Are you ready to lead?

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Douglas Frye
  • 548th Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Group,
Beale Air Force Base, Calif. --  There are mountains of information on how to improve leadership skills. Stop and think for a moment; if someone asked you to make a list of great leaders, most people would quickly rattle off the usual suspects; Lincoln, Patton, Kennedy, Reagan...the list would be long and easy to compile. Furthermore, attributes of leaders are well known, widely discussed and studied by many. That being said, has anyone ever compiled a list of good followers? Not likely, and I would posit that followership plays an equal, if not greater, responsibility in the success of any unit. While most Airmen spend more time following rather than leading, the art of followership is undervalued and often ignored... it should not be; great followers enable great leaders and subsequently are the key to any organizational success. I have years of followership experience so allow me to share some insight. While I could fill up a few pages with great followership traits, I'm going to narrow it down to a few that I feel are the most important (not in any particular order).

If you see problems, fix them. If they are significant enough to warrant notification to your boss, inform them of the problem, and tell them how you have solved, or will be solving the problem. This applies whether the issue is in your AOR or not. The worst thing you can do is wait for someone else to take care of an issue. Show initiative and always look at the big picture; your successes are your organizations success.

Live the Core Values. Nothing will make your boss happier than seeing you demonstrate the values that form a common bond amongst us while inspiring us to do our best. By demonstrating integrity, all of the time, your boss will be confident in your abilities to complete any task. The same goes for putting forth 100%, all of the time, as we strive to be excellent in everything we do. That is not an easy task; however, when your work ethic is based on these values, not only will your boss notice, but your peers will follow suit and the entire unit will benefit.

Disagree in private, support in public. Nothing is more toxic to an organization than a mid-level supervisor who consistently demeans the boss's decisions. Some may think this endears them to their subordinates--quite the opposite, most will see through such behavior, and you will lose credibility. Furthermore, word will eventually make its way to your boss, destroying all hope of a positive relationship. It is not uncommon for individuals to have an issue or difference of opinion with their boss's orders or direction. In fact, they would like to hear your opinion and will likely value your inputs. However, once a decision is made, you must carry out the decision with aplomb. Your subordinates will follow your lead and chances of success will grow.

Lastly, don't worry about getting credit all the time. President Harry Truman stated, "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." Many times, Airmen are far too concerned with recognition, and despite what they think, this is apparent to everyone around them. Do your job to the best of your ability; as stated above, work with the Core Values in mind and recognition, when deserved, will follow. Trust me; your boss is watching and one of the great joys they experience is recognizing deserving Airmen. Give them a reason, and they will jump at the chance to reward you for your efforts.

I'll close with a quote from the famous conductor, Leonard Bernstein who stated, "The most difficult instrument to play in the orchestra is second fiddle." Everyone wants to be a great leader, but before you get to that point, you have to learn and demonstrate characteristics of a great follower. Once you have that down, success will follow.