Driven by Servant Leadership

  • Published
  • Eagle Wing Top 3
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Lead – Develop – Inspire…these are not just buzzwords or a fancy catch phrase, it is the motto of the Dover Air Force Base Top III. As SNCOs, we are here to serve; however, I am not sure we always get this right. Over the past few years, our culture has shifted to one that is more focused on promotion rather than servant leadership. More focused on obtaining the next stripe, rather than learning how to properly wear the one we currently have on our sleeve. This culture has grown within the SNCO tier, filtered down to our NCOs, and is now draining into our youngest Airmen. When one of the first questions we receive from Airmen during their time at the First Term Airmen’s Course is how to make Below-the-Zone, we know we have gotten it wrong.

So how do we change this culture? It starts at the top with the SNCOs because we set the tone and climate within our organizations. I have always held the belief, if there is ever an issue with communication, trust, or culture…that is a leadership issue and it is our responsibility to course correct and resolve these issues. Now is the time to refocus and get back to basics…back to what makes us the type of SNCOs that Airmen want to emulate and aspire to be. Lead – Develop – Inspire…through servant leadership. There is a true meaning in each of these words.

LEAD: Leadership is an action…not a position. Therefore, being considered a leader is a privilege, not a right. One of the most important aspects of leadership is selfless service, also known as sacrifice. The day you become a leader or supervisor, you have given up the right to solely think about yourself. Great leaders embrace this mindset. They understand that Airmen only work for them on paper, while in reality, leaders actually work for their Airmen. They provide them the training, tools, mentorship, development, and the occasional boot in the tail end, all in an effort to remove any and all obstacles, so their Airmen can complete the mission.

When a leader has a team, it is the team that owns the successes, and the leader who owns the failures. True leaders also serve the greater good by sacrificing their time and energy for the betterment of their Airmen and teams. We have a lot of good leaders in our Air Force; however, the difference between good and great is only separated by a leader’s willingness to sacrifice and serve. Working a few late nights, taking work home, making some tough calls, getting out from behind your desk and getting to know your Airmen and their struggles, both on the job and personally…that is leading, and leaders get paid to lead. There is no longer room in our Air Force for SNCOs who just come to work and sit at a desk, maybe answer a few emails or questions, and then go home when their shift is over. If we do that, we are not leading…we are punching a clock. Our Airmen and the Air Force deserve better.

DEVELOP: There are two parts to enlisted development within the Air Force…developing our Airmen, and developing ourselves. Before we can develop our Airmen, we must first be deliberately developing ourselves. I do not mean in that self-serving, boxing-checking way; but rather, what are we as leaders specifically doing to develop ourselves? It is critical that we continue to grow and learn. We cannot pour from an empty glass, nor can we give what we do not have. If we have nothing to offer our Airmen, they will never truly follow us as leaders…they will only listen because of our duty titles and/or rank. We must take our personal growth seriously. This requires an in depth look at our areas of improvements, blind spots, and limitations. And trust me…we all have them. The key is finding a network of individuals to help you identify them, as well as improve on them. Leaders need mentors too…so, who is in your network? Who can you go to for constructive criticism and feedback? If you cannot answer these questions, I would highly encourage you to sit down and begin establishing a list of trusted individuals who can help you grow. Another key to self-development is getting out of your comfort zone and searching for opportunities to grow. Again, this requires you to get out from behind your desk and put yourself out there. Get involved in your Squadron, Group, and Wing. Build relationships with other SNCOs. Remember, opportunity cannot knock on your door if it doesn’t know where you live!

The second part of enlisted development is developing our Airmen. Outside of taking care of our Airmen so they can complete the mission, I cannot think of a more important responsibility then developing our replacements. The key in developing our Airmen is accepting them for who they are. We must acknowledge their differences, strengths, weaknesses, abilities, goals, and aspirations; but at the same time, help them become who they are meant to be…the best versions of themselves and the future leaders the Air Force needs. We will never be able to truly develop our Airmen if we do not make a personal connection with them. It is called deliberate development for a reason. How can we deliberately develop our Airmen if we don’t know who they are? Leaders must find what is important to their Airmen...find that spark. We can no longer motivate and develop Airmen by lighting a fire under them…we must find a way to light a fire within them. Get to know your Airmen!

INSPIRE: Of the three focus areas in the Top III moto, inspire is probably the one we neglect the most. Not because we purposefully do so, but because sometimes we fail to see what we have that can be inspirational to others. We fail to see the worthiness or greatness in ourselves that could be inspirational to someone else. There are two ways I have found to be the easiest when trying to inspire others to expect better, do better, and to be better. First, we must become mentors to our Airmen. We are so much more than just superintendents, flight chiefs, and section chiefs…we are a role models, coaches, advocates, teachers…the list goes on and on. We must invest ourselves in our Airmen. Teach them the “bigger picture” and how their specific job impacts our mission to fly, fight, and win…no matter how big or small they may think it is. Provide them the blueprint on how to become a great technicians and a great Airmen. Allow them to see their true potential and help them reach it.

The second way to inspire, and arguably the most important characteristic we must have as leaders is leading by example. Nothing is more confusing to our Airmen than a leader who gives great advice but sets a bad example. This destroys our credibility. Our Airmen will learn far more by watching us than they ever will listening to us. If we want our Airmen to care about their jobs, care about their fellow Airmen, give 100% on tasks, and have a positive outlook, then we must teach them through our actions. We must take responsibility, be truthful, be courageous, acknowledge our failures, be present, create solutions not problems, and finally, we must roll up our sleeves and get dirty on occasion. We expect all of this from our Airmen, so why would we not give them the same. Ultimately, if we really want to inspire our Airmen, we don’t need to tell them how great we are…we have to show them how great they are and how great they can become!

Make no mistake, leading in today’s Air Force is more difficult than it ever has been. We have seen more Air Force level changes in the past 3-4 years than the previous 20 years combined. We are facing a multitude of challenges ranging from manning and budget, to continual change, while also realizing and accepting the fact that these challenges will not be fixed overnight. We can look at these challenges and obstacles like the massive log they use in Navy Seal training. When everyone carries their own weight and focuses on servant leadership, the task of holding that log is manageable; however, when people slack off, don’t do their part, or focus more on “Me” instead of “We” the log becomes extremely heavy for those who will never let our mission or our Airmen down. This type of environment is not sustainable. This is why we need all SNCOs to step up and come together. That is what the Top III is all about and is our vision for the future of Dover and the Air Force.

As the old saying goes…people are our greatest assets. Well, it is time we stop just telling our Airmen that, and actually start showing them through our actions. We must connect with our Airmen. It is our job as leaders to adjust our styles to get the most out of our teams. If we feel that our culture is creating Airmen more focused on promotion than learning their jobs and growing into the best Airmen they can be, then it is us, as SNCOs that must champion that change. When a flower doesn’t bloom, you don’t replace the flower…you fix the environment in which it grows. That is on our shoulders…we must get back to the basics of Lead – Develop – Inspire. It is time to be the servant leaders we get paid to be. I am not telling you it will be easy, and I am definitely not telling you it won’t be stressful or that we won’t have obstacles. What I am telling you is that if we can Lead – Develop – Inspire, with our Airmen as our focus, it will be WORTH it! Again, our Airmen, Wing, and Air Force deserve that…they deserve us to be SNCOs driven by servant leadership!