When I first saw a cartoon Sherman tank with a giant lightbulb sticking out of the turret, I immediately thought:
“Finally. A military vehicle that understands leadership.”
The more I looked at it, the more I realised it represents the modern leader rather well.
Stay with me.
Most organisations still seem to believe that leadership is about having all the answers.
The leader must know. The leader must decide. The leader must inspire. The leader must somehow possess a level of wisdom normally associated with Gandalf, Yoda and the person who wrote the instruction manual for a home Wi-Fi router.
Yet the older I get, the more I suspect that leadership is less about having answers and more about asking better questions.
Which brings us to our hero.
General Sherman of the Sherman Think Tank.
A battle-hardened veteran whose greatest weapon is not the large gun on the front.
It’s the lightbulb on top.
The Problem With “Tank Leadership”
Many leaders accidentally become tanks.
Not the good kind.
The bad kind.
They roll into meetings with a fixed destination and flatten every discussion along the way.
Someone raises a concern.
Crunch.
Someone offers a different viewpoint.
Crunch.
Someone asks a difficult question.
Reverse, then crunch again.
The meeting ends exactly where it started:
“We’ve agreed with the boss.”
Funny that.
Nobody has learned anything. Nobody has challenged any assumptions. Everybody nods. Everybody leaves. Everybody moans in the car park.
This is not leadership.
This is armoured certainty.
The Power of the Think Tank
The Sherman Think Tank operates differently.
Before charging over the hill, it pauses.
“What have we missed?”
“Who else should we ask?”
“What does the customer think?”
“What’s the risk if we’re wrong?”
“What would our competitors love us to do?”
That tiny pause often saves months of effort.
One of the biggest differences I see between good and exceptional leaders is not confidence.
It’s curiosity.
Poor leaders protect their answers.
Great leaders protect the quality of the discussion.
The Strategic Lightbulb
The lightbulb matters because ideas are surprisingly fragile.
Most workplaces unknowingly destroy them.
An employee cautiously suggests something innovative.
The response arrives immediately:
“That’s not how we do things.”
Lightbulb gone.
Another suggestion appears.
“We tried that in 2017.”
Lightbulb gone.
A third idea emerges.
“We don’t have budget.”
Lightbulb gone.
By Friday, the organisation is wondering why nobody contributes anymore.
It’s a mystery.
Much like discovering that all the flowers died after paving over the garden.
The Most Dangerous Phrase in Leadership
In my experience, the most dangerous phrase in leadership is:
“Because that’s how we’ve always done it.”
Entire organisations have been driven into metaphorical ditches using this guidance.
Meanwhile, competitors are experimenting, adapting and learning.
The Sherman Think Tank has a different motto:
“Let’s think before we fire.”
Admittedly it doesn’t fit on a mug quite as neatly.
But it’s a much safer leadership strategy.
A Leadership Reality Check
Imagine your team anonymously answering the following questions:
- Does my manager listen?
- Can I challenge ideas safely?
- Are mistakes treated as learning opportunities?
- Do new ideas receive genuine consideration?
- Does curiosity outrank ego?
If those questions make you slightly uncomfortable, congratulations.
You’re normal.
The best leaders I work with are rarely the ones who believe they’ve mastered leadership.
They’re the ones who remain students of it.
Final Thoughts from General Sherman
If our cartoon General Sherman could speak, I suspect he’d say:
“The gun gets attention. The lightbulb wins battles.”
In modern organisations, people rarely need leaders who can simply drive harder, push faster or shout louder.
They need leaders who can think.
Leaders who can help teams think.
Leaders who can create environments where good ideas survive long enough to become great ones.
So the next time you’re tempted to charge into a meeting with all the answers, pause for a moment.
Ask a question.
Listen carefully.
And remember:
A tank without a lightbulb is just heavy machinery.
A tank with a lightbulb?
That’s a Sherman Think Tank.
Trevor Sherman is a leadership coach who helps organisations develop leaders who think clearly, communicate effectively and occasionally avoid driving metaphorical tanks through perfectly good conversations. 🚀💡🪖
