Sharing Success—Owning Failure: Preparing to Command in

Sharing Success—Owning Failure

Preparing to Command inthe Twenty-First Century

Air Force

DAVID L. GOLDFEIN

Colonel, USAF

Air University PressMaxwell Air Force Base, Alabama

October 2001

Disclaimer

Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or impliedwithin are solely those of the author and do not necessarily repre-sent the views of Air University, the United States Air Force, theDepartment of Defense, or any other US government agency.Cleared for public release: distribution unlimited.

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Contents

Chapter Page

DISCLAIMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

ABOUT THE AUTHOR . . . . . . . . . . vii

PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . xi

ABSTRACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

1 EXPECTATIONS OF COMMAND . . . 1What Does the Boss Expect? . . . 2What Do the Troops Expect? . . . 9What Do You Expect? . . . . . . . . . 18Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

2 VISION AND ENVIRONMENT . . . . . 23Developing and Communicating

Your Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Building the Environment . . . . . 30Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

3 WALKING THE WALK . . . . . . . . . . . 51Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

4 HANDLING JUSTICE . . . . . . . . . . . 73

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Chapter Page

5 GREAT IDEAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Take Responsibility for Fun . . . . 95Sponsor Program . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Celebrate Heroes—Not

Machines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Mentoring Program . . . . . . . . . . 104Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

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Foreword

Command is the ultimate service. It is atime when we have the singular responsibil-ity to create and lead strong Air Force units.A time when our passion for our Air Forceand our vision for its future must be over-whelmingly clear.

Early in the “Developing Aerospace Lead-ers” initiative, we began to focus on the wayin which the institution teaches leadershipand prepares airmen for command. What wefound was a wide range of practices and awide range of expectations—a complicatingfactor in today’s Expeditionary AerospaceForce.

We realize that preparing our officers tocommand effective, mission-oriented unitsmust be a deliberate process. It mustdevelop our unique airman perspective, cre-ating commanders who are able to commu-nicate the vision, have credibility in the mis-sion area, and can lead our people withinspiration and heart.

The foundation of our institution’s effec-tiveness has always been its leaders. ColonelGoldfein’s work provides valuable lessonslearned and serves as a worthwhile tool tooptimize your effectiveness as a squadroncommander.

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This book is a must–read, not only forthose selected to command a squadron butfor all our young officers, helping themunderstand what the requirements ofsquadron command will be. Remember,command is a unique privilege—a demand-ing and crucial position in our Air Force.

Sharing Success—Owning Failure takesyou a step closer to successfully meetingthat challenge.

Charles D. LinkMajor General, USAF, Retired

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Colonel Dave “Fingers” Goldfein enteredactive duty in 1983 following graduation fromthe USAF Academy. He has completed a Mas-ters in Business Administration, SquadronOfficer School, Air Command and Staff Col-lege, Air War College, and the State Depart-ment Senior Seminar.

Fingers earned his pilot wings at Shep-pard AFB, Texas, in 1984 and remainedthere as a first assignment instructor pilot(FAIP) in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet PilotTraining Program. Following Sheppard, hechecked out in the F-16 Fighting Falcon andjoined the 17th Tactical Fighter Squadron atShaw AFB, South Carolina. During thistour, the squadron deployed to Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates, where Fingers led his

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Colonel Goldfein with his fellow Aviano warriors duringOperation Allied Force

About the Author

flight on 40 combat missions over Iraq dur-ing Operation Desert Storm.

Upon returning from the United Arab Emi-rates, Fingers was selected for WeaponsSchool and reassigned as initial cadre to buildthe composite wing at Mountain Home AFB,Idaho. Flying with the 389th T-Bolts, ColonelGoldfein served as squadron weapons officerand then chief of wing weapons, tactics, andintelligence.

Following Air Command and Staff College inresidence, Fingers served as Aide de Camp tothe Commander of AIRSOUTH in Naples, Italy,and then as Executive Officer to the USAFECommander at Ramstein AFB, Germany.

In 1997, Colonel Goldfein re-qualified in theF-16 and returned to Europe as OperationsOfficer and then Commander of the 555thTriple Nickel Fighter Squadron at Aviano AB,Italy. As commander, Fingers led his squad-ron on combat missions over Serbia, Kosovo,and Bosnia-Herzegovina during OperationAllied Force. He is a command pilot with over3,500 flying hours. His decorations include theDistinguished Flying Cross (1 OLC), DefenseMeritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Ser-vice Medal (1 OLC), and Air Medal (5 OLC).

For 18 years and 13 moves, Fingers hasbeen married to Dawn (Thumbs). They arethe proud parents of two daughters,Danielle and Diana. He currently serves asdeputy chief of Combat Forces Division atHeadquarters USAF, Pentagon.

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Preface

Congratulations on your selection for themost challenging and rewarding job in theAir Force—squadron command. The intentof this paper is to help you prepare mentallyfor the task ahead by discussing a fewthemes central to a successful commandtour. It will not answer all of your questionsabout “how to command”; nor will it breakany radically new ground in the “art of leader-ship.” Rather, the ideas expressed here areintended to spark your imagination as youbegin preparing now for how you want tocommand your squadron.

These thoughts are not mine alone. Inresearching this project, I asked officers fromacross the Air Force, recently from command,to share stories of the greatest challenges theyfaced. What was the environment? How didthey react? Why did they choose a particularpath? Most importantly—what did they learnfrom the experience? Many of the stories Iincluded in this paper involve situations inwhich the individual failed. Why? Because itis from studying our failures that we learn,grow, and improve as officers and leaders.As a commander, you will be privileged toshare in many successes of your organization;however, you will personally own every fail-ure. In the end, this is the true loneliness of

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command. Failure comes with risk and bothare integral to a successful command tour.

So read over the ideas presented here witha critical eye and think now about how youwill react given similar circumstances. Askimportant questions such as: What are myexpectations of command? What do thetroops expect of me? What will be my vision?How will I create an environment thatensures mission success? How will I buildmy team? How will I handle justice? Who isultimately responsible for fun in mysquadron? By thinking critically about thesequestions now, you will be better preparedto lead successfully in the greatest job youwill ever have.

Good luck commander!

Dave “Fingers” Goldfein

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Acknowledgments

I am greatly indebted to the officers whoparticipated in this project. Sharing successis relatively easy. Owning failure, however,and then sharing the story of that failure ina published paper takes courage and a com-mitment to helping you succeed. Addition-ally, this project was significantly improvedby the keen insight and editing skill of MajGen Perry Smith, USAF, retired. His book,Rules and Tools for Leaders, remains amongthe most practical guides on command andleadership written.

Maj Gen L. D. Johnston Maj Gen (retired) Perry M.Smith

Maj Gen (retired) Chuck Link Maj Gen (retired) BobTaylor

Brig Gen Dan “Fig” Leaf Brig Gen (sel) Steve “Goldy” Goldfein

Col Daniel “Doc” Zoerb Col Terry “Hubba” NewCol Jim “Rev” Jones Col Charlie “Clyon” LyonCol Judy Fedder Col Brian “Bbop” BishopCol Dave “Face” Nichols Col Anthony “Tony”

RebelloCol Lansen Conley Col Mike “Boe” BoeraCol Jeff “Weird” Harrell Lt Col Jeff “Butkus”

LofgrenLt Col Bill “Bigfoot” Eliason Lt Col “Ragman” HarveyLt Col Theresa “Junior” Giorlando Lt Col Steve LaushineMaj Duane “Imus” Creamer SMSgt John LongSMSgt Michael Brake SMSgt Beverly HillSMSgt Christopher Schloemer MSgt Larry Johnson

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THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

Sharing Success—Owning Failure: Prepar-ing to Command in the Twenty-First Centurywas originally written as a research report forthe National Foreign Affairs Training Center,Arlington, Virginia.

The photographs in this volume portrayAllied Forces personnel at Aviano Air Base,Italy, during Colonel Goldfein’s tour of dutyas squadron commander, 555th FighterSquadron. All are USAF photographs.

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Abstract

The single most important element of suc-cess in war is leadership. Leaders inspireothers to achieve “above and beyond.” Theexpectations of both leader and follower playkey roles in the development of leadership,as do the leader’s vision, the working envi-ronment, and the example established bythe leader. The squadron commander isessential to accomplishing the mission ofthe United States Air Force. He or she mustensure that justice prevails among andbetween those commanded, and he or shemust establish programs that promotehealth and happiness among the familieswithin the command.

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Chapter 1

Expectations of Command

Excellent leaders stand for absoluteintegrity, absolute honesty. Theypreach the concept of honesty in theorganization. Excellent leaders prac-tice integrity in thought, word, anddeed. And they insist upon integrityand honesty on the part of their sub-ordinates.

—Gen W. L. Creech, USAF, Retired

Any dialogue on preparation for com-mand must begin with a discussion onexpectations. No doubt you clearlyremember the day you were informedthat you had been chosen for command.Anticipation mixed with pride and a fairamount of uncertainty and fear—soundfamiliar? This section will discuss somekey issues associated with what yourboss expects, what your troops expect,and, perhaps most important, what youcan expect.

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What Does the Boss Expect?

As a wing commander, the mostimportant personnel decision I evermade was the selection of mysquadron commanders. No otherofficer would have a greater positiveor negative effect on our ability toaccomplish the mission.

—Brig Gen Dan Leaf—31st Fighter Wing Commander

Leaders who hire subordinate com-manders have a responsibility to clearlylay out their expectations for success.Too often, command in the Air Force isviewed as a test of the individual forfuture service rather than an opportu-nity for the organization to succeed andthrive under proven leadership. Thisover-arching focus on testing the indi-vidual rather than the success of theunit has resulted over time in a corre-spondingly shallow program to formallyprepare you for command.

A Navy officer who is chosen for a 36-month command tour will spend the first18 months as executive officer (focused onlearning the art of command) in the veryunit he or she will eventually lead. An

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SHARING SUCCESS––OWNING FAILURE

Army or Marine officer will attend severallong training courses focused on com-mand and leadership prior to acceptingthe colors of his or her first unit. In con-trast, Air Force officers selected for com-mand are currently required to attend aone-week major command (MAJCOM)squadron commander’s course focusedlargely on staying out of jail rather thanleading and managing effectively. Thislack of emphasis on thoroughly preparingan individual to succeed in command sug-gests an even greater need for you andyour new boss to establish mutuallyunderstood expectations for success.

As you begin the transition process,set up an appointment with your com-mander. Ask about his or her expecta-tions and indicate that you are open toany advice—your commander has likelybeen in your position. Do not arrivewithout pen and pad in hand. One offi-cer I know showed up for an interviewwith his numbered Air Force com-mander and was tossed out of the officeto find writing tools—definitely not theway you want to begin your tour! Thebottom line: Do not leave the interviewuntil you understand clearly what isexpected of you.

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EXPECTATIONS OF COMMAND

Sometimes, a face-to-face meeting isnot possible prior to a command change.In these cases, send a note to your newboss and request his or her thoughts onsuccess. Col William Lord, who served ascommunications director for Headquar-ters Air Mobility Command (HQ AMC),outlined his expectations in a letter tohis new commanders. It helps themchart their own course for success:

Congratulations on being namedsquadron commander––it is the bestjob in the Air Force, and the tough-est. To help you get off on the rightfoot, I’d like to offer some words tohelp with your mental preparation.

To start with, you need a commandphilosophy and initial focus. Threereasons: (1) you only have onechance at a first impression, (2) formuch of what you actually accom-plish in your 2-year command tour,you must first establish a focus inyour initial 6 months, and (3) yourfirst few weeks will haunt you if youaren’t prepared. Those entrusted toyour charge want and need to be ledfrom day 1 of your command tour.

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Get to know and network with yourfellow commanders––irrespective ofcareer field, MAJCOM, or specialty.If you succeed, you will become sen-ior officers together before you knowit. You will need one another. If youregard each other as competitors,you will hurt yourselves, your com-mand chain, and our Air Force.Don’t get lost in the “glamour ofbeing the boss.” You’ll find the expe-rience produces many rewards (notawards) along with a good measureof hard work and disappointments.

Now is a good time to send a shortthank you to family members andany mentors that helped you duringyour career. Don’t substitute withemail [sic]––the personal touch anda hand-written [sic] note show goodbreeding. If you haven’t sent a noteto your new boss and wing king, doso––they selected you.

Take time to scrutinize your per-sonal affairs. From relationships tomoney matters, you need to besqueaky clean. As a commander,you will sit in judgment of others,

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and you cannot afford to surrenderthe moral high ground––ever! Youare expected to be above reproach.Your personal life won’t get you pro-moted, but it can rapidly do you in.

Study up on your officers and seniorNCOs before you take command––my office can help with personnelbriefs and RIPs. These are yourcharges––worry about them, guidethem, and develop them to becomeyour replacement, or at least some-one you’d be proud to have associ-ated with your name. These troopsshouldn’t be worrying about theirnext assignment––that’s your job.

Plan out your first 30 days now andhave in mind what you want toaccomplish. Some hints:

• Publish your command philos-ophy.

• Meet with your Top 3 (or 4) thefirst day.

• Visit every work center andevery shift. Keep these visitsregular.

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• Determine the areas you areleast comfortable with andfocus on these. Don’t be afraidto ask questions––the troopswill respect your interest

• Meet all of your fellow com-manders on their turf.

• Call on the Wing SEA, MPFFlight Commander, Chaplain,and all other agencies thatprovide service to your unit.

• Inspect the dorm and eat inthe dining facility.

• Write job descriptions of eachof your key subordinates andgive them out one on one.

• Schedule a commander’s callwithin the first month.

Take ownership of every part of yourorganization and teach this to subor-dinate leaders. Once you’ve walkedpast trash on the ground, a wall thatneeds paint, or a broken door, you’vejust blessed it—and you’ll continue tooverlook it every day after that—untilit gets pointed out by your boss.

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Establish immediately that yoursigned signature is your bond. It’shard to get credibility back once yourname becomes meaningless. Alwaysinsist on putting the actual date ofsignature on everything you sign.

Spouse involvement in unit andbase activities—there aren’t anyabsolutes. The only wrong answersare zero and everything. If yourspouse is a joiner and a doer,encourage it. If not—don’t force it.Just remember that taking care ofthe families in your unit is an impor-tant part of the job—we recruit indi-viduals, but we retain families. Howyou go about this will vary but theresponsibility will always exist. If notyour spouse, find someone who willhelp you lead in this area.

Finally, be an officer and an airmanfirst—a communicator last. Aero-space power is our business—com-mand information is our contribu-tion. Make a concerted effort to staycurrent on operational issues anddoctrine. If you don’t understandaerospace power application, it’s

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nearly impossible to effectively sup-port the business.

Again, congratulations on your selec-tion for command. I look forward toworking with you to accomplish ourmission.1

Are there any questions as to what thisleader expects of his new commanders?With a few personal touches, this lettercan serve as an excellent start for your let-ter to subordinate leaders and supervi-sors. Remember, establishing clear andmutually understood expectations withyour flight commanders and flight chiefswill be your responsibility as commander.

What Do the Troops Expect?

Good leaders are people who have apassion to succeed . . . To becomesuccessful leaders, we must firstlearn that no matter how good thetechnology or how shiny the equip-ment, people-to-people relations getthings done in our organizations.People are the assets that determineour success or failure.

—Gen Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF, Retired

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Now what about the troops—what aretheir expectations of you as a new com-mander? To answer this question, I sur-veyed the USAF Senior NoncommissionedOfficer (NCO) Academy at Maxwell AirForce Base (AFB)–Gunter Annex, Ala-bama, and asked attendees to answer thefollowing questions:

• What do you expect from your newcommander?

• How do you define a successfulcommander?

• What do you not want to see inyour new boss?

Among the most thoughtful responsescame this one from SMSgt Michael Brake,a flight leader at the academy and formerassistant to commander in chief strategiccommand (CINCSTRATCOM):

1. I expect leadership in action—notby proxy. Commanders must getout from behind their own per-ceived comfort zones and get toknow their folks. I’ve experiencedtoo many stories of shift personnelbeing surprised by senior leader-ship visiting them on a mid, swing,

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or weekend shift. Shouldn’t be asurprise—should be expected. Noother way for the commander to getthe true pulse of their personnel.

2. Leaders make mistakes—andgrow through the opportunity.Don’t be afraid to make them andfess up when you do—subordi-nates will know you are real. Atthe same time, understand thatsubordinates also make mistakesand need the same opportunity togrow as a result. Accountabilityyes, perfection—impossible.

3. Communication is vital—goeswith number 1. Unless it is detri-mental to the organization, shareinformation. The result will beinclusion and fewer rumors,thereby making everyone feel sig-nificant.

4. Empower personnel. Former ChiefMaster Sergeant of the Air ForceSam Parrish said it best: “If whatthey want to do is (a) good for theAir Force; (b) good for the individ-ual; and (c) doesn’t hurt anyone—why stop them?

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5. Live by the core values. Live by thecore values. Live by the core val-ues.2

Here is another entry from SMSgt Bev-erly Hill, also a flight chief at the SeniorNCO Academy and former commandsystems manager at Robins AFB, Geor-gia, who explains her expectations of anew commander as follows:

1. In the commander, I am lookingfor someone who lives the core val-ues every day. If you are wrong,admit it up front. Have thecourage to stand up, without evercompromising personal beliefs, forwhat is right and fair. Don’t sayone thing and do another—we seewhat is done, not what is said.

2. I define a successful commanderas one who supports, and in somecases stands up, for his or herpeople when they are right. Addi-tionally, I look for someone whotreats everyone fairly and is inclu-sive (decision makers shouldinclude male, female, minorities,enlisted). Finally, a successfulcommander has high standards

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and demands that his/her officersalso reflect and live the core val-ues.

3. What I don’t want to see is a com-mander who is partial to certainindividuals; one who won’t sup-port you as a professional; or onewho doesn’t have the courage tosupport tough, unpopular deci-sions up the chain of command.Clearly, I don’t want a commanderwho is dishonest.3

The final entry comes from SMSgtChristopher Schloemer, former first ser-geant and now an instructor at theSenior NCO Academy:

1. Listen. I have a lot of experience tooffer. Nothing puts me off morethan a new commander thatknows it all already. Obviously,you have new ideas and a newperspective, but hopefully, also anopen mind.

2. Be decisive. A wishy-washy com-mander is death for an organiza-tion. Make informed decisions asmuch as possible. See #1 above.

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3. Be consistent. As with anyone,you will have both good days andbad. However, if the troops comein and ask the secretary “whatkind of mood is he/she in today,”your organization will not be aseffective.

4. Be visible. The troops need to seeyou. I used to put “walk around”time on my commander’s sched-ule. Nothing raises morale morethan knowing the commandercares enough to visit them in theirwork areas.

5. Don’t micromanage. You don’thave time to handle every detail.That’s why you have so many peo-ple in your squadron.

6. Have high expectations of yoursenior NCOs. Hold their feet to thefire and ensure they are earningthe title “senior NCO” every day byupholding high standards andleading troops.

7. Integrate the core values into yoursquadron every day. If you expectyour troops to live by these, you

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must live by them. I once had acommander who made referenceto the core values in every correc-tive action he took—it was veryeffective.4

If there is a central theme in all of theessays I received, it is the expectationthat commanders live the core valuesevery day. While accomplishing thismight appear simple, it takes continu-ous effort to ensure you never make adecision or take action that might givethe impression (even unintentionally)that you are compromising these corevalues.

As an example, here is a story of a baddecision I made while commander of the555th Fighter Squadron. It taught me agreat deal about unintentional conse-quences.

The time and place: July 1999 atAviano Air Base (AB), Italy

We had recently ended OperationALLIED FORCE, the air campaignover Serbia and Kosovo. I received acall from aviation artist Robert Tay-lor, among the most respected andwell-known painters of military air-

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craft in the world, asking for assis-tance. He was working on a paintingof the F-16 entitled “Viper Venom”and asked for help by providingunclassified information on oursquadron aircraft. Talking on thephone to the artist, we workedtogether to ensure he had the exactdetails in order to recreate the F-16to his impeccable standards. Shortlyafter the painting was completed, Ireceived a call from his staff askingif I would agree to sign the print as acommander and combat veteran (allof his aircraft paintings are signed).I was both honored and humbled bythe request. After some thought anddiscussion with the JAG to ensurethere was no ethical or legaldilemma, I agreed to sign the print.Additionally, I shared the story of aparticular mission that highlightedthe international NATO team effortof ALLIED FORCE. So why was thisa failure?

First—as a commander, I failed toput my troops first. Remember whatColonel Lord said in his letter? Thereare rewards that come with com-

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mand—not awards. By allowingmyself to be singled out, I failed torepresent my people, who con-tributed more than I ever did. Acommander should be out front andin the lead in all but one circum-stance—when there are accolades tobe received or success to be shared.

Second—I failed my fellow com-manders who fought side by sidewith me. A commander has loyaltyto three groups—his commandchain, his fellow commanders, andthose he is privileged to lead. By notinsisting that my fellow commandersbe represented on the print, I failedto fight for their interests and theinterest of their squadrons.

Finally, and most important for thisdiscussion: when I had time to pon-der this decision in the weeks andmonths that followed, I had to admitthat I had not put service before self.In Senator John McCain’s book,Faith of My Fathers, he states, “gloryand honor are achieved only whenone serves something greater thanhimself.” The very best commanders

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are truly selfless in all things and atall times.

This was a great lesson on makingdecisions with our USAF core values infocus. While your initial intentions mayvery well be honorable, you must thinkthrough your decisions and actions toensure our Air Force core values are atthe heart of your existence every hour ofevery day.

What Do You Expect?

A good leader sets goals, measuresprogress, and rewards perform-ance. He or she tries to give every-one a stake in the mission of theorganization and its outcome. That’sthe role of leadership.

—Gen John M. Loh, USAF, Retired

To complete our discussion on expec-tations, we must explore perhaps themost difficult question to answer—whatshould you expect from the commandexperience? A squadron command touris equal parts inspiration and aggrava-tion—times of exhilaration and times ofdepression. It is all-encompassing, and

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it becomes pervasive in every aspect ofyour life. Decisions will often be gut-wrenching and unclear. Your people will,at times, both inspire you and disap-point you. It will be, for many, the firsttime you are responsible for areas youdon’t truly understand; that is, outsideyour technical stovepipe and/or comfortzone. The larger and more diverse theorganization under your command, thegreater this discomfort will be.

As a new commander, you might behesitant to ask questions of subordi-nates for fear of appearing uninformedand losing respect. Remember, however,that you have been chosen for commandbecause of your demonstrated leader-ship abilities. You will garner far morerespect from your airmen if you take thetime early in your tour to understandtheir part in achieving your vision. Canyou think of a single instance duringyour career when a commander askedyou to explain what you do or how youdo it and you were bothered by theintrusion? Chances are, you appreciatedthe fact that he or she took the time toask your opinion. Your airmen will be nodifferent. They don’t expect immediate

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tactical or technical expertise in everyarea. However, they do expect you tounderstand how they fit into the big pic-ture so you can be a credible advocate.

Maj Gen John G. Meyer, USA, wrotean outstanding book titled CompanyCommand: The Bottom Line. (You need acopy!) General Meyer asks the followingkey questions, aptly describing the com-mand experience:

1. Are you willing to dedicate your-self 24 hours a day, seven days aweek, if necessary, for your unitand your troops?

2. Is your family willing to bear thesacrifices?

3. Are you willing to lead by examplein everything you do—to live in afish bowl with your personal andprofessional life open to view?

4. Do you understand that loyalty isa two-way street?

5. Can you challenge your troops togo the extra mile, knowing thechallenges may increase eventhough the rewards remain thesame?

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6. Are you willing to put your neckon the line and take risks whennecessary?

7. Are you willing to make the toughdecisions, regardless of the conse-quences?

8. Are you willing to take responsibil-ity for everything that happens, ordoesn’t happen, in your unit?

9. Are you willing to support yourboss completely and wholeheart-edly, even if he or she is not a per-son you like?

10. Are you willing to sacrifice yourcareer to protect and preserve thedignity of your troops?5

If your answer to each of these ques-tions is “yes,” then you can expect toenjoy the single most difficult, mostchallenging, and most rewarding profes-sional experience of your career.

In the next chapter, I will offer somethoughts on the commander’s vision andshare a few stories intended to help youdevelop and communicate your ownvision. I will then offer some ideas onbuilding an environment for success.

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Notes

1. Col William T. Lord, USAF, interviewed byauthor, November 2000.

2. SMSgt Michael Brake, USAF, interviewedby author, December 2000.

3. SMSgt Beverly Hill, USAF, interviewed byauthor, January 2001.

4. SMSgt Christopher Schloemer, USAF,interviewed by author, January 2001.

5. John G. Meyer, Maj Gen, Company Com-mand: The Bottom Line (Washington, D.C.:National Defense University Press, 1990), 8.Reprinted with permission by Byrrd Enterprises,Inc., Alexandria, Va., 1996.

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Chapter 2

Vision and Environment

In the end, commanders do only twothings—provide the vision and setthe environment. Almost everythingyou do for the organization falls intoone of these categories. You will betempted to focus elsewhere. If youdo so, it is likely you are performingsomeone else’s job and they neitherwant nor need your help.

—Col Steve Goldfein—1st Fighter Wing Commander

You were not hired to “tread water” incommand. Rather, you are expected tomove your squadron in a direction thatmore effectively accomplishes the unit’smission. This is true regardless of whetheryou are taking charge of a top-notchsquadron or one that’s on its back. Eventhe very best organizations can and willimprove under the leadership of an inspi-rational commander. Developing a clearvision and then communicating that

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vision effectively are essential elements ofsuccessful command.

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Developing and CommunicatingYour Vision

I am interested in the future becausethat’s where I plan to spend the restof my life.

—Maj Gen Perry Smith, USAF, Retired

Add one year from your change ofcommand day and ask yourself whereyou want the squadron to be. What spe-cific goals do you want the squadron to

achieve? Take the time to put thesethoughts down on paper. You will findthis exercise to be extremely useful fororganizing your thoughts into a coordi-nated plan and a focused effort. This listbecomes the foundation of your com-mander’s intent—your vision. How youintend to accomplish these goals is notcritical at this point.

The next step is to combine this list ofgoals into a basic vision statement.Remember that your airmen want, need,and deserve to be led from day one ofyour command tour. Knowing the direc-tion their commander wants to takethem is both comforting and reassuring.Here are some basic guidelines for devel-oping your vision statement:

• Make it understandable––It mustbe understood by the entiresquadron. Ensure that it is clear,concise, and easy to remember.

• Make it inclusive––Look over everyaspect of your squadron andensure that no section is left out ofyour vision.

• Make it supportive––Remember thatyour squadron is responsible for

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VISION AND ENVIRONMENT

executing a portion of the wing’smission. Your vision must supportthe group and wing.

• Encourage participation––Avoid thetendency to “issue” your vision.Allow senior supervisors to makecomments and tweak the visionstatement before it is published.Their buy-in will flow down throughthe unit and help it to take solidroot.

Here are two examples of vision state-ments to help you develop your own:

• When my brother, Col Steve Gold-fein, stood up an AEF at KwangJu, he had airmen assigned fromten different PACAF bases withpeople going in as many direc-tions. To get everyone aligned, hedeveloped the following five-phaseprogram: reception and beddown,force security, C3, mission contin-uation, and leaving the place bet-ter than we find it––do one beforemoving to the next. Simple, under-standable, and everyone under-stood their role.

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• My predecessor in command, LtCol Guy Dahlbeck, had done amarvelous job transforming thesquadron from a relatively newunit into a showplace for the wing.I determined that my role was tobuild on his excellent work andfocus on rapid mobility in keepingwith the move to an ExpeditionaryAir Force. Our vision became“arrive on time, with the righttools, the right training, and theright attitude to get the job doneright the first time – Nickel stan-dard.” Again—catchy, inclusive,and easy to remember.

A final thought on developing yourvision: Do not wait until after you havetaken the unit colors to accomplish thiscritical task. Think about it right now.Make out your list of goals; talk it overwith your peers. Use the time availablebetween learning of your commandassignment and taking command to thinkthrough this process. Like elected offi-cials, you will experience a “honeymoonperiod” during which your troops willgauge you as their new leader. You mustnot squander the opportunity to lead from

27


the beginning of your tour with a clearsense of direction and purpose. I willrepeat a previous statement because it isso critical to successful command: Yourtroops want, need, and deserve to be ledfrom day one of your command tour.

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Once you have developed your vision,you must then communicate it through-out the squadron. Take and make everyopportunity to talk to your troops aboutyour vision and their role in it. It shouldbecome the centerpiece of a “mini-speech”you give when meeting with members ofthe squadron. Repetition in the earlymonths of your command is critical toensuring that the word filters to all levels

of the organization. When Ronald W. Rea-gan was president, he stuck to a few keythemes throughout his eight years inoffice. As he constantly repeated theseideas, we came to understand moreclearly the direction he intended to leadour nation. On a slightly smaller scale,you must do the same as commander ofyour squadron. By taking the time to firstdevelop and then communicate yourvision to the squadron, you will begin yourcommand tour with a clear sense of direc-tion and purpose. The next step is to buildthe environment in the squadron toachieve your vision.

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Building the Environment

Learn from the mistakes of others.You won’t live long enough to makethem all yourself.

—Martin Fanbee

Every day, more than 95 percent of yourairmen will arrive at work intending tosucceed—very few come in intending tofail. Your role as commander is to build anenvironment within the squadron with asfew barriers as possible to achieving thisalready sought-after success. The workarea must be secure, safe, of high stan-dard, and respectful of diversity.

The most challenging aspect of buildingthis environment will be establishing openand engaged communication flow withinthe unit. As the commander, you set thetone for the entire squadron. Are you anactive and engaged listener? Do you main-tain eye contact when people are talking?Do you ask questions to clarify their posi-tions? Do you encourage diversity of opin-ions on issues? Can you summarize acomplex discussion into logical points atthe end of a staff meeting? All of these areessential characteristics of an active lis-

30


tener. Not only must you set the exampleas the commander; you must mentor yourkey supervisors to do the same. After youhave given direction in a staff meeting,wait a few days and then ask a few airmenif they have heard the guidance. You’lloften be disappointed in what you find. Goback to the top and start again. It takesconstant vigilance throughout your com-mand tour to keep information and ideasflowing daily in all directions. In almostevery case study presented in this paper,as well as virtually every mishap boardyou will ever be involved in, a breakdownin communication at some point is causal.Work at improving communication everyday until you give up command.

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You can use (or develop, if required) afew key organizations within yoursquadron to assist in facilitating com-munication flow. Four such key organi-zations are discussed below.

1. Flight Commander Forum––Mostsquadrons are organized such thatevery airman is assigned to one ofyour flight commanders. Establisha forum with just you and yoursubordinate commanders to dis-cuss issues related to the squad-ron. Meet once a month and use theopportunity to share your thoughtsas well as prepare them for futureleadership responsibility.

2. Top 3 (or 4)––Meet with your seniorNCOs within the first few days oftaking command. Establish clearlythat you intend to meet with themon a regular basis to discuss issuesfacing the squadron. Again, work toget their participation and recruitthem to help communicate yourvision and intent to the troops.

3. Airman’s Advisory Council––This isa superb forum for offering youngerairmen the opportunity to raise

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issues directly with the commanderas well as hear from you. Not onlywork to get their commitment tosupporting your vision, also use theforum to check communication flowthroughout the squadron. Did yourdirection at the last staff meetingmake it out? Ask and see.

4. Spouse Support Group––Our fami-lies exhibit a special kind ofcourage when they endure thelong hours, the separations, andthe hardships so common to ourservice. We owe it to these unsungheroes to ensure they are informedabout squadron activities and tomake them feel part of the unit’smission. Share your vision withthem—they deserve to know andyou want their involvement.

Here is a story from Lt Col Jeff Lofgren,commander of an F-16 Fighter Squadron,that highlights a lesson he shares aboutlistening to key supervisors:

The time and place: May 1999, Mis-awa AB, Japan

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We had just returned from a deploy-ment to the desert and were facing aPACAF inspection in two months. Theorderly room had not deployed andwas expected to have completed allinspection preparation while we weregone—this had not happened. I calleda meeting to discuss orderly roomissues and to review where we were inpreparation for the upcoming inspec-tion. At the end of the discussion, oneof the SSgts brought up the fact thathe was conducting ERGO testing andrequested to be allowed to return towork in the squadron in athletic gearsince he was driving back and forth agreat deal (15 minutes each way). Iasked the NCOIC of the orderly roomhis opinion. He was taken aback bythe question but responded that itwould in fact help if the SSgt couldcome back to the squadron. I thenasked if anyone had brought up theuniform attire as an issue. My firstsergeant said the chief had com-mented on the fact that the SSgt hadbeen in the squadron in workoutattire. I did NOT listen very well at thispoint. My shirt said he had already

34


spoken with the NCOIC and resolvedthe issue—he was hinting big and Iwasn’t listening! I was running late soI made a hasty decision I thought wasno big deal and authorized the SSgt towear athletic gear while accomplish-ing ERGO testing. Big mistake.

Later that afternoon my shirt cameinto my office and shut the door.Being the ultimate professional, heasked “may I speak frankly with yousir? You really messed up this morn-ing.” Right then all the subtle com-ments became clear. He proceededto tell me that my chief had alreadyresolved the issue by directing theshirt to instruct the NCOIC that theSSgt would not be allowed to wearathletic gear in the squadron. Afterdiscussing the issue with theNCOIC, the matter appeared closed.The SSgts felt they had won a smallvictory by undermining the author-ity of the senior NCOs.

My lessons were very clear. Whenyour senior NCOs speak, you needto listen to them first and foremost.When the shirt mentioned that the

35


chief had spoken on the issue, bellsshould have gone off. Next, my shirthad already handled the issue, toldme so, and I trumped him—not agood thing to undermine his author-ity in front of subordinates. As acommander, you must listen to yoursenior NCOs, who are central togood order and discipline withinyour unit. This seemingly smallissue turned out to haunt me formany months until I could reorgan-ize the orderly room.1

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Effective team building is another keyto building a successful work environ-ment. There are certain key relation-ships both within and outside your

squadron that you must develop as acommander. The first I will discuss is therelationship between you and your sen-ior enlisted leader, normally a chief mas-ter sergeant. As the senior enlisted man-ager, your chief is the main spokesmanon all issues pertaining to the enlistedforce. You must talk openly and often. Asa young commander, you may feel a bitintimidated by a chief with 18-23 yearsin the service. Remember, however, inthe end it is your squadron. You haveseveral years of solid experience in theAir Force yourself, and it is what you dotoday with the experience you have thatmatters.2 Never forget that the leader-ship skills you have developed up to thispoint in your career (which impressedyour boss enough to hire you for com-mand) are not tribe or specialty specific.The basics of solid leadership you usedto motivate and lead officers as a flightcommander will now apply to leadingairmen (and visa versa).

Developing the right relationship withyour chief is crucial to your success.Make it a point to never sign any paperassociated with an enlisted issue beforethe chief gets a vote. Walk around the

37


squadron with your chief so the troopssee you together often. Listen to his/heradvice. It will benefit you and yoursquadron if the troops know the chiefhas your ear and is a respected advisor.Think of the relationship as much likethat of a father and son. To succeed, youmust be mature enough to realize thatwhile you are often the father, some-times you are the son.3

The next relationship you mustdevelop is between your first sergeant“shirt” and the chief. Often the lines ofresponsibility between these two individ-uals will cross and become clouded. It isessential that you lay out your expecta-tions early so that these key advisors arein sync and in support of your vision. Asa general rule, the shirt will be your pri-mary advisor when you are working adiscipline or personnel issue involvingother base agencies (JAG, Family Sup-port, etc.). However, no action should betaken with an airman in the squadronbefore the chief gets an input. On theother hand, when there are mission-related issues taking place with theenlisted force, the chief will be your pri-mary advisor. Once again, the shirt must

38


be in the know to ensure that he/she isnot blindsided when counseling mem-bers of the squadron. It is all about com-munication. These two individuals mustcommunicate openly and daily to ensurethat neither works against the other andboth work together for you. By laying outthese expectations to them early, youwill begin your tour with a solid base ofsenior NCO support and teamwork.

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The final inside-the-squadron keyteam discussed here is the one betweenkey supervisory officers who, by natureof your mission, will have conflictinginterests. I’ll use a typical fightersquadron as an example to discuss the

relationship between the operations offi-cer and the maintenance officer. Theoperations officer is responsible fortraining the pilots/aircrew while themaintenance officer is responsible formanaging the fleet of aircraft and equip-ment. To build a healthy team spirit inthese officers, who often have conflictingrequirements, lay out your expectationsto the two of them clearly. The opera-tions officer has a responsibility to themaintenance officer to clearly explainthe value of whatever it is he is askingfor. This is important because the main-tenance officer will have to explain anyproposed plan to his staff.

The maintenance officer owes the oper-ations officer the cost of what he is askingin terms of workload and impact on thelong-term health of the fleet. The opera-tions officer needs to understand this costin order to educate his staff. Once boththe value and the cost are clearly under-stood by both sides, reasonable men andwomen can reach informed decisions thatbalance each competing interest whileaccomplishing the mission. The key ingre-dient for success is engaged interactionand open communication by both sides.

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When the operations officer and themaintenance officer cannot agree, youmust make the decision. Before you do,bring them in and have them explain toyou (and to each other) the value and costas indicated above. You will likely find thata few sessions with you going through thisprocess will help them communicate moreeffectively. This process can be applied toany squadron where equipment and facil-ities issues run counter to training agen-das. It is useful to remember in these sit-uations that each member of thesquadron is after the same end state; thatis, effective accomplishment of thesquadron’s mission. Disagreements gen-erally center on the best method to get tothis common goal.

The most critical team you mustdevelop outside your squadron isbetween you and your fellow squadroncommanders. Make appointments in thefirst few weeks to visit them on theirturf. Get to know the civil engineeringcommander before you have to ask forher help. Remember Colonel Lord’sadvice in his letter about viewing yourfellow commanders as “the competition.”Do not let healthy competition turn into

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open animosity. As commander, you willset the tone. Never degrade or criticizeother squadrons—to do so is to violateyour loyalty to fellow commanders.Remember that weak organizations needanother unit, usually a better one, todefine who they are and what they standfor as a squadron. Define who you areinternally rather than externally. Yoursmay well become the squadron otherunits will emulate.

Here is a superb story from Lt Col JimJones, commander of an F-16 Fightersquadron at Osan AB, Republic ofKorea, that highlights teambuilding, lis-tening, and building key relationships:

The time and place: June 1999,Osan AB, Republic of Korea

As I stood in front of the squadronduring my change of command cere-mony, I was confident I was as pre-pared to command as any officercould expect to be. I had extensiveflying experience in the aircraft andhad spent the previous thirteenmonths as the operations officer ofthe same squadron. I felt I had thebig issues under control, but I

42


quickly learned that some of theitems I considered minor issuescould have major repercussions.

When I took command, the mainte-nance personnel were operating on athree-shift concept. My maintenancesupervisors were confident this wasthe most effective way to keep thefleet combat ready, plus it enabledthem to stabilize the work schedulesfor personnel on the line. Instead oftying work schedules to the flyingperiod, they were able to offer rela-tively stable work hours for our air-men, which was a significant qualityof life issue. Sounded great in prin-ciple, but unfortunately, it was notin accordance with current regula-tions. As we were in the zone for ahigher headquarters inspection, Ihad to decide whether we were goingto continue with three-shift opera-tions or realign the schedule to con-form to PACAF’s standard two-shiftmaintenance guidance.

I did some basic research on the reg-ulation and then discussed the issuewith the PACAF/LG staff. They gave

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me a number of reasons why thethree-shift operation was a bad idea:manning shortfalls, lack of supervi-sion, tendency to pass work to thenext shift, etc. While they acknowl-edged there were isolated situationsthat might require three shifts, theypresented very convincing argu-ments that this wasn’t the best wayto accomplish maintenance on aroutine basis. As I saw it, the issueseemed relatively simple. Could wemaintain the aircraft in the samemanner and accomplish the missionin accordance with the regulations,or did we truly need to maintainthree-shift operations? I asked mymaintenance supervisors and theyindicated that we certainly couldmeet mission requirements with twoshifts—but at a cost in efficiencyand quality of life benefits. Aftersome thought, I elected to stop thethree-shift operation as a standardpractice, while maintaining theoption to flex when circumstancesdictated the need to do so.

While I believe the decision was cor-rect and I would make the same

44


decision today, the way I handledthe situation turned out to havenegative repercussions. My mainte-nance supervisors were extremelytalented, experienced, and capable.This wasn’t a decision they hadcome to by chance. They were confi-dent they were doing what was bestfor the squadron, and when I toldthem I had discussed this withPACAF, they felt I didn’t trust theirjudgment. I failed to realize howimportant this issue was to them. Asa result, I didn’t get them involved inthe decision process as I shouldhave. Rather than going to thePACAF staff alone, I should haveincluded my maintenance supervi-sors in the discussion. When theywanted to discuss my rationale forgoing to two-shift operations, I felt Iknew all of the counter argumentsso cut off the discussion with a curt,“because that is what the regs saywe need to do.” I should have spentmore time listening and understand-ing my maintenance supervisor’sconcerns and then included them inthe final decision. The result of all of

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this was a perception among mysenior NCOs that the boss didn’ttrust or value their opinion. A per-ceived lack of trust can lead to allsorts of problems. Had I taken thetime to treat this issue as a team-building exercise rather than a solocommander decision, we could haveresolved the situation and emergedstronger as a squadron.4

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Another area you must consider as youbuild an environment for success is howto create a safe working environment in aninherently unsafe business. We are air-

men. Our ultimate job, as an Air Force, isto rapidly dominate the air and space overa defined geographical area in support ofnational security objectives. This ofteninvolves the precise and deliberatedestruction of selected enemy targets andloss of life. Nothing about the job is inher-ently safe. Working next to running jetengines is not safe. Deploying into highthreat areas is not safe. Securing an air-field in a high terrorist threat condition isnot safe. Dodging surface-to-air missilesis not safe. So how do you build a safeworking environment under these condi-tions? One answer is by stressing disci-pline. A disciplined squadron will alwaysbe a safe squadron; however, the reverseis not necessarily true. Discipline to anaviator means strict adherence to therules of engagement in war and to trainingrules in peacetime. Discipline to a main-tainer means adherence to technicalorders and precise documentation of workperformed. A disciplined squadron willtake pride in its facilities and work areas.Standards for wear of the uniform andpersonal appearance will be strict, under-stood, and supported by your supervision.Punish breaches of discipline immediately

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and openly. When you build your squad-ron safety program, focus on disciplinefirst. Achieve it and you will be the safestoperation on base with no sacrifice in mis-sion readiness.

The last thought on building an envi-ronment for success involves developing a“winning spirit”—a general recognitionthat your squadron is up to the taskdespite the mission or level of competition.This is not something that happensovernight, but it can happen surprisinglyquickly. A new commander at Shaw AFBtook over a unit that had not won a singleaward in the two years previous to hischange of command. He began with hissenior staff focusing on winning the quar-terly foreign object damage (FOD) award.Once they accomplished this task, theymoved on to others, always focused onteam rather than individual accomplish-ment. In the course of one year, thesquadron was winning every competitionon base. Morale soared as airmen recog-nized they were part of a winning team. Ittook a focused effort and diligence on thepart of the commander to nurture thisspirit in a way that still balanced his loy-

48


alty to both his fellow commanders andthe airmen in his squadron.

While building an environment for suc-cess, you will not win every competitionand you will not accomplish every taskwith perfection. There will be times whenyou will fall short both individually and asa unit. The best advice for handling notonly setbacks but also achievement comesfrom Don Shula, the “winningest” coachin national football league (NFL) history.Coach Shula had a 24-hour rule. Heallowed himself, his coaches, and hisplayers a maximum of 24 hours to cele-brate a victory or bemoan a defeat. Oncethe 24 hours was up, they put it behindthem and focused their energies on thenext opponent.5

Developing your vision, communicatingyour vision, and building an environmentfor success should take up the majority ofyour time and energy as a commander.

Notes

1. Lt Col Jeff Lofgren, interviewed by author,February 2001.

2. John G. Meyer, Company Command: TheBottom Line (Washington, D.C.: National DefenseUniversity Press, 1990), 31. Reprinted with per-

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mission by Byrrd Enterprises, Inc., Alexandria,Va., 1996.

3. Col Steve Goldfein, USAF, interviewed byauthor, January 1998.

4. Lt Col Jim Jones, USAF, interviewed byauthor, February 2001.

5. Kenneth H. Blanchard, The Heart of aLeader (Tulsa, Okla.: Honor Books, 1999), 19.

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Chapter 3

Walking the Walk

Leaders have the ability to inspireothers to achieve what managerssay is not feasible.

—Gen Colin Powell, USA, Retired

—Secretary of State

A great deal has been written aboutleadership and management and the dif-ference between the two. I am going touse an oversimplified definition thatshould be useful for our discussion ofcommand: Leadership is about people;management is about things. Successfulcommanders understand they areequally responsible for both. As a com-mander, you will be entrusted with bothpeople and things (aircraft, vehicles,parts). You must balance your timebetween these areas of responsibility.Commanders who feel they can simplyfocus on leadership and not sweat the

51

details of management have never seenwhat goes into the phase inspection ofan aircraft or managed the supplyrequirements to keep a fleet of agingvehicles running in a transportationsquadron. Commanders who believethey can focus just on managing thepieces and parts have never choreo-graphed and led 100 aircraft into a heav-ily defended enemy target or made a gut-wrenching decision to relieve anincompetent subordinate. The bottomline is this: A successful commanderbalances his time between leadershipand management responsibilities.

As a manager, you must get downdeep enough into the organization tounderstand the key processes requiredto accomplish the mission. How can youengage to solve a supply problem if youdon’t understand how your people dotheir jobs? Don’t believe you are empow-ering your people and avoiding micro-management by neglecting to under-stand what is required (both integral tothe squadron and outside) for yoursquadron to accomplish its mission. Ablind and/or ignorant eye is not thesame as empowerment.

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As a leader, you must inspire yourpeople to accomplish more than man-agement rules would suggest is possible.You, along with every other commanderin the USAF, will have fewer than theoptimum number of personnel andresources needed to accomplish yourmission—that is a fact of life. Under-stand clearly that these limitations donot constitute an excuse for failure toanswer the call. Your inspirational lead-ership is required to overcome these andother obstacles in achieving missionsuccess. Doing more with less is a fact ofexistence in the Air Force. Your chal-lenge as a commander is to do the verybest you can with what you have.

Here are several stories from com-manders who faced daunting challengesduring their tours. Read them with acritical eye and think now about howyou might handle similar circumstancesin the future.

The first involves a situation where thefundamental ethics of a commanderwere tested. This tale comes from ColTerry New.

The time and place: December 1993,Aviano AB, Italy

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WALKING THE WALK

When I was commander of the 512thFighter Squadron stationed at Ram-stein AB, Germany, we deployed toAviano for the 86th Wing’s first par-ticipation in Operation DENY FLIGHT.The ground war in Bosnia was fairlyintense at that point and escalating,with all sides trying to get their lastlicks in before winter. NATO air-power was providing 24-hour cover-age over Bosnia, not only denyingflight, but also providing a deterrentclose air support presence for UNforces on the ground trying to medi-ate the conflict.

I led the deployment sortie toAviano, where the 31st Wing Com-mander and staff gave us a warmreception. There was a lot of mediacoverage, including an interview assoon as my feet hit the ground. Aftera fair amount of gripping and grin-ning, I was invited to attend the wingstandup where I was welcomed asone of their own. Up to this point, Iwas riding pretty high—first deploy-ment as a squadron commander,about to fly the squadron’s firstcombat missions, and a grand wel-

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come by the 31st Fighter Wing. Butwhen I returned to the squadronfacility, my operations officer waswaiting for me outside. “Boss, weneed to talk. We’ve got a problem.”

He had led the [advanced echelon]ADVON team down a few days priorand this was my first opportunity totalk with him since arrival. We hadplanned to load 500-lb Mark 82bombs for the following day’s sched-ule and expected a fuse that myweapons troops were certified toload. Problem was, these fuses didnot exist at Aviano. So here we were,deployed for combat operations andnot certified to load our primary air-to-ground munitions. The leader-ship at the Combined Air OperationsCenter (CAOC) in Vicenza was furi-ous and demanded that we “dowhatever it takes” to fly our taskingthe next day.

We found my maintenance supervi-sor on the flight line and discussedoptions. He gave me an “out” by say-ing that although the weapons load-ers were not certified to load the

55

WALKING THE WALK

other fuses, they had done it beforeand would have no trouble doing itnow for combat. They were leaningway forward and would do it if I gavethe word. Those UN forces weredepending on us to be overhead incase they needed help.

I tried to simplify the facts in mymind in order to make the right deci-sion. Our site survey team had obvi-ously done a poor job of determiningthe fuse inventory at Aviano. My“combat ready” squadron I was soproud of was not so “combat ready”and, in fact, we had egg all over ourface. I had an O-6 at the CAOCspeaking directly to the 2-star tellingme to do “whatever it takes” to makeour schedule the next day. And I hadmy maintenance supervisors, whofelt bad about not discovering thefuse requirement, reassuring methey could load those bombs andfuses even though they were not cer-tified to do so. All I had to do wasgive the word.

I thought back to my first comman-der’s call and what I had said were

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my priorities as well as what Iexpected them to use as their prior-ities when making difficult deci-sions. Number one, ask yourselfhow this decision will affect our abil-ity to do our mission. I had no doubtwe could safely load the bombs andcarry out combat operations thenext day. But we’d be doing it indirect violation of Air Force Instruc-tions. If anything went wrong, Iwouldn’t have a leg to stand on.Number two, ask yourself how thisdecision will affect our people. I feltthey had already fulfilled their obli-gation by giving me an honestappraisal of where we stood. Anyrepercussions would be borne solelyby me. It would probably even boostmorale a bit for the troops to see theboss stick his neck out to preserveour squadron’s reputation.

I felt I could justify a decision eitherway, based on my first two priorities.Number three, just do the rightthing if you can’t make the decisionbased on the first two priorities. Somuch for black and white decisions!All eyes were on me and they were

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WALKING THE WALK

waiting for a decision. Whatever Itold them would demonstrate how Iexpected them to conduct them-selves, not only as a member of thesquadron, but throughout their AirForce careers. It suddenly becameclear to me what to do.

I told them we were not going to loadthe bombs without certified loaders.We rolled up our sleeves and deter-mined what it would take to get ourloaders certified. I called my [opera-tions group] OG back at Ramsteinand told him what I had done andasked for help. He scrambled a C-21with a certified weapons load crewand instructor on board and theywere at Aviano in a matter of hours.He instructed and certified myweapons loaders while they loadedour first jet—legally. We met ourtasking the next day and every dayafter that. My OG/CC and I jumpedin a car and drove to the CAOC foran audience with the General andthe Colonel. After tempers hadcalmed and we were flying combatmissions, the general made his posi-

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tion very plain: “Don’t let it happenagain.”

I’ve thought about this situationmany times since then. I wouldn’t doanything different. This event alsohas some leadership lessons at thenext level of command because mycommander saved my back end. Henever once questioned my decisionand went to extraordinary lengths tobail me out of a difficult situation.Once he brought the cavalry to therescue, he could have jumped backon that C-21 and gone home. Hechose instead to go with me toVicenza to provide top cover and didmost of the apologizing for me. Talkabout how to win someone’srespect—I’d work for him again anyday!1

This story also highlights an importantpart of making command decisions:learning to trust your gut. You have beenplaced in command because othersalready trust your instincts to makesolid decisions. When you find yourselffavoring a course of action because youthink someone else might be smarter

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WALKING THE WALK

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than you, step back a moment. If yourgut tells you it’s wrong, don’t go there.Many commanders at every level can tellplenty of stories of poor decisions theymade that went against their gutinstincts—and they knew it. Chancesare, the longer you are in command, themore you will find these gut checks to besuperb decision guides.

Lt Col Charlie Lyon, commander of the22d Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem,learned a lesson about paying attentionto the details.

The time and place: March 1999,Spangdahlem AB, Germany

This was a great lesson for me inwhat happens if you don’t check allthe details as a commander. Whilethe squadron was deployed to Incir-lik, Turkey, in support of OperationNorthern Watch (ONW), my life sup-port officer was attending a school inthe states. He returned to thesquadron just before OperationAllied Force began.

We quickly redeployed the squadronto home station, finding out duringour refueling stop at [Naval Air Sta-tion] NAS Sigonella that our destina-tion was not Aviano but Spang-dahlem, adding a new twist to ourupcoming tasking: we would be fly-ing out of home station with pilotswho had not yet participated inAllied Force. Within 48 hours ofarrival at Spangdahlem, we were air-borne for our first Allied Force com-bat missions with a mix of pilotswho had spent the previous monthsdeployed to ONW and others whohad remained at home station.

When we received the execute order,a certain young officer was included

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WALKING THE WALK

in the lineup. After his second mis-sion, he was extremely shaken up—he had been launched on by enemysurface-to-air missiles on both mis-sions. I learned from his flight com-mander that he was extremely hesi-tant to fly again the following night.Once I looked into the details, Ifound out this kid (who had onlybeen mission ready for a couple ofmonths) had only flown one or twonight sorties TOTAL since being atSpangdahlem. So, we gave him acouple of simulator hops androtated him to Aviano to fly daytimemissions before working him backinto the night rotation.

Looking back, this young pilot hadmore courage than the rest of us byflying in missions he hadn’t beenproperly trained to do. Was he cur-rent and qualified to perform themission? Yes. Was he the rightchoice to fly one of the missionsearly on? No. I let him down by plac-ing him in a position he nevershould have been in—because Inever checked the details.2

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A critical aspect of successful commandwill be taking care of your troops. A storyfrom Lt Col Mike Boera, commander of the23d Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlemand former operations officer of the 22d,highlights the importance of putting thishigh on your priority list.

The time and place: December 1996,Karup, Denmark

I was lucky enough to learn a greatlesson on leadership and taking careof my troops while serving as Opera-tions Officer of the “Big 22” FighterSquadron flying F-16s. I was thedetachment commander for a tacti-cal fighter weaponry deployment toKarup, Denmark. Our deployedmaintenance team was already inplace along with our advance teamof operations personnel. As thedeployment leader, I eagerly lookedforward to this opportunity to getaway from the office, the email [sic]terminal, and the headaches, to fly,learn, and have a great time. All thejets were down safely and I was metat the plane with a cold beer by oneof the younger troops. I had an all-

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WALKING THE WALK

star team of performers with me, soI wasn’t at all worried about beingready to go the next day. Time tohave some fun.

Luckily, I had a superstar sortie gen-eration element chief, SMSgt TedPaget, who tactfully “let me have it.”He pulled me aside on day two andtold me I had messed up big-time bynot checking on the troops first. Ishould have asked about the bar-racks. How is the chow? How is thetransportation to and from the air-field? How are the maintenancefacilities? Turns out they were allfine because I had a professionalSNCO “checking my six” and ensur-ing the troops were cared for.

The first impression of me as a com-mander quite frankly stunk. Luckily,because of SMSgt Paget’s timelyguidance, I was able to rebound andbecome a better leader for theremainder of the deployment. Abra-ham Lincoln said, “I can make ageneral in five minutes, but it willtake me years to come up with 100good horses.” As a commander, you

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better take care of the horses. I willnever have to be reminded again.3

Unit failure is undoubtedly one of themost difficult situations for a com-mander to face. What do you do if theentire organization fails? Col LansenConley tells us about just such a situa-tion he faced as a maintenance squad-ron commander.

The time and place: May 1996, AvianoAB, Italy

I commanded the 31st MaintenanceSquadron (MXS) at Aviano AB, Italy.It was a large squadron of about 600people responsible for several in-shopmaintenance functions along withmunitions storage and handling. Foreveryone in the munitions business,nuclear surety inspections (NSI)strike fear into the hearts of every-one involved. They are exactinginspections, requiring months ofpreparation and practice—failure isnot an option.

For months prior to the NSI, weworked to ensure we were prepared—long hours, endless checks and re-

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checks. Thankfully, we passed theNSI. A month and a half later, [Head-quarters USAF Europe] HQ USAFEscheduled us for a conventionalmunitions stockpile verification audit.When my boss, the logistics groupcommander, inquired about thenature of this audit, my munitionsspecialists said it was not graded andtherefore low threat. Consequently,we did not spend a great deal of timepreparing for the audit and I wasassured we were ready. When theinspectors finished, we were labeledthe “worst in USAFE”—a shock toeveryone. Needless to say, the shockwave went all the way up the chain toHQ USAFE. It took months of endlesshours to fix the problems and pass are-inspection.

We had some serious mismanage-ment problems caused by failure tofollow established procedures. I firedsome supervisors, moved some to newpositions, and hired a few new folks.Our young airmen had to work longand hard to correct deficiencies thatdidn’t just occur overnight—it was a

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long-standing problem of bad prac-tices and not following the book.

What did I learn from this? First, noinspection is benign. Never let yourpeople tell you “not to worry” whenhigher headquarters inspection teamsare in town.

Second, be the commander fromMissouri with the “show me”approach. As one of my bosseswould say, “trust but verify.” This isespecially true if the inspection is inan area where you don’t have tech-nical expertise. Ask all those “stu-pid” questions because while youare getting educated, it might triggerone of your experts in an area thatneeds to be checked. Invite expertsin from another base, on yournickel, to get an outside opinion. Wedid this for the re-inspection and itpaid big dividends.

Third, ensure that your senior super-visors know they are accountable.They need to know their areas cold.When they tell you they are ready forinspection, you expect them to be

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ready by the book—not according tohow they “feel.”

Fourth, if you get to stay on the joband fix the problem, be aggressive.Develop a get-well plan, complete witha timeline, and brief it up the chain.Figure out whom to hold accountable,and do so. Stay engaged and take therecovery on as a unit task.

Fifth and finally, always be theleader. Take responsibility for thefailure and get out front of the recov-ery. Bad inspection results are nofun, but if you rally the squadron toovercome it as a unit, you willemerge stronger for it.4

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As a commander, you must take yourmission, but not yourself, very seriously.The final story in this section comesfrom Col Daniel “Doc” Zoerb, one of themost talented officers I have ever known.It offers some thoughts on the impor-tance of humility as a commander:

The time and place: Early 1980s,Eglin AFB, Florida

There we were, forty-five of theUSAF’s very finest NCOs, hand-picked [sic] from throughout [tacti-cal air command] TAC, two of theworld’s most gorgeous brand new airsuperiority fighters on alert withfour outside, ready and waiting forthe first opportunity to fight. Theunit quickly becomes operationaland is a political showplace—amodel for tactical fighter employ-ment and maintenance, a jewel interms of facilities, and the first stopon any senior leader’s or politician’stour. Young Captain Zoerb, in hisfirst command, is approached by hisold CMSgt one afternoon and askedfor a minute of the commander’stime behind closed doors. Into the

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commander’s office they go, thechief carrying a glass of water. Withthe door closed, the chief, using hisstandard south Georgia drawl, asksthe captain if he “would mindstickin’ his fanger in this here glassof water.” In a busy, condescendingway, the captain agrees and puts afinger in the glass. The old chieftakes a few seconds to inspect thewater with the captain’s finger stuckin it up to the knuckle, then askshim to remove the finger. The chiefcontinues examining the glass ofwater and the now removed drippingfinger, says, “hhruumphh . . . justwhat I thought,” excuses himself,and leaves the office, never sayinganother word about the event . . .ever. Dismissing the event as ratherstrange, but of no significance, thecommander struts out, gathers fly-ing gear, and becomes the star of theday’s practice scramble demonstra-tion for a group of visiting State rep-resentatives.

0200 that night, out of a soundsleep, the meaning of the chief’sstrange behavior is realized: you

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court disaster when you start believ-ing your own “stuff” or the “stuff”others are saying or writing aboutyou or your organization.

There are a lot of reasons whyorganizations succeed or fail. Sel-dom is the intellect, experience, orleadership of a single individual thesole reason for either. It is danger-ous to believe that a particular lead-ership style, or your particular char-acteristics, represents an infallibleformula for success. Humility,recognition of the indispensable roleplayed by each member of the team,flexibility/adaptability of leadershipto current or anticipated environ-ment, and an ability and a willing-ness to take advantage of new orfleeting opportunities make com-mand a constant and dynamic chal-lenge—and really hard work. Wenamed our son Jacob after CMSgt(ret) Allison Jacobs . . . finest chief Iever knew.5

Clearly, this story highlights thenotion that leaders with humility don’t

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think less of themselves—they just thinkof themselves less.6

Notes

1. Col Terry New, USAF, interviewed byauthor, February 2001.

2. Col Charlie Lyon, USAF, interviewed byauthor, January 2001.

3. Col (sel) Mike Boera, USAF, interviewed byauthor, January 2001.

4. Col Lansen Conley, USAF, interviewed byauthor, Dececmber 2000.

5. Col Daniel Zoerb, USAF, interviewed byauthor, November 2000.

6. Kenneth H. Blanchard, The Heart of aLeader (Tulsa, Okla.: Honor Books, 1999), 46.

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Chapter 4

Handling Justice

A leader must be able to look a manin the eye when he fires him andweep for him at the same time.

—Vice Adm James Stockdale, USN, Retired

Much has been written about com-manders and the law but relatively littlehas been written about commandersand justice. Guess which one you areultimately responsible for? Because itwill take up so much of your time as acommander and because getting it rightis so critical to success, I have devotedan entire chapter to the process of han-dling justice in your squadron. What fol-lows is not the “approved solution”;rather, it is a collection of thoughts on aprocess of justice for your considerationas you develop your own methods.

Military discipline, handled with fair-ness, timeliness, and compassion, is

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always positive. This is a very importantstatement, so I will repeat it: Military dis-cipline, handled with fairness, timeliness,and compassion, is always positive. Itmay not feel very positive to the individ-ual involved at the time, but when disci-pline is handled correctly, the squadronand the Air Force will benefit. Often, theindividual will benefit as well. Disciplinethat is timely and fairly managed cansignificantly boost morale in a unit. Con-versely, poorly managed discipline willseverely undermine your credibility andyour capacity to lead effectively.

When a subordinate in your squadronfails (or appears to fail) in the perform-ance of his/her duties, take the time toask yourself and the affected supervisorsfour key questions:

1. Did the individual have a clearunderstanding of the task?

2. Did the individual have the requiredtools?

3. Did the individual have the requiredtraining?

4. Did the individual have the requiredprofessional working environment?

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If you find the answer to any of thesequestions is “no,” then you and/or some-one in the supervisory chain bear someportion of the responsibility for failure.Remember that creating an environmentfor success is your job and it is yourresponsibility to fix the problem. If theanswers to all of these questions are “yes,”then you need to hold the individualaccountable and take appropriate action.

Look at your discipline process as aunique opportunity for mentoring subor-dinates in a very personal setting. Bymaking the process as inclusive as possi-ble without denying the individual appro-priate privacy, you will have an opportu-nity to meet with airmen and NCOs inprivate settings and teach them your phi-losophy of leadership. Most disciplinarysituations, including those that involvethe judge advocate general (JAG), shouldinvolve an individual’s entire chain ofsupervision.

Your first step will be to gather togetheras many facts as possible. Rarely will youhave to make split-second decisions incases of discipline. Be patient and get allof the facts before you take any action. Notonly will this ensure that you act based on

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the best information available, it will alsohelp you avoid an unfair decision whenemotions are high. Your first sergeant willbe the best resource for finding facts inmost cases.

With as many facts as possible on thetable, study the information until youcan walk through the case chronologi-cally in your mind. Work with the firstsergeant to ensure you understand allthe intricacies involved. Realize, how-ever, that you will seldom get all of thefacts. You just need to be able to walkthrough the chronology of events inorder to form an initial opinion on whichway to proceed. Keep this opinionbetween you and your shirt.

Generally, the next decision you mustmake is the appropriate level to handle theproblem. As a general rule, pushing disci-pline down to the lowest possible level isadvisable. When an airman walks into thecommander’s office for discipline, itshould be a significant emotional event.Ensure that the cases you handle areappropriate for commander involvement.With the exception of officers that workdirectly for you, any discipline below a let-ter of reprimand (LOR) should be handled

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at a lower level. If you choose to handleevery case, even in small squadrons, younot only demean the appropriate author-ity of your office, you also deny subordi-nate supervisors the opportunity to lead.In cases where you can delegate the disci-plinary responsibility, serve as an advisorand mentor to the subordinate supervisoras he or she handles the case.

Once a situation is deemed appropriatefor your direct oversight and involvement,call in the leadership chain of the individ-ual—everyone from his or her immediatesupervisor through the chief, flight com-mander, and so forth. As you workthrough this case, one of your objectives isto mentor everyone in the room. At thefirst meeting, lay out the facts—frommemory, if possible. It will be immediatelyapparent that you’ve done your homeworkand you understand the specifics. If thecase involves a young airman, the seniorairman and staff sergeant supervisors willsee that you take discipline seriously—and this information will get into thesquadron quickly.

Once the chronological facts of the casehave been reviewed, explain to all that thepurpose of this meeting is for you to hear

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their thoughts on the case and get theiranswer to a single crucial question: Is thisindividual a keeper or not? Make a solemnpoint that you carry two tool bags. One islabeled “rehabilitation,” the other “removalfrom the Air Force.” Before any steps aretaken, you need their honest assessmentand advice as to which tool bag to open.Make a point that you take their com-ments seriously and want to know if theyare prepared to continue to work with theindividual in question. Start with the low-est ranking member present and work upthe chain (note: do not go in reverse if youwant the senior airman to speak openly).Let everyone speak his or her piece. Payclose attention to the lowest rankingsupervisor. Not only does he/she knowthe individual best, it may be the first timethey have been faced with a supervisoryissue. Remember, as you work toward afair discipline solution, that you are usingthis opportunity to teach. Keep the meet-ing disciplined and serious. Cut off anyand all inappropriate levity among thesupervisors present. Joking about thecase will undermine your intent and givethe impression that the process is moreshow than substance. Take your own

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notes as everyone comments, but do notagree or disagree with anyone in the room.Ask questions intended solely to ensurethat you understand clearly the positionof the individual speaking. Finally, keepthe meeting focused on the individual andthe case. Cut off any sidebar or conversa-tion that veer from your intended purpose.When everyone has spoken, refer to yournotes and summarize each person’s view-point. Again, begin with the lowest rank-ing member and spend the most time onhis or her comments—you want everyonein the room to know that you value theiropinion and take their role as supervisorseriously.

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The next step is a gut check. If there isclear consensus in the room on the gen-eral way ahead and this consensus agreeswith your initial opinion (your “gut”), youmight choose to summarize and move tothe next step. If the consensus is for dis-missal from the Air Force, there is littlemore for the group to discuss. Tell thosepresent you intend to include them in therest of the process, yet the final decisionwill be yours to make. This is a responsi-bility of command and one you accept andwelcome freely.

Chances are, you already have a mili-tary lawyer (JAG) assigned to assist yoursquadron, and the shirt has probablybeen in contact with him or her. In work-ing with the JAG, the best advice toremember throughout is as follows:Lawyers are responsible for the law, butcommanders are responsible for justice. Ihave found military lawyers to be profes-sionals who try their best to give soundlegal advice. However, I never went to theJAG and asked, “What do I do?” Rather,I went to the JAG with an idea alreadythought through with my shirt and keysupervisors and asked, “How do Iaccomplish this plan legally and ethi-

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cally?” With a plan already in mind, youwill find the JAG to be helpful in ensur-ing that you execute your commander’sintent in accordance with military law.If, on the other hand, you ask the JAG todetermine the proper way to handle acase, you will get sound legal advice, butit may not achieve justice for your air-man. When you are removing an individ-ual from the Air Force, the JAG and yourfirst sergeant will be critical assets.

If the consensus (including your gutfeel) is clearly for rehabilitation, you maychoose to open the floor for discussion onthe tools available in the rehabilitationtool bag. A primary purpose is to teacheveryone in the room your process fordetermining punishment that is just andappropriate. Lay out the intent and proce-dures for Letters of Counseling, Admon-ishment, Reprimand, and Article 15. As anew commander, you may feel more com-fortable allowing your shirt or the JAG tocover the details of these tools. Believe me,it won’t be long before you will be verycomfortable covering them yourself.

Once the procedural rules have beencovered, go around the room again andask for opinions on what tool each

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believes would be appropriate. Same asbefore—lowest ranking to highest, takenotes, offer no opinions, listen actively,and summarize their opinions at theend. Try to determine the best approachto take in assisting this individual backonto the road to success—the purpose ofthis tool bag. One method for gaugingthe true mood of the group is to ask foropinions on possible additional duty. Ifthe interest is truly on rehabilitation, thefocus will be on structuring the time toretrain the individual in the area(s)where he or she fell short. If the discus-sion veers towards punitive use of thistime, you may be in the wrong tool bag.

Ensure that the supervisors in the roomremain personally involved, no matterwhich package you ultimately choose. Ifthat package is rehabilitation, they mustremain personally involved throughoutthe rehabilitative process. Your ultimatelong-term goal is to get this airman backon track. Achieving this goal will requirethe support of everyone in the room. Onceyou are satisfied they understand theirrole in the process, end the meeting witha reminder that all discussions relative to

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the specifics of the case are to remainwithin the group.

After you dismiss the supervisors, give acopy of your notes to your first sergeantand ask him or her to summarize them ina “memo for record” for inclusion in thecase file. Your shirt will be ultimatelyresponsible for ensuring that the paper-work is correct. Keeping accurate notesthroughout will help immensely if anyproblems occur down the road.

Now it’s time to determine where youwant to go with the discipline package.Avoid making a quick decision, even if youknow exactly what you want to do. Sleepon it one night, not only to review yournotes and think over what you have heardbut also to avoid the appearance ofquickly disregarding the opinion of thesupervisors. Once you have made yourdecision, go over the details with your firstsergeant, chief, and/or JAG to minimizethe chances that unintended conse-quences (personnel actions, family reper-cussions, financial hardship) will occur.

Call the key supervisors back in to tellthem your decision. This can be a smallergroup but should, at the least, include thepeople who will be responsible for the

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rehabilitative program. While you owe noone an explanation of your reasoning, Iwould advise you to go over the logic youused to come to your decision. Doing sowill shed light on your depth as a com-mander and will allow you to mentor andteach subordinates as you prepare themfor greater leadership responsibilities. Usethis meeting to dictate the time for deliv-ering the punishment to the offender.Once again, advise them to keep all detailsof this discussion within the group.

There is certainly no “approved solu-tion” for administering punishment.Much of how you handle this final partof the discipline process will depend onyour personality and style. However,here are a few thoughts on effectivelyensuring that you achieve your goal.

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Being disciplined by the commandershould be a significant emotional event.You want every airman in your squadronto dread standing on your carpet. Theindividual’s supervisors should show upfive to 10 minutes early and stand in theroom in a military manner. Ensure thatall present understand the solemnityand importance of this session. Youmust tailor your delivery to ensure thatthe message is concise, serious, formal,and professional. Make no mistake: Youhave no right to be abusive. Clear yourdesk of all but the punishment you arepassing out—nothing else should be onyour mind while the offender is in theroom. Ensure that the shirt pre-briefsthe offender on proper reporting proce-dures as he marches into the office.Once he reports in, keep him at atten-tion and direct that he look at you. Muchof what you say is going to be lost onhim, but he will remember the direct eyecontact. You must prepare before thesession so that you can maintain eyecontact with minimal referral to yournotes. It is acceptable to have your shirtread the fine print for the first few ses-sions until you become more familiar

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HANDLING JUSTICE

with the wording. You do not want to getinto any discussion at this point. This istruly intended to be a one-sided conver-sation. If the tool bag you chose isremoval, end the session and have theindividual report to the first sergeant’soffice. There, the shirt should go over thedetails of the package in a more relaxedenvironment in order to ensure that theairman clearly understands the detailsof the path you have chosen.

If the tool you chose is rehabilitation,you will find it very effective to order theindividual to turn and look at his super-visors at the end. You should then say,“the reason this rehabilitative discipli-nary package was chosen is primarilybecause the leaders you are looking athonestly believe you have the potentialto overcome this event and succeed inour Air Force. They are committed toworking with you to get you back ontrack. That being said, none are willingto carry you. We will provide you withthe opportunity—it is your job to seizeit.” Avoid any two-way conversation anddismiss the individual to the shirt’soffice for follow-up counseling.

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You will find that handling disciplinewill take up a good portion of your timeand energy; it is critical that you get itright. While the methods I suggested donot constitute “the approved solution,”they do serve as a starting point todevelop what works for you. The bestdescription of the process I laid out is“tough love.” Remember two criticalitems:

1. Develop your process as an oppor-tunity to mentor—make it inclu-sive.

2. In the end, discipline handledfairly is always good and you aloneare ultimately responsible for jus-tice.

This chapter will conclude with a cou-ple of stories from commanders whofaced difficult disciplinary situations. Toprotect the privacy of all parties, nonames or bases are mentioned.

I had a technical sergeant in thesquadron who tested positive on arandom urinalysis test a coupledays after Christmas. Everyone,including me, could not believe he

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would use marijuana. Nonetheless,the JAG informed me that we musttake the case to court-martialbecause he was an NCO and I hadno say in the matter.

Three months elapsed as prosecu-tion made its case and waited fortrial. The defense attorney preparedan active defense, showing that alevel of THC [tetrahydrocannabinol]in one’s system could be caused byingestion of hemp seed oil. This wasbacked up by scientific evidence thateven a teaspoon-size amount of thisproduct will trigger the test. Hisresults were at an extremely lowlevel—barely enough to flag the testand conducive to the argument.Additionally, the technical sergeantclaimed he had been to a friend’shome for dinner on the night beforethe test where hemp seed oil wasindeed used by the hostess. Both thehostess and her husband filed affi-davits to this effect.

The technical sergeant had overforty character references from avariety of people, including the logis-

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tics group commander and the topchief master sergeant from ourNumbered Air Force.

A couple days before the scheduledcourt-martial, the JAG came to mewith a “deal” they wanted to offer thetechnical sergeant—bad conductdischarge in lieu of court-martial. Hewould avoid a felony conviction butbe forced to give up a sixteen-yearcareer and have to live with the dis-charge on his permanent records.

The entire case came back to mebecause I would have to enforce thedischarge. I asked if I could dismissthe case and was told yes, but anycommander above me could void thedismissal and send the case directlyto trial. If this were to happen, the“deal” would be voided and result ina rather large risk for the sergeant.His attorneys believed the case satat fifty-fifty for conviction.

I discussed all of the options withthe technical sergeant, along withhis wife and his counsel, remindinghim that he could accept the deal, orthat I could take the matter for my

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consideration and either send it tocourt, discharge him, or dismiss thecase. After counsel with his attor-ney, he elected to let my decision bethe final word.

After more than a week to review thecase, re-reading all of the evidencepresented, I determined that enoughreasonable doubt existed to suggestthat the defense had made its case.It was an agonizing decision. I didnot want to be over-ridden and havethis young man face a felony convic-tion when he could have left with abad conduct discharge. Happily forthe young man, none of the com-manders above me reversed thedecision. I am confident I made theright decision and the most just out-come was achieved.

The final story involves an extremelytough situation: The commander had tobalance doing what he thought was rightwith achieving a timely outcome to a dif-ficult case. You may face a case in whichthe cost of pursuing it is too high a pricefor the unit to pay. There is not a “right”answer in a case like this. Think about

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how you would have handled the situa-tion.

As I took command, I inherited a fewdiscipline situations that werealready underway. One involved anoffice of special investigation (OSI)case against a senior airman whowas just months away from a dis-charge for high-year tenure. Theinvestigation revealed that the sen-ior airman, while stationed previ-ously overseas, had sexual relationsseveral times with a minor. As theinvestigation came to a close, itbecame clear that to get a court-martial conviction, we would needtestimony from the minor involved.

She was a dependent of a retiredmaster sergeant, still living over-seas, who had refused permission tofly her back for testimony in thecase. As such, the JAG informed methere was no way to win a caseagainst the airman. I chose toapproach the wing commander andask for funds to fly a legal team over-seas to gain the testimony. The wingcommander agreed.

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However, the JAG felt that even witha written statement, we only had amarginal chance for conviction. Iasked the JAG to contact the areadefense counsel (ADC) and informhim that we not only were intent ongaining the testimony from theminor but we were also prepared toprosecute to the maximum extentpossible.

In less than a day, the ADC cameback with a deal. He proposed thatthey seek discharge in lieu of court-martial which would result in himbeing out of the Air Force in 3 days,a lifelong discharge statement thatread “in lieu of court-martial,” andloss of his high year tenure separa-tion pay (about $22,000). I opted toallow the discharge and we got himout of the Air Force as quickly aspossible.

Unfortunately, the story doesn’t endthere. Approximately a year after thedischarge, the SrA killed his owndaughter and then killed himselfduring a shootout with police. Thequestion I will forever face is, what

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would have happened if I had beenable to gain a conviction and sendhim to prison?

A final thought on handling disciplinewithin the squadron: You must followup. Once a case is deemed appropriatefor your involvement as commander, youshould insist on receiving updates onthe process to ensure that the intendedoutcome is being achieved. The updateswill not only confirm that your intent isbeing carried out, it will give you onemore opportunity to interact with theindividual’s supervisory chain in a men-toring forum.

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Chapter 5

Great Ideas

Choose work you love and you willnever have to work a day in yourlife.

—Confucius

Good thoughts in your head notdelivered mean squat.

—Kenneth Blanchard

The purpose of this chapter is to offeryou some program ideas to ponder asyou mentally prepare for command.While far from all-inclusive, they areintended to spark your imagination asyou develop your own programs for suc-cess. Once again, these thoughts comefrom across the Air Force and, as such,have been ops-tested in the field by thecommanders interviewed.

Take Responsibility for Fun

By taking responsibility for fun in yoursquadron, you will not only improve

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morale, you will produce memories thatwill endure long after your command tourends. People in your organization shouldwant to have your job. Not because of allthe responsibility it entails or because ofthe power or prestige. They should want tobe a commander someday because itlooks like you are having so much darnfun in the job. Believe me, this is far eas-ier said than done. As you have seen inmany of the stories shared thus far, therewill be plenty of moments when the jobwill seem overwhelming and at times nofun at all. Keep these thoughts to yourselfor your peers. An enthusiastic com-mander radiates his or her enthusiasmthroughout the squadron. It is a time-proven truth that squadrons take on thepersonality of the commander over time—warts and all. If you are a grump, yoursquadron will generally not be a happyplace to work. People will key on yourmood. Walk in and slam the door to youroffice some day. Within 10 minutes, manyfolks in your squadron will know thatsomething is up and many key supervi-sors will waste valuable time wonderingwhether they did something to put you insuch a foul mood. By the end of the day,

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your mood will be reflected across thesquadron.

We often don’t realize the effect we haveon our units as “the boss.” Be positive andenthusiastic about your squadron, yourmission, and your role as commander. Onthe other hand, I would never advise put-ting on a show. Unless you’ve had someserious acting training, your troops willsee through you in a second and you willhave the reverse effect. It is not necessaryto be positive every minute of every day. Attimes, you might need to show some care-fully controlled anger to ensure appropri-ate emphasis is placed on a problem area.However, in general, you must work to bea positive influence on the squadron.

Lt Col Dave “Face” Nichols is among themost positive commanders I’ve workedwith. At Aviano AB, Italy, his enthusiasmand love of the 510th Fighter Squadron,the Buzzards, resonated around the wing.He agreed to share a few words on leader-ship with us.

People make leadership exciting,complex, frustrating, and rewarding.I approach the challenge with a sim-ple acronym—ICE. It stands forintelligence, compassion, energy, and

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experience. Let me briefly mentioneach.

Intelligence is your learned andstudied abilities, your technicalcompetence, and your leadershipskills; that is, your bag of knowl-edge. As the commander, you mustunderstand the technical aspects ofyour business and be among thebest at what you do—this will freeyou to lead. Don’t try to gain this“intelligence” in a vacuum. Learnabout your mission and understandyour people. Know what they andothers expect of the squadron. Letthe “smart guys” in the unit helpspin you up. Read about and under-stand other leaders. Never think youhave learned it all—continue tostudy until the day you pass on theunit guidon. Be an intelligent leader.

Compassion is easy to explain butvery difficult to accomplish. Yourpeople need to know that you careabout them and that they can trustyou to look out for their interests. Itried to start on the right foot witheach new “Buzzard” by insisting that

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he or she take the first two weeks offafter arrival to get their families set-tled. I encouraged them to spendtime at home, then I explainedwhy—it was entirely selfish on mypart. While they were assigned as“Buzzards,” there would be timeswhen we would have to work longand hard both deployed and athome. We were never more than 24hours from loading live ordnance onour aircraft and flying them intoharms way. I made it clear thatwhen this happened, I needed themfocused 100 percent on the job athand—not worrying about problemsat home. I also encouraged them toshare their experiences with theirloved ones so they would feel part ofwhat we were doing.

Approach your command opportu-nity with energy. Make sure thatpeople know and can see that youare excited about your job as com-mander. Let them feel and be a partof your excitement—enough so thatthe workplace becomes energizedand enjoyable. Enthusiasm is conta-gious—spread it wisely.

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The final letter in the acronym ishidden—it stands for experience.This is something that comes withtime in the seat, and it ties theacronym together. Use not only yourexperience but also others bothinside and outside the squadron. Noone has all the answers to the often-complex situations you will be facedwith as a commander. Tap into asmany sources as possible and avoid“going it alone” on the tough ones.Chances are, someone around youhas faced a similar situation andcan offer helpful advice.

Remember that you have been cho-sen to command because of yourdemonstrated success. Leadershipwill be a daily challenge for you as acommander. Use the ICE acronym tohelp. More than anything though,enjoy every minute—it truly is thebest job in the Air Force!1

Sponsor Program

Of all the “people” programs you willhave in your squadron, none is more

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critical to the long-term health of thesquadron than the sponsor program.The positive benefits are immeasurable.When a new member of your squadronarrives, have the sponsor gather asmany folks as possible, throw on yoursquadron T-shirts and ball caps, and gomeet the family. Often they arrive tiredand beat from a long trip. Find a localrestaurant that is willing to adopt yoursquadron and hang your patch on thewall. Make this the location you frequentfor incoming family dinners. Obviously,you can’t make every dinner. However,you should establish a process duringyour weekly staff meeting that informsyou of incoming personnel and sponsorassignment. Establish a standard proce-dure to ensure that the sponsor isallowed time off to help the new familyget settled. Encourage spouse supportgroups to get involved in the welcome.Dazzle the newcomers with a sense offamily—they are joining an elite unitthat takes care of each other. Your per-sonal interest in the program will res-onate around the squadron. Talk aboutthe program at monthly commander’scalls. Follow up during monthly new-

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comer briefings. If you learn that asquadron member arrived with no spon-sorship, find out what happened. Again,the positive payback of this program isimmeasurable. Not only is it fun, itbecomes perpetual. When it becomesthis family’s turn to sponsor a new mem-ber, they know how the game is played.In the Air Force, we recruit individualsbut we retain families. When someone inyour squadron comes upon theinevitable decision point of whether toremain in the Air Force or move on tocivilian life, you want them to weigh the“fun factor” in their decision. We cannotcompete with the commercial sector inthe salary or stability game. What we dohave to offer is service that makes a dif-ference and unmatched camaraderieanywhere on the globe. You want yourtroops to know that the treatment theyreceived when they arrived in yoursquadron will never be repeated at DeltaAirlines or Microsoft. This kind of familyenvironment and support network onlyexists in our Air Force. It is your job tomake this a priority and to train the nextgroup of commanders to continue thetradition.

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Celebrate Heroes—Not Machines

Research and celebrate the proud his-tory of your unit. If you don’t have asquadron historian, hire one within.Have him or her research through theAir University or the Air Force Historianthe places and times your unit has beencalled for duty. Before you take com-mand (or as soon as possible thereafter),study the squadron’s history. You arejoining a potentially long line of formercommanders who gave their heart andsoul to the unit you now command. Getin touch with them. Ask for their assis-tance in bringing the history of thesquadron to life. Invite them to thesquadron for a commander’s call. If youare lucky enough to live in proximitywith past squadron members, invitethem out and make them feel part oftoday’s squadron. How many units inthe Air Force can you walk into todaythat celebrate their proud historythroughout their facilities? Chances are,most squadrons you have been in havecelebrated machines rather than heroes.Specifically, we tend to put pictures of

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aircraft all around our squadrons but dolittle to honor the men and women whowore your squadron patch in previousyears. We need to reverse this trendacross our Air Force and you can beginwith your squadron. The benefit will bequickly seen as members realize they arepart of a long line of professionals whohave been in your unit. By developing anassociation with those who’ve “gonebefore,” you bring this history to life.

Mentoring Program

As a commander, one of your key rolesis to teach—to develop those entrustedto your care to their fullest potential andprepare them for future leadership chal-lenges. While you are putting out theinevitable daily fires, you can easily neg-lect this responsibility. When Col LansenConley commanded the maintenancesquadron at Aviano, he developed asuperb mentoring program:

After becoming a squadron com-mander, I found myself in somesense unprepared for the job. Sure Iattended the squadron commander’scourse and got all the hot tips from

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previous commanders. But com-manding is more than just knowl-edge. It is knowing how and what tothink about, how to correctly applythe knowledge you have (wisdom),and understanding the real role ofthe commander. These things areonly learned over time. I decided,therefore, that one of my jobs ascommander was to prepare myyounger officers for future com-mand. As such, I set up a functioncalled “Hoofers and Doofers” formentoring. Once a month I assignedone of my officers to host the func-tion, usually Friday afternoonaround 1600. The host officer wouldprovide a room with food and drinks.When we met, in an informal atmos-phere, I would present the officerswith a real world situation I wasdealing with or had just dealt with,and let each discuss it and provide arecommendation. Once the discus-sion was complete, I would offer myinsights and tell them what I did andwhy. I also used the time to listen towhat was on their minds—good andbad. This was a great forum for help-

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ing them develop their “sense of thecommander.” They were eager toattend and enjoyed participating asmuch as I did.2

Clearly, there are an infinite numberof great ideas for improving the quality ofservice and quality of life for your air-men. For any program to succeed andbecome self-sufficient, it must havethree critical ingredients:

1. A single person in charge who isaccountable

2. A carefully studied and executableplan

3. A plan for follow-up to track suc-cess3

When a program fails, look back andyou will likely find that one of thesethree items is missing. Most often, wetend to get the first two accomplishedbut fail to follow up appropriately.Develop a systematic approach thatallows you to keep focused on a widearray of programs in the squadron toensure that they stay on track.

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Remember that any program you initi-ate should fit into a broader plan, whichyou developed when you laid out yourvision. By following these basic rules,you will be well on your way to estab-lishing viable and exciting programs thatwill survive long past the day you give upthe squadron.

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A team of dedicated military professionals makes yourAir Force squadron go.

Notes

1. Col Dave Nichols, USAF, interviewed by author,February 2001.

2. Col Lansen Conley, USAF, interviewed byauthor, January 2001.

3. Gen Mike Ryan, USAF, interviewed by author,June 1996.


Conclusion

It is truly an honor to be selected tocommand in the US Air Force. Yourchallenge is to be worthy of thathonor.

—Gen John P. Jumper

The reality of the present and nearfuture is clear. We will be called upon toutilize aerospace power around the worldmore frequently in support of nationalsecurity objectives. By nature of themedium we exploit, the technology at ourdisposal, and the demonstrated profes-sionalism of our airmen, we in the AirForce are best able to project militarypower around the world without project-ing corresponding vulnerability. Whetherwe like it or not, we are the low risk optionin the national security tool bag for bothcoercive and decisive warfare. Accom-plishing these missions, at the level ofexpertise and professionalism our nationhas come to expect, takes preparation,innovation, courage, and absolute adher-ence to our core values. As a squadroncommander, you are essential to achievingthis success. If reading this paper has

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helped you mentally prepare for duty andgiven you “food for thought” as you ponderhow you want to command your squad-ron, I will have accomplished my objective.Best of luck and clear skies in the best jobyou will ever have!

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Index

Air Mobility Command: 4

Blanchard, Kenneth H.: 95Boera, Lt Col Mike: 63Brake, SMSgt Michael: 10

Confucius: 95Conley, Col Lansen: 65, 104Creech, Gen W. L.: 1

Dahlbeck, Lt Col Guy: 27

Fanbee, Martin: 30Fogelman, Gen Ronald R.: 9

Goldfein, Col Steve: 23, 26

Hill, SMSgt Beverly: 12

Jacobs, CMSgt Allison: 71Jones, Lt Col Jim: 42Jumper, Gen John P.: 109

Leaf, Brig Gen Dan: 2Lincoln, Abraham: 64Lofgren, Lt Col Jeff: 33Loh, Gen John M.: 18Lord, Col William: 4Lyon, Lt Col Charlie: 60

McCain, Senator John: 17Meyer, Maj Gen John G.: 20

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New, Col Terry: 53Nichols, Lt Col Dave “Face”: 97

Paget, SMSgt Ted: 64Parrish, Sam: 11Powell, Gen Colin: 51

Reagan, Ronald W.: 29

Schloemer, SMSgt Christopher: 13Shula, Don: 49Smith, Maj Gen Perry: 24Stockdale, Vice Adm James: 73Strategic Command: 10

Taylor, Robert: 15

USAF Senior NCO Academy: 10

Zoerb, Col Daniel “Doc”: 69

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Sharing Success––Owning Failure

Preparing to Command in theTwenty-First Century Air Force

Air University Press Team

Chief EditorPreston Bryant

Copy EditorPeggy Smith

Book Design and Cover ArtL. Susan Fair

Wright Flyer PaintingGene Lehman

Air Force Institute of Technology

Composition andPrepress ProductionMary P. Ferguson

Documents

Sharing Success—Owning Failure: Preparing to Command in