STDEV 358R

Flexibility and Dependability

2009-12-18T23:07:00.000-08:00

I wanted to write my last post about two of the most important characteristics of a good leader: flexibility and dependability.

A good leader is able to work around whatever he has going on to get the objective accomplished. No matter what, he will find a way to get things done. I recently had to exhibit this trait when my Flight Training Officer called me at 11 PM and told me to contact every member of the flight and tell them whether or not they had to be at practice the following day. I didn’t have any way of getting a hold of them; no roster had been given to me to contact them. I had to find a way to do it, all on my own. At first, I was irritated, but then I realized that he had told me to do it for some specific reason, and no matter what that reason was, I wanted to go the extra mile and give 110%. Long story short, I got it done quickly, thanks to some luck on my part.

Also, a good leader needs to be reliable. If you can’t trust the person in charge to do the right thing and be there for your team all the time, your team will fail. When I have been in teams with an ineffective leader, I always feel jittery because I know that we won’t ever get anything done because of impotent leadership. You have to be there all the time, even when it hurts, even when you can’t.

Personality Test

2009-12-18T22:53:00.002-08:00

For this class, I took the Meyers-Briggs Personality Test. I had never taken a test similar to this, although many online job applications have questions that mirror these. It didn’t tell me a lot that I didn’t already know; I have always been an extreme introvert. When given a choice, I will usually prefer to work alone. I find that I am at my peak when I work alone. However, as I have come to realize throughout this semester, when you have no one to work with, there is also no one to fall back on if you can’t make the grade.

Next, I am an intuitive person. I usually prefer thinking about the big picture rather than the here-and-now. I often get swept up in the larger vision of how things all fit together rather than worrying about the nitty-gritty at hand. However, this has also paralyzed me at times when I find a large disparity between the current situation and the vision I have laid out. When I don’t know how to accomplish something that is really important, I tend to freeze and not do anything at all.

Then, I am a thinking and judging person. While I like to think of myself as an artistic person, I also, and perhaps more so, think that I am rooted in reality, tied down, at least a little bit, to facts and figures. I always like it when my life has a level of organization to it. I don’t ever revel in chaos; I find it confusing and irritating.

I am glad I took this test. Reading through all the career choices re-affirmed what I had already figured out about myself. Hopefully I will be able to use this information soon to benefit myself and others.

Black Ops

2009-12-18T22:53:00.001-08:00

As a part of Arnold Air Society, we have a candidate class mascot. Our class has a stuffed duck with pink boots and a sailor hat. Our job is to protect that mascot and make her a real part of the team. She is required to be at all of our activities and we are to keep her safe from the upperclassmen.

She got stolen due to the negligence of one of the cadets after a drill team practice, and pictures of her were posted online to torment us, or something like that. We would eventually have to do something most likely humiliating in order to get the mascot back. However, we decided to pre-empt whatever task was awaiting us by going on a special mission to recover Skippy. We knew the addresses of some of the key personnel in charge of teaching us, who might have the mascot.

We tracked down the first person on our list. We were all wearing dark clothing, some of us with our faces obscured, so as not to be recognized. We all also had airsoft guns, to take control of whatever situation lay ahead of us. We barged into his room and dropped him to the ground. We then tortured him while asking him where the mascot was. I wasn’t the team leader, but I did my best to support the cadet in charge, helping him out with ideas and making suggestions.

From this activity, I learned that leadership will sometimes put you in situations you aren’t comfortable being in and/or aren’t familiar with. You need to be able to adapt quickly to new situations; this is most effectively accomplished by gaining a lot of experience, so that you can use what you have learned previously to accomplish your current objective.

Escape and Evade

2009-12-18T21:50:00.000-08:00

As an extracurricular activity for ROTC, I chose to participate in escape and evade, an all night hide-and-seek game played up in Logan. This is sponsored by the ROTC detachment at Utah State University, and apparently happens every year.

We drove up to Logan and were bussed to a canyon there. It was well below freezing outside, and we had to dress in many layers of clothing. We were split up into teams and told the plan for the evening: we were to make our way to several checkpoints en route to a final destination. Along the way, we would be tracked and hunted by upperclassmen, so we had to exercise all proper care in avoiding them.

Figuring out the dynamics of our team was very interesting. I wasn’t the team leader, because I was so new to the situation, but I did help out the cadet to became the de facto leader. I gave my input whenever he needed it or was looking for ideas on how to evade the upperclassmen. However, once the activity dragged on for so long, he became disheartened and starting to become apathetic to everything. After we got caught a few times, he stopped really caring about what we were doing and stopped leading. At that time I stepped up and tried to get him motivated again, because I knew that we weren’t going to be able to rest until we finished the course: no one was going to come get us because we got lazy.

From this experience I learned that even leaders have their limits, and they need to be treated like normal people. Also, members of the team need to be able and willing to pick up slack when the team leader is struggling.

Drill Team Inspection

2009-12-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

As a part of our preparation for our upcoming competition, we have to have inspections, which are basically mock inspections mimicking what we will have to do at the actual competition. We get to the Smith Field-house, where we practice, really early to check each other over and make sure our uniforms are perfect. Then, we line up and get into formation, awaiting the inspectors.

For my first inspection, I had no idea what to expect. I had seen Marine Corps Drill Sergeants before, but I guess I never thought it was really possible. I thought wrong. Cadet Williams and two other upper-classmen, came over and started to grill us about everything, from our uniforms all the way down to our haircuts and the shine on our shoes. After learning about the different styles of leadership, this was definitely a command style. We were picked apart for every mistake, so that we wouldn’t soon forget our errors.

I felt really bad when my wingman got picked on, because I knew that I was responsible for his mistakes, because I hadn’t looked him over well enough, or hadn’t gone over the warrior knowledge with him well enough. I have found failure and disappointment to be very powerful motivators in my leadership role of being an example.

Echo Flight Deputy Commander

2009-12-18T21:33:00.000-08:00

I was recently promoted to the position of deputy flight commander of Echo Flight, my main group in
ROTC. This came as a shock to me, because I was still trying to figure out what the heck was going on, and how to survive in ROTC. I had no idea what I would have to do, what was required of me, or how to do it, but I was stuck with the job either way, whether I wanted it or not.

The first thing I did was talk to the previous deputy flight commander and ask him how he did his job. I got a few pointers from him, as well as all the materials I would need to do my job. After that, I talked to the current flight commander. He told me what he needed from me, and how we could work well together. Then I talked to the Flight Training Officer, the upperclassman who assigned me the job originally. I asked him what I needed to do to succeed, and got some other tips from him. I think that when you first enter a leadership position, you must get all the information you can in order to make the best decisions possible in your leadership role.

We’ll see how this all works out. I am hardly ever with my flight due to drill team, so I don’t really know how I will get to know all of them and do my job, but oh, well…

Drill Team Accountability

2009-12-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

Now that we are becoming a team, our drill team commander is trying to cement the bond between us. He is making us accountable for every minute detail. If any assignment he gives isn’t done by every member if the team, not only is the person who didn’t do the assignment in trouble, but so is his wingman and everyone else. I think they are trying to teach us teamwork and accountability through this. As future leaders, we as Air Force officers will be accountable for those under our command. If there is some slipup, we will be the ones to blame, not just the person who made the mistake.

I have been able to demonstrate leadership in this area by taking initiative to stay in touch with my wingman. It’s a relatively easy task since he lives three doors down from me, but it still takes some effort. I work with him to make sure we have all the required knowledge memorized, I help him get his uniform I shape, and I call him every morning to make sure he is coming to practice, especially since I give him a ride.

Being a leader is just as much about the big things as it is about the little things. You have to make sure all the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed while balancing the big picture ideas. To do this, you have to delegate, and you have to be good at it to be an effective leader.

Drill Team Teamship

2009-12-18T21:18:00.001-08:00

As drill team has progressed, we have grown a lot. However, apparently we weren't coming together as quickly as our commander would have liked. So, he set us up with a way to get to know each other better, under threat of PT. We all did wall sits in a big line and passed a 20 lb. weight back and forth, reciting the names of our teammates immediately to our left and right as we passed the weight on. This really helped me learn the names of my teammates, which helped me to feel closer to them. I don’t think coercion or threats are the best ways to get people motivated, I think it worked in this instance.

As we have started to become a team, I have realized how important it is to really get to know the members of any team you are on. Being familiar with people allows you to be much more comfortable with them, and it allows you to perform better together. Also, it allows you to have someone to rely on when you need something done; when you’re in a pinch, you’ve got 17 other people who are practically your best friends, who you can definitely count on.

Arnold Air Society -- Again

2009-12-18T21:10:00.001-08:00

Going to another Arnold Air Society meeting, we were introduced to another Group Leadership Project (GLP). We had to transport a mock nuclear warhead 5 meters down a little hill. Since it is radioactive, anyone who got within a two-meter radius died. We had a few ropes to work with, but that was it. Furthermore, all of us had some handicap. I had no left arm, but others were blind, or only had one leg, or couldn’t speak.

They told us our mission, and immediately we set to work. I had a great idea of knocking the warhead over and dragging it, and another cadet agreed with me, so we went and did it without consulting the team. The instructors watched us do it, and then yelled at us after we did it, telling us that we had just knocked over a nuclear warhead, and had just died in the ensuing explosion. We both thought it was a good idea, but we were apparently wrong.

This exercise taught me that you always need to consult your team, no matter how good you think your idea is. Also, you need to have a clear command structure set up. If we had had an established leader, we wouldn’t have acted so independently, because we would have felt like more of a team.

Arnold Air Society

2009-12-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

Wanting to be the best, I found other ways to get involved. I think that leaders should be engaged in all sorts of extra-curricular activities in order to become more well-rounded people and also much better leaders. Doing more allows you to gain much more experience, which will help you to respond better in unfamiliar environments.

One of the ways I have gotten more involved, beyond drill team, is the Arnold Air Society. This is the Air Force ROTC’s auxiliary service organization. However, it is also a leadership-building organization. It teaches and promotes leadership qualities and characteristics and attributes almost more than it does service. I went to my first meeting, where they introduced the program. They had a nice slideshow presentation about what we were going to cover throughout the semester. This is a candidate class; you can only become a member of the organization if you are able to pass the candidate class. I couldn’t think of what could be so difficult that people wouldn’t pass. Little did I know….

After the introductory slide show, they took the whole class upstairs and had us wait, while they got ready for something. While we were up there, we were introduced to the Group Leadership Problem (GLP). This is a teamwork exercise that builds leadership and teamwork skills. Then, we were led back down into the classroom. We were told to find some objects on the ground. We could talk to each other, but our eyes had to be shut, and the lights would be out. We crawl into the classroom and immediately, it feels like a battlezone. War noises are blasting all around us, making communication impossible. After our time was up, we regrouped and debriefed on what we could have done better. The teachers told us that we could have thought outside the box and turned on the light. This opened my mind to the crucial idea of thinking outside the box to accomplish your objective as a leader.

Drill Team

2009-12-18T20:47:00.000-08:00

Being new to the Air Force ROTC program here at BYU, I have no idea what’s going on, ever. When someone asks me a question, I just give them a blank stare because I am probably even more confused than they are. However, I hear whispers of what some good things to do are. One of those is Drill Team. The BYU Honor Guard Drill Team has taken first place in national competitions for the last two consecutive years, beating out such schools as West Point and Air Force Academy, our biggest rivals. They are the pinnacle of the Air Force ROTC; everything about them screams superior. So, looking to become the best, I decided to join drill team.

Not knowing anything about it, except that it comes recommended from a friend of mine in ROTC, I just showed up one morning and joined the team. Boy, was I in for a surprise. The Drill Team commander, Cadet Williams, was the meanest guy I had ever met. If you broke bearing and looked at him in formation, get ready for the screaming of your life. If you weren’t doing your pushups fast enough, you were about to get yelled at. Bring in such a harsh environment put my leadership skills to the test. Also, since we already had a leader, Cadet Williams, I wasn’t really sure how I could lead in this situation. However, I soon found my place by encouraging my fellow cadets. As we learned in class, a leader is supposed to inspire those he/she leads. I decided to try this all throughout drill team; during PT (exercise), I would encourage those who were struggling. Also, I could compliment people on their rifle movements so that they could gain some confidence in an environment where that characteristic withered. Oh, well, all I can do is keep going and hope for the best.

Leadership Assignment

2009-12-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

For my leadership assignment, I have chosen to write about leading by example as an ROTC cadet and future leader of the Air Force. I will do my best, both during this assignment as always, to be a good example, both in and out of uniform, to my fellow cadets and everyone else I associate with. I joined to become the best person I could be; one of the areas I wanted to focus on was leadership. It is an invaluable skill anywhere you go, whether it is in the military, in business, in church, or any other place. Being an officer in the Air Force is all about leadership; the head of the Air Force, Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, has influence over almost 1,000,000 people. Officers work their way up to that, but I hope to be able to do something like that someday.

Interview

2009-09-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

For one of the assignments, we had to complete an interview with someone in a leadership position. To complete this assignment, I chose to interview my FHE Dad. I drew up a list of five questions, and I've paraphrased his answers.

1.) What is your biggest problem in your leadership position?

My biggest problem is dealing with apathy and dispassion in the people I lead. When people are eager to work together and do something, a leader becomes less necessary. However, when you have to struggle to get people to follow you and work with you, being a leader can be tough.

2.) What techniques do you use to accomplish your objectives in your leadership position?

You have to get people to see the importance of what you are trying to get them to do. If they think that what you're asking them to do is trivial, they are much less likely to do it, and if they do, they won't be very happy, and they'll be less likely to follow you in the future.

3.) In your opinion, what qualities does a good leader possess?

A good leader communicates with the people he or she is leading, and allows them to communicate back with him/her. Good leaders also give suggestions about how to better accomplish the task at hand. Furthermore, they look out for the well-being of the people they serve, and aren't selfish in their leadership capacity.

4.) What is the first thing I can do to become a better leader?

Learn how to communicate. If you can't be open and frank with the people you serve, then you will fail as a leader. Communication is vital to forming a team to accomplish a common goal, no matter what the situation. Another good thing to do to become a leader is to get involved, especially in serving other people. Leadership is primarily service, and the better you are at serving others, and caring about other people, the better leader you'll be.

5.) Who are some of the greatest leaders throughout history?

Great leaders have come from all over. In general, the most famous leaders emerged during times of great stress, such as George Washington during the war for American Independence, Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and the problem with Slavery, and Winston Churchill during World War II. All of these men were able to inspire great courage in people, which allowed the people they led to accomplish great things. They all had a vision, a goal they wanted to accomplish, and through hard work, diligence, and charisma, they were able to persuade people to help them accomplish their dream.