Military leaders must avoid hitting 'easy button'

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. John Evalle
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing command chief
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  A chain of popular office supply stores use a memorable advertising theme to convey how simple it is to get whatever you need from its stores.

They call it the "Easy Button." Just hit the button and whatever you need is delivered.

I love this idea for the office supply store, but I often talk about what I feel is an overuse of the easy button when it comes to military leadership and motivation.

Recently, we held a professional enhancement seminar for Travis members who were selected for promotion to master sergeant and culminated the week with a senior NCO induction ceremony.

These new master sergeants have mastered the technical aspect of their career fields and are now transitioning from technical leaders to motivational leaders. They will use their experience and leadership abilities to guide and motivate teams of subordinates toward mission accomplishment.

In the military, all leaders have a choice when it comes to motivating subordinates. The first option is the easy button.

A common occurrence in the military is to walk into a room or arrive at an activity and try to figure out who is in charge. We quickly scan for the highest ranking person and decide, yes, that person must be in charge.

Whether this person knew they were going to be in charge of the event doesn't matter. We accept responsibility of leadership by virtue of the rank we wear. This person in charge can quickly get all the lower-ranking members on the team in motion. He or she simply needs to give directions and the subordinate members will follow. The easy button is the ability and power we have to tell a subordinate to do something because we outrank them.

Many younger members who get put into leadership positions find the power of influence to be intoxicating, but this easy button should come with a warning. It is a dangerous tool and can become a detriment to a team's morale and productivity if it is overused by a leader.

A leader who often defaults to the easy button, also tends to motivate by intimidation and say things such as, "Don't ask questions. Just do it," "You cannot leave today until this task is complete" or, "If you don't get this done today, you will be working this weekend."

Have you ever heard any of those phrases? Sadly, I remember many occasions that a supervisor or person in charge said those exact words.

Our Enlisted Professional Development Guide defines leadership as the art of influencing and directing people to accomplish the mission. When I hear the word "art," I think of something creative, which tells me that true, inspirational leadership comes from a person's ability to create influence or create internal motivation.

Think about a past leader you loved working for and truly admired. Do you recall how you sincerely wanted to perform your best work for them because you did not want to let that leader down? That feeling of wanting to do your best comes from the commitment and loyalty gained from engaged leadership that developed into a relationship of trust, caring and mutual respect. A leader who builds a strong sense of caring and trust will earn the loyalty and admiration of their subordinates.

The most inspiring Air Force leaders know that when Airmen are internally motivated to do their best, the entire organization benefits from soaring productivity and boundless success. The level of motivation in a unit has everything to do with how your Airmen feel welcomed, cared for and treated by co-workers and their leadership. Great leaders create a culture where members feel like they are part of a family and enjoy coming to work.

Now don't get me wrong, I completely agree that there are times a leader will need to pull out the easy button to make things happen, but this tool should be used sparingly. Like I told our new master sergeant-selects, I believe the best way to motivate subordinates is to invest time and energy in their personal and professional development and show you genuinely care about them. Create caring relationships with your Airmen and they will be motivated to perform their best even when you, their inspirational leader, are not around, simply because they do not want to "let you down."