Number 5: “Commanders in the field are always right, and the command pukes in the rear are always wrong.” General Metz used to say this. Our helicopters had three different flare types to defeat the surface to air missiles the enemy was using to try and shoot down our aircraft. Our higher-ups at headquarters said that we only needed one type, but we had to say no. I went with the intelligence our guys had and sent it up to the General to sign off on the risk involved in not having all three flares. The general sided with the guys in the field, and we got our flares.
Number 4: “Force multipliers.” The National Guard has multiple military operational specialties (MOS) per soldier. There may be only one military MOS but several civilian ones as well. When we applied what we knew in civilian life, our forces multiplied their capabilities significantly above the active duty’s ability to conduct missions. We can make the operation more efficient.
Number 3: “The center of gravity in peacetime is operations but the center of gravity in war is aviation maintenance.” It takes ten to fifteen hours of maintenance to fly one hour in a Black Hawk. We put the emphasis in supporting our maintenance guys. They kept us flying. We were able to fly twice the missions with half the helicopters in the first six months than the active duty element flew the entire year before us.
Number 2: “Leadership is an attitude.” My leadership philosophy used to be “competence and character,” but now it is: “Leadership Is an Attitude.” Whatever the attitude of leaders is, that is what the whole organization is going to adopt. What the leader portrays to his subordinates will be carried down throughout the organization. I believed in open and honest communication. That was a key component of how I wanted to define our organization.
Number 1: “A leader cares more about his troops than what his boss thinks.” I saw many leaders that were more concerned about impressing their bosses and getting good evaluations than they were about genuinely caring for their troops. You always care about your troops; everything else will fall in place.
Dear Lord, may you make me a man or woman after your own heart. May I lead others with your wisdom, power, and grace.
“The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people.” (1 Samuel 13:14)