CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
"He's a natural-born leader."
"Leaders are born, not made!"
"She's very charismatic; she'll make a great leader!"
We've all heard these adages before and may even believe they are true. Despite what we hear from society, I believe all of us can be leaders with the right mentoring.
You might be telling yourself, "I'm an introvert and don't do well with large crowds," or "I don't have a very charismatic personality." While it's true that charisma may help a person grab or retain the attention of a crowd, is it really a prerequisite to successful leadership?
In their book, Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge, Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus wrote that "Charisma is the result of effective leadership, not the other way around." With this in mind, I think it's important to note everyone has different leadership styles and not all leadership characteristics or traits are as equally effective when used by different Airmen. At the same time, I believe everyone can be developed as a leader if the right mentoring is applied and they are willing to learn. Thus, not only is it important for each one of us to discover which personal characteristics work best for us, but to also be willing to broaden our repertoire of leadership techniques by learning from our experiences as well as that of others.
I like to collect sayings and there are two adages and a quote to help emphasize this point. 1) Experience is what you get by not having it when you needed it. 2) You learn from experience, but it doesn't have to be your experience. 3) "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment." -- Barry LePatner
These three sayings refer to experience, but the same holds true for leadership. Look for ways to learn new leadership skills and techniques from your actions as well as from others.
I have been fortunate in my career to be associated with or work for some great Air Force leaders who have taken the time to mentor me on work-related topics as well as leadership issues. I have learned a tremendous amount from these mentors and have always kept a journal of the leadership thoughts I gleaned from their mentoring and experiences.
I want to share with you some leadership thoughts I picked up from one of my previous bosses. He said leadership should make an impact in three areas: mission, others and self.
With respect to mission, a leader should set the course as well as set the pace. It's common for us to see a leader come into an organization and put out a new vision or make course corrections for the unit, but it's just as important for a leader to set the pace. Sometimes this means standing up and saying, "Whoa, we're going too fast." At other times, it may be that the leader needs to put a boot in the seat of some pants to pick up the pace of the organization. Both aspects are equally important depending on the current situation.
Secondly, is leadership with respect to others. We need to require accountability -- this means for both positive and negative actions. A pat on the back for one Airman is just as deserved (and important) as the discipline required for another. Set and enforce the standards and then deal with the nonconformists. It will help keep morale up if everyone can see a consistent standard is being applied.
Thirdly, is leadership with respect to self. Take care of yourself physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. The Air Force has put the proper attention on physical fitness but it's also important we keep our minds sharp. Reading will help you do that. You don't always have to read professional journals about the Air Force or your career field. It's also good to read books and articles for personal development or enjoyment. Taking care of yourself socially doesn't mean you have to hang around with friends from work all the time either, but make sure you have a network of friends you can relax with and enjoy time away from work.
Finally, and maybe the one we talk about the least in the military, is our spiritual side. It's important to be comfortable and strong in the faith you believe in, for without a strong faith in your religion of choice, your emotional side will not be as healthy as possible.
Leadership can and should be developed by all Airmen regardless of rank. Don't be deceived into thinking your personality or current leadership characteristics will hold you back from being successful. We must all strive to further develop our leadership style and ensure we do so with respect to its relationship to mission, others and self.