A grass-roots approach to leadership Published June 28, 2011 By Lt. Col. Craig Harmon 9th Airlift Squadron DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- Over the course of the last several weeks I have been closely analyzing the goings on around the squadron. Just over a month ago I took command of the 9th Airlift Squadron here at Dover Air Force Base, Del. I have been in, or attached to, the 9 AS going on three years, but my new-found job has caused my focus to change significantly from the operations side of the house to one more focused on personnel. As a result of the new job, I was sent on a temporary duty assignment with seven other new commanders from Dover AFB to Scott AFB where I was fortunate enough to go through the Air Mobility Command Commander's Course. The course consisted of a week's worth of briefings ranging from protocol to a two-hour sit down with Gen. Raymond Johns, AMC commander. One of the great benefits of the course was during the week we were able to hear many AMC flag officers' perspectives on the Air Force, especially regarding leadership, which helped trigger many of my own thoughts on the subject. When I hear the word 'leadership', I immediately start thinking about all the schools the Air Force offers to its Airmen like the Commander's Course I mentioned above, Squadron Officer's School, Airmen Leadership School, and Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy. But the more I reflect on the daily interactions around the squadron I see there may be something missing. No, it is not a lack of leadership; as a matter of fact I see many great examples of outstanding leadership all around. It centers more on the idea of developing our leaders. I have noticed there generally is not a great deal of daily leadership developing going on at all levels. Sure, in our squadron we spend lots of time training and developing leaders in the airplane, but what about the basics around the squadron, what I would like to term the "grass-roots approach of leadership." Can we just assume leadership happens naturally and these various leadership development programs can provide enough of a foundation to fulfill the demands of being that leader we so desperately need in the Air Force? Or should there be more? So what makes the military, especially the Air Force, different than any other high-performing civilian organization? What makes us special? The more I think about it, the more I think the answer is the people, our most valued resource. We are an all-volunteer force serving a calling that potentially places our fellow Airmen into harm's way. As leaders we are expected to ask our Airmen to potentially lay their lives on the line in the protection of the freedoms and liberty we so dearly cherish as Americans. No other business or corporation serves such a purpose. But with such a high calling, are we prepared as leaders to step up and truly lead our subordinates in and out of combat? Are we taking every opportunity to develop ourselves professionally to help protect those we lead? Don't we owe that to them? My answer would be a resounding "of course!" But honestly, as a squadron commander I fall short in execution within the walls of my own squadron, probably the most target-rich leadership laboratory you can find. Do we really need to go on a temporary duty assignment to focus on developing leadership? The answer in my opinion is "absolutely," but what is important is what we do with what we learn when we return from one of these schools. Are we sharing, nurturing and mentoring those around us with those golden leadership nuggets we just garnered? We do a great deal of leadership-learning at the school of hard knocks! We learn from our mistakes or the mistakes of those around us. Can we really afford to learn in such a manner in the business we are in, especially when it comes to leadership? If we are learning more from our leadership failures then we are from any other avenue, we are in trouble. What I propose is we take a renewed interest in talking about leadership, not only peer to peer, but especially with those who we are responsible for. Yes, just plain old talking. Sounds easy, right? The hard part is how do you get started without sounding like an absolute tool? Try sharing your leadership philosophy with your subordinates and explain why it is uniquely your own. Even better, ask them what theirs is. Except the youngest first-term Airman or lieutenant, you are probably a supervisor and by default the Air Force needs you to be a leader and having a well-defined philosophy is critical to consistent leadership success. That does not mean it can't evolve or change with time and experience, but having one is an incredibly important start. Starting dialogue will help encourage the appropriate environment for learning. Developing a leadership-rich learning environment all the way down to the first-line supervisor should be one of everyone's goals across this base. Hopefully this discussion will spark a "grass roots leadership" renaissance within your squadron. Too big? Well how about just within your own section. You might be wondering what my leadership philosophy is, but I am not going to tell you. You are just going to have come and ask me (forcing the just-talking initiative). I won't totally leave you hanging, I will close by sharing Lt. Gen. Robert Allerdice's, 18th Air Force commander, leadership philosophy he shared with all the newest AMC commanders. Maybe it will help you foster or fine tune your own. He uses a six-sided approach to his leadership philosophy. 1. Vision - develop the vision of the unit you are responsible for to help keep it focused on the mission. 2. Communication - you must have the ability to give and receive feedback to improve. 3. Attitude - You establish the attitude of your unit, make it positive! 4. Discernment - make sure you have the right people doing the right jobs. 5. Execute - accomplish the mission on time and on target. 6. Character - strength to do the right thing regardless of how hard it is to do.