Most importantly, he has no ego or inflated sense of self. I've known a lot of senior officers, and he was almost unique in that regard. I thought last week there was no way he'd tolerate a foul-mouthed braggart like Mooch, and I imagine he discussed that with Trump last week.
Those of us privileged enough to know General Kelly likely are all feeling the same - our country got very, very lucky to have him in this position at this time. Good sign that Trump recognized his character and talent and put him in that role.
All that may be true, and hopefully the comment I referenced was not, in fact, expressed anything close to what was actually said. However, the “I am in charge” is seriously about the worst mistake a new leader to ANY organization can make.
Suppose you are on staff and have no idea who this person is or what his background is. Your first thought is what?
OR, he comes to you individually, to your office or cube, asks to sit down or whatever, starts talking to you about your family, what you do for the organization, what things you like, what you don’t like, etc.
Who do you want to bust your ass for?
And yes, you have plenty of time for the latter. If you don’t, you don’t know what the hell you’re doing, regardless of your past experience.
A good leader has plenty of time to figure out who the malcontents are and deal with them appropriately. The military may have a good leadership model for war time or times of emergency, but trying to throw your weight around, especially off the bat, will ALWAYS be counterproductive.
Being a professional is no doubt important, but it is only one part of the equation. Plus, a professional doesn’t say, “I’m in charge.”