Take the radical leap

  • Published
  • By Col. Mark D. Weber
  • 60th Maintenance Group commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Today in the Air Force we are living in times of uncertainty. It seems as if the operations tempo continues to remain high with no end in sight, force shaping, manpower reductions, budget cuts and 365-day temporary duties are a reality. During these intense times more than ever, leaders must find opportunities to communicate with subordinates and each other.

Communicate your vision, facts, mission objectives and mission constraints until there is no room for uncertainty. No matter at what level of the organization you stand, we are all leaders that influence each other. From the Airmen dressing sharp to the supervisor or commander providing vision, feedback and support, we all play a critical part in leading our organizations and this profession to success. What we do as Airmen has nothing to do with money or promotions, but rather, a binding, voluntary contract that we proudly accepted in order to be a part of something special, we are a profession.

Pride in what you stand for and the profession you represent should be delivered with attitude, positive, sincere, refreshing. As a leader, the needs of your organization and your people must be placed before your own. It means your goal at the end of the day is not a promotion, but your personnel, the unit's development, mission and ongoing inspections. A great leader inspires others to adopt the same attitude.

Steve Farber, author of The Radical Leap, writes that great leadership can be summed up in the acronym LEAP: love, energy, audacity, proof. In this Air Force business, we can love our Airmen, and help them to love what they're doing. In what other profession do you get a sense of working for something greater than yourself? I love what I do, because of the people, trust, belief, hope and integrity. A passion for the job provides energy and focus that drive the organization and that acts as an example to others.

With your passion, you create energy, a great deal of it. Every thought, feeling and action has an energy consequence. How did it feel to complete tech school with a new level of experience? What made it special to you? Apply that feeling to the here and now. I look forward to work each morning so that I can be a part of an organization striving to be the best. The thought that what needs to be accomplished is doubted due to constraints, fires me up! Share your energy. When your attitude and energy is positive and sincere it is infectious and will drive an organization to new heights of success. Attitude is everything.

Audacity is a bold disregard for normal constraints. Normal constraints are the sad, limited beliefs from others about what's possible. I go back to the old challenge question, What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? Lack of audacity keeps people from even attempting to reach for something beyond their normal constraints. In the end, it is not another's belief of what's possible that holds people back, but rather our own lack of confidence in what we believe we can accomplish. The key is that being audacious doesn't change your core value system. It helps you think in a new more creative manner.

The last, and possibly the most critical step in LEAP, is the proof a leader provides an organization. It is through tangible items such as improved facilities, equipment or new tools that enable our Airman to do their job, to the intangibles such as the Top Three's mentorship, educational opportunities to earn a degree and overall support of the junior enlisted ranks. Walk the talk with absolute selflessness and your internal compass always pointing at the Airmen we serve. It is this proof that drives us to follow our leader.

When a leader is distinguished as someone who shows proof through love, energy and audacity it is then that they have set their subordinates and organization up to succeed. And it is through our LEAP that we push our Air Force to new heights and preserve this invaluable and most precious profession. By executing these proofs a leader is being a steward of the institution, profession, lifestyle and Air Force family.