Deliberate Development

I am a firm believer in doing the hard work of researching solutions for problems. I read books and articles in the area I am struggling with. I try to boil the problem down to one key thing I can solve and then think through many solutions. Notice, I haven’t done anything yet to actually solve a problem. Some never get past this stage out of fear that they may choose the wrong solution. If you put in the work, you will be able to make an educated decision. Make the choice and work your solution. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, you now know one thing that doesn’t work…Go again 🙂

To some level we are all seeking the approval of another. It is kind of like treating the symptoms of a disease and not the disease itself. If we focused on making an impact in the lives of those we care about, approval wouldn’t even be a thought in our minds.

Ever since the dawn of creation, we have been trying to keep up with the Joneses. We see others excelling in ways we wish we could and get discouraged. What we don’t often realize is they were once beginners too. Instead of trying to BE these people, learn HOW they became who they are.

“Joe, you will never get past MSgt if you don’t take this job.” was the advice from a Chief in my unit. The problem was…I was just starting to make a difference in my current role and knew I could do a lot more for the organization than in the “other” role. I told the Chief that if I had a choice, I wanted to stay put. Turned out, I was able to succeed because I was able to put my passion into a job I was good at and able to pass on the things taught to me by much smarter people. Sometimes, what is best for our careers and what is best for our team are two totally different things.

Have you ever worked so hard to mentor another and guide them onto the path you know would meet their goals and having it not work out? So many times we see peers or subordinates who basically do everything opposite of what they should do to succeed. Why? Sometimes the priorities of others do not align with the organization. Sometimes they just don’t understand what you are trying to do. How can you tell the difference?

One of the hardest thing for me is to decide when to quit and when to persevere. Trying to figure out if the end goal is worth the pain and effort of failing time and time again is something that many of us struggle with. What if we try just one more time? Could it lead to success? Could it be the big break we are looking for? It all goes back to how you define your finish line.

This is a great reminder for us all to think about what we hope to accomplish. What is it that we are working towards one day? If you are thinking about getting out of the Air Force to program computers, what are you doing today to set yourself up for that? We need to look ahead at our goals and take steps to get us there. If you wait until you are actually ready to get out, it is too late to get those certifications, experiences and relationships.

Preparation for change requires more than just learning new facts; it is trying to figure out how the changes will impact our team’s mindset and daily life. Then getting them ready for that. We spent countless hours and vast amounts of energy in trying to learn the latest rumors as the new evaluation system rolled out. We were more worried in learning what the form would look like than we were about how it would impact our team. I know I could have done so much better with this and have used it as a lesson learned for other changes my team has experienced.

Leadership is like parenting. We would do anything to set our children up for success. We know one day they are going to leave the nest and be on their own and we want them to be able to function. Those on our teams are the same way. One day, they are going to leave the nest and lead teams of their own. We need to spend our days strengthening the skills of our teammates so they can succeed. Ironically, doing this makes us better leaders and prepares us for more advanced roles.