We are approaching the time of year where Fasching celebrations occur in many towns and cities in the local area, including Ramstein-Miesenbach and Kaiserslautern. This annual event is a pre-Lenten carnival, during which celebrants don creative costumes to chase away the evil spirits of winter in preparation for spring.
The largest festivities occur at the end of the carnival season, similar to the Mardi Gras celebrations many Americans are familiar with. Shrove Tuesday falls on March 4 this year. Festivals and celebrations are great opportunities to have fun with family and friends as well as to experience European culture. Moreover, before these events is an opportune time for leaders to set or reinforce expectations for standards of behavior on and off duty.
Leadership is a contact sport. Contact leadership should be the premise on which all military supervisors base their unique leadership style. I’m not referring to physical contact, but face-to-face communication. This applies equally to first line supervisors and commanders.
President Abraham Lincoln, one of our nation’s most revered leaders, intuitively knew how to lead people. Some of his methods are reflected in many common themes in notable modern philosophies on leadership. For example, he would frequently visit his subordinate leaders in their workplace. He always made time to visit his military forces in the field, even coming under enemy fire on one occasion. This is commonly referred to today as “leadership or management by walking around.” Getting out of the office and visiting work centers in order to personally interact with unit members is critical to effective leadership. It serves to ensure leaders keep the pulse of their organization, understand challenges, and recognize superior performers or toxic influences or environments. It also should assist with keeping all members of the organization informed of leadership expectation and messages, as well as build and maintain trust throughout the organization.
To place this in modern context, though mass emails have their uses, leadership is not a mass email. Technology must be leveraged to optimize the ability to lead and complete our missions, not used as a crutch to avoid uncomfortable situations or personal interactions. Leaders should use the various technological tools available, from email to social media to Sharepoint, to increase unit productivity and efficiency as well as to connect with the community. Supervisors must engage regularly with their subordinates face-to-face and understand their strengths, weaknesses, challenges and plans, as well as their maturity level. This is the key to developing them as Airmen and helping them make positive judgments, professionally and personally.
Successful and meaningful communication is a critical skill for leaders. President Lincoln was arguably one of the most successful communicators in American history. The power to motivate followers is built on your ability to communicate effectively combined with mutual trust and respect built on a leader’s competence and willingness to set the example.
Lastly, contact leadership is how we standardize and enforce a culture of dignity and respect throughout our work centers — a task in which we must not fail. Supervisors at all levels must not accept anything less than the Air Force standard in this arena. Never walk past or ignore a problem. We need leaders with the courage to uphold professional standards and intervene to stop inappropriate or unsafe behavior. In this respect, all Airmen can and should be leaders. So, have a good time this Fasching season, but always remember who you are and what you stand for, and be a leader.
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We are approaching the time of year where Fasching celebrations occur in many towns and cities in the local area, including Ramstein-Miesenbach and Kaiserslautern. This annual event is a pre-Lenten carnival, during which celebrants don creative costumes to chase away the evil spirits of winter in preparation for spring.
The largest festivities occur at the end of the carnival season, similar to the Mardi Gras celebrations many Americans are familiar with. Shrove Tuesday falls on March 4 this year. Festivals and celebrations are great opportunities to have fun with family and friends as well as to experience European culture. Moreover, before these events is an opportune time for leaders to set or reinforce expectations for standards of behavior on and off duty.
Leadership is a contact sport. Contact leadership should be the premise on which all military supervisors base their unique leadership style. I’m not referring to physical contact, but face-to-face communication. This applies equally to first line supervisors and commanders.
President Abraham Lincoln, one of our nation’s most revered leaders, intuitively knew how to lead people. Some of his methods are reflected in many common themes in notable modern philosophies on leadership. For example, he would frequently visit his subordinate leaders in their workplace. He always made time to visit his military forces in the field, even coming under enemy fire on one occasion. This is commonly referred to today as “leadership or management by walking around.” Getting out of the office and visiting work centers in order to personally interact with unit members is critical to effective leadership. It serves to ensure leaders keep the pulse of their organization, understand challenges, and recognize superior performers or toxic influences or environments. It also should assist with keeping all members of the organization informed of leadership expectation and messages, as well as build and maintain trust throughout the organization.
To place this in modern context, though mass emails have their uses, leadership is not a mass email. Technology must be leveraged to optimize the ability to lead and complete our missions, not used as a crutch to avoid uncomfortable situations or personal interactions. Leaders should use the various technological tools available, from email to social media to Sharepoint, to increase unit productivity and efficiency as well as to connect with the community. Supervisors must engage regularly with their subordinates face-to-face and understand their strengths, weaknesses, challenges and plans, as well as their maturity level. This is the key to developing them as Airmen and helping them make positive judgments, professionally and personally.
Successful and meaningful communication is a critical skill for leaders. President Lincoln was arguably one of the most successful communicators in American history. The power to motivate followers is built on your ability to communicate effectively combined with mutual trust and respect built on a leader’s competence and willingness to set the example.
Lastly, contact leadership is how we standardize and enforce a culture of dignity and respect throughout our work centers — a task in which we must not fail. Supervisors at all levels must not accept anything less than the Air Force standard in this arena. Never walk past or ignore a problem. We need leaders with the courage to uphold professional standards and intervene to stop inappropriate or unsafe behavior. In this respect, all Airmen can and should be leaders. So, have a good time this Fasching season, but always remember who you are and what you stand for, and be a leader.