration aside. 

Do this now: Ask people how they’re doing, really doing, and empathize, be vulnerable, and help where you can. These moments will breed loyalty that can only be formed when the company is at war.  

Take it further: Build culture through your actions.

1. Enter into battle from the front. Be willing to be accountable for the team’s failures and share generously credit for wins.

2. Know your values and live them out loud.

Consider a concept introduced by Brené Brown: armored leadership versus daring leadership. Those of us who lean into fear and armor up may alienate ourselves and our teams. But, an employee will do almost anything for a leader who leans into fear and is in the fight. It’s an excellent opportunity to build culture. However, we “signal” being in battle in many ways without fully putting ourselves there. I highly recommend learning about leading from a place of vulnerability to help you navigate through this. Brené Brown is the best of the best in talking about this stuff.  Read, Dare to Lead, and if you need a TLDR, just read pages 76-77.

Horowitz: “Peacetime CEO strives to tolerate deviations from the plan when coupled with effort and creativity. Wartime CEO is completely intolerant.”

My Take: This might mean staying focused. This does not mean stop listening to the wisdom and ideas of others.

When our brains move into fight or flight, our vision literally narrows. This means we can easily miss what’s in our periphery. When leaders are maniacally focused on their goals, they need others around them to help them identify threats and develop creative solutions. Remember, a wartime leader must also be responsive and attentive to their surroundings.  

Do this now: Stay focused and do not open as many experiments, but DO listen and DO leave space for the creative support of those around you. Not only will your strategy be stronger, but buy-in from your teams will be complete and unwavering.  

Take it further: Listen impeccably.

1. Put away your own story.

2. Check your resistance.

3. Shut up.

4. Ask more questions.

Many of us make up stories in our heads as if another is talking. Sometimes, telling your story is essential. But, especially when times are tough, we have to learn to put away our story. In therapy, we call this bracketing… it’s a practice of becoming entirely present. We’ll talk about this more in a second. 

Horowitz: “Peacetime CEO does not raise her voice. Wartime CEO rarely speaks in a normal tone.”

My take: This might mean communicating importance and urgency. This does not mean acting angry, upset, irrational, or emotional. 

Voice prosody (tone and somatic cues that add context to content) is a fantastic persuasive tool we have as humans. The tone of our voice makes up more of the components of communication than the actual words we say. In addition, when a person of prominence speaks from a dysregulated state, the listener’s nervous system also jumps. So, remember fight or flight? We can trigger that easily in others and perpetuate it in ourselves just through our tone of voice. As humans, our most productive state is when our stress is not too low or too high. You can help your teams feel that “we got this” just by keeping your voice and your nervous system regulated.

Do this now: Speak firmly and directly but without tightness, stress, or distress. If you can, practice what you need to say a few times with a neutral third party (maybe a coach, peer, or mentor) to help calm your reactivity.

Take it further: Manage your state.

1. Know your triggers.

2. Regulate your nervous system.

3. Practice.

This one is tough. The 15 Commitments from the Conscious Leadership Group is an excellent book on managing your state and leading from above the line, not below it.  

Horowitz: “Peacetime CEO trains her employees to ensure satisfaction and career development. Wartime CEO trains her employees so they don’t get their ass shot off in the battle.” 

My take: I totally agree with this one.

There are a lot of “nice” leaders out there who aim to protect employees from difficult situations. Even during peacetime, you're not doing your employees any favors by doing this. Satisfaction at work is important, but two vital components of this are challenge and learning. Resilience is built through rupture and repair. This means your employees and you must have the necessary training to avoid difficult situations, prevail, and sometimes fail. This process builds strength and the ability to get up and try again. 

Do this now: It’s wise to consider satisfaction and career development as preparation for excellence and challenge. Teach your teams to be resilient through challenge and equip them with the tools and knowledge necessary to brave the wild. Then, let them go, and their satisfaction will go through the roof!

Take it further: 

1. Believe in your people, train them, and tell them they’re ready.

2. Never fight alone.

2 a. If there’s enough time, you can split into groups to discuss takeaways: Talks are almost always useless if not paired with relationship-related commitment.  

Now, take a minute to reflect on your ‘wartime’ commitments as a leader.

Wartime requires you to be tough, direct, and ruthless AND regulated, open, and transparent.