My Most Valuable Leadership Lesson

It has been way too long since I posted.  I must do better.

Many of you know that I am a retired US Air Force Reservist, having made the rank of Lt Col.  I did not get there on my own.  A lot of great people helped me on the way.  Officers in the military are the managers and executives who decide direction, and strategy.  It is a lot of authority, because lives are at stake.  But there is a difference between "acting in charge" and "being in charge."  Thankfully in ROTC, I was taught that a brand new second lieutenant will fail by acting in charge of enlisted folk who have more experience.

That was the major take-away from ROTC.  Sure we spent many hours discussing leadership, management, organizational theory, command responsibility, supervision, force employment.  A lot of us felt our oats when we pinned on.  But we also were warned and humbled to know our place and respect the enlisted folks who could also mentor us.



But that only prepared me to listen to the most important lesson.  When I was near the two-year mark, almost ready to pin on first lieutenant, I was given charge of special security for the command.  I found my self supervising a staff of six enlisted personnel, one a Chief Master Sergeant.  An Air Force Chief is the highest enlisted rank.  "Mine" had over 25 years in the service at that time.  I knew I would be asking him more than telling him.

On the first day of that job, Chief sat me down (yes not the other way around) and asked me, "Sir, if the colonel came to you and said, 'I want you to put up that flagpole,' what would you do?"

I started answering an engineering problem: "I'd measure the pole, determine how deep to set it, dig a hole..."

"No sir.  That is not what you would do."

"OK, what do you mean?

"You would come to me and say, 'Chief, get that flagpole put up,' and I would turn to the Staff Sergeant and tell him how deep to dig the hole."

There it was: everything I learned about leadership in two years of ROTC.  The people around you are trained and trusted to do their jobs: know where yours ends, and theirs begins.  Tell them the what, and help them with the how only if they ask.  Give them what they need to succeed: funding, support, equipment, training, advocacy.  Delegate authority, but not responsibility.  Ask them for advice, because they know the job and the organization.  Listen at least as much as you talk, probably way more.  Then get out of their way.

Will things go perfectly? No.  But you will have given them trust and respect, so when things go wrong you have a foundation on which to build improvement.

I'd say I got really lucky having that Chief so early in my career.  I hope he would be proud of me.