PME and being your own leader

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Curtis Marsh
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Dental Squadron

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – I’m going to take on two topics in this week’s editorial: professional military education and leadership.  I know, both full articles by their own merit, but let me try to tie them together from my viewpoint. 

 

Succinctly, let me tell you about my journey with officer PME. I’ll also try to answer the age-old question – are great leaders born that way or are they developed?

 

I’ve been in the Air Force for just over 28 years, and am now serving in my ninth assignment.  I know, not so impressive in the assignment arena compared with many, but the point is that I’ve had lots of commanders at the flight, squadron, group and wing levels. Some of them were outstanding!

 

My very first squadron commander (called a Base Dental Surgeon then) was Frank Lipsinic.  I had no more than arrived at my first duty station, Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, and Col. Lipsinic was in my office telling me I needed to enroll in Squadron Officers’ School.

 

I had no clue what it was, but having grown up in a family where one did what they were told, I enrolled.  I became immediately frustrated. Why? Because like any good PME, the first lessons were testimonials in leadership. By whom? The great leaders of our military through WWI, WWII, the Korean conflict and Vietnam, of course.

 

Though I enjoyed their messages, my frustration was that many of their tenets of good leadership seemingly conflicted with the very next author I would read!  I bet after the tenth essay, I could have filled out a list of 100 cited characteristics.

 

Anyway, I “airmaned” (the Air Force equivalent of “soldiered”) my way through the course, and life went on.

 

Fast-forward five years, and as Maj. Marsh in my third assignment, I was called into Col. Joe Drane’s office at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and asked, “Why haven’t you enrolled in Air Command and Staff College yet?”

 

As a field grade officer, I felt I was beyond “just doing it when told,” particularly when it came to this “optional course.”  However, what you have to understand is that Col. Drane had a way of looking at you over the top of his glasses, he made you feel like you had sinned against God himself!

 

You got it, I enrolled! First book, you got it again, portraits in great leadership! And yes, it seemed once again like the portraits were all over the map. I finished the course, but still didn’t feel like I had gleaned too much about leadership.

 

Fast-forward again, eight more years and three assignments, including a 3-year residency in orthodontics at UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina,  Now Lt. Col. Marsh was called in by Col. Lew Lieb at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and asked not if, but, “When will you complete Air War College?”

 

I respected Col. Lieb as much or more as any leader that I’d met.  He just had this awesome air about him and was among the kindest people I’d ever met, a true gentleman.  He never had to ask me again, I not only completed Air War College, I completed it very quickly. That was 13 years ago, and something finally “took.”

 

No one has ever accused me of being a “quick study,” but after 15 years and three PME courses, I felt that I could finally answer the question above, are great leaders born that way or are they developed?  The answer – yes!

 

That is, certain leaders are born with charisma like Col. Lieb.  Certain ones have qualities that demand respect, like Col. Drane.  Others yet, are simply bold, like Col. Lipsinic, then there’s me!

 

What finally took?  The realization that each and every one of us have to learn to lead with what we’ve got.  Don’t try to lead by being Patton or Schwarzkopf, lead by being yourself.  Showcase your strengths, work on your weaknesses and always arm yourself with the tangible, teachable characteristics you learned by studying the greats, whether by book or firsthand.  

 

Is PME for everyone, no.  Does PME make us better officers, noncommissioned officers and leaders, absolutely! It also gives each of us a better appreciation of history and the legacy of our profession of arms.

 

By the way, before the “light came on” about being myself as a leader, one day I tried getting a serious look on my face and looking over my glasses at my two daughters, like Col. Drane.  I finally had to get up and leave the room as both girls rolled on the floor with laughter.