Four elements of leadership apply to all Airmen

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Albert Novelli
  • 60th Maintenance Group
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  In January I entered my 30th calendar year of service, and it is really tough to think back on all of the great experiences, the journey, and how I have come to where I am at today.  One of those experiences, that didn't feel so good at the time, involved one of my last physical appearances before a Squadron Awards board over twenty years ago.
 
Whenever I see a new revision of the Professional Development Guide, I find myself reflecting on that experience.  I was a young Staff Sgt. and my Flight Chief was a panel member.  He came up with a question from the 1993 revision of the PDG, that absolutely stumped me. 

The question was, "Name the four elements of leadership."  I thought I was well prepared, but I had no clue what the correct answer was.  So I dreamt up a clever answer and blurted it out with confidence, hoping to earn partial credit.  Later, I went home and scoured that old guide till I found the answer.

To my surprise, the four elements of leadership were so simple and universally applicable.  Know yourself, know your job, set a positive example, and take responsibility for your actions.  The Air Force core values did not exist yet, and now, the four elements have been excluded from the PDG, but I still believe that they have merit and have served me well to this day.

Know Yourself.   It is important to identify your strengths and weaknesses.  As human beings, we tend to migrate towards activities we want to be involved with, usually these activities are focused on our strengths.  Consequently we avoid activities that focus on our weaknesses or mask them at the risk of exposure when mission accomplishment is at stake.  Once identified, focus on your weak areas when you map out your self-improvement plan.  It will boost your self-confidence and enhance your leadership abilities, something that the USAF is counting on you for.

Know your job.  Whether it is technical mission aspects or leading people, we all have numerous policies we are expected to comply with.  Knowing where to find the black and white answers is a necessity, but sooner or later, we all will encounter a situation that is not addressed by published guidance.  Since I have yet to discover an instruction that has common sense in the title or table of contents, don't be afraid to ask a subject matter expert for a solution that may reside in the grey area. 

Set a Positive Example.  You never know who's watching you.  Earlier this year, I ran across a young NCO whom I served with when over six years ago he was a young Airmen.  He told me that he had always respected how I communicated with Airmen. He also mentioned the sharp creases in my BDUs and my polished black boots.  I had no idea until now, that I had made such an impact on him back then... I believe that a quote from General George Patton says it best, "If you can't get them to salute when they should salute and wear the clothes you tell them to wear, how are you going to get them to die for their country?"  If you're not doing it right, then how can you expect someone else to?

Take responsibility for your actions.  Of the four elements, this element is in my opinion, the strongest measure of character.  Understand that we are human, and therefore, we will make mistakes.  But, we have a choice to make on how we handle mistakes and setbacks.  Will you take ownership of the situation and use it as an opportunity to improve?  If you can hear blame patterns running through your head before you have a chance to answer for your actions, turn them off. If someone provides you with feedback, be receptive and take the feedback seriously.  Stand up and be personally accountable for your actions.  This is a principle you must embrace if you expect to be happy and achieve success in your personal life and your career. 

As I conclude, you don't need a 1993 version of a PDG to remember the four elements of leadership as you execute the mission critical, time sensitive tasks that await us all every day.  However, they closely tie into and provide a foundation to support our Air Force core values that will undoubtedly help each of us make an even bigger difference!  To the men & women of the U.S. Air Force, all veterans, especially to those that I have served with, thank you for your service, and the opportunity to serve alongside you.  It has been a profound privilege!