What if you focused your time on things that mattered? What if you picked one thing that really mattered to you? For example, mentoring others. Taking that spare time in your day to sit and chat with a member of your team about something that was not work related…actually getting to know him or her. I can remember the leaders who did this in my life and they are the ones who I truly trusted because I knew I was not just a cog in the wheel; rather, a member of the family.
Being a leader is not about getting a fancy duty title or fringe benefits. The 1950’s model of leadership was to have the minions serve the boss. They would run in front of him and remove the obstacles in his path, they would lay their jackets over the mud hole so his boots wouldn’t lose their luster. That is an archaic view and completely opposite of what a leader is. A leader should be looking for and destroying the obstacles in the paths of his team members so they can do amazing things for the organization. When this happens, there are hordes of people achieving goals for the team not multiple people serving the whims of one person.
“I can’t do that right now.” How many times a day do we say this to our team or to our families? It saddens me to think about all the times I put off time with my kids for something that doesn’t matter in the long run. “After I reorganize this sock drawer, I will play catch with you.” My sock drawer isn’t going anywhere, but my boy will eventually leave home. We do the same thing to those we work with. That mountain of emails will be there tomorrow and even if we clean out our tasker list, it will come back. Take the time to invest in your team first and then alphabetize your socks.
The greatest success in our lives is when those around us succeed. Investing in myself has been extremely beneficial in many areas of my life for many different reasons. However, investing what I have learned into others, has always been the most rewarding to me. Nothing beats seeing one of our teammates achieving a hard-fought goal knowing we helped.
I have noticed this throughout my career. Once I learn my job, I grow to complacency as I go through the motions of my day. I build controls into my day to prevent me from getting too comfortable. To do this, we could take on a challenge we know will push us harder. We can ask someone on the team to hold us accountable by looking over our work. Take a look at your daily routine and see if there are ways to stretch your abilities. If you don’t seek ways to progress, those on your team won’t either.
Service Before Self. We are taught that this core value is about sacrificing our wants for the betterment of the mission. In reality, service is about enriching the lives of others by helping them achieve their goals. I serve my subordinates and peers by offering what I have learned and seeking ways to enrich their lives. I serve my superiors by making sure I take of what they entrusted me with. I serve my nation by pouring my heart into making my team the best they can be so they can impact those in their sphere too. Service is about what we give up, it is about what we offer up. (Here is a longer post about this: Service Before Self)
I remember being a flightline expediter and thinking I was doing a great job because I was able to get the required number of people onto the job in a timely manner. However, my chest thumping was short-lived when I would realize they were not making things happen like I had hoped. I learned it was not their fault, I had failed to give them direction or express the big picture of where we were going. Once I learned to provide this for them, only then could they harmonize their talents to accomplish the mission.
Sadly, most of our career goals are time-centered and not quality-focused. For example, we have X number of months to get signed off on 5-Level tasks or X number of months to complete EPME. We are even encouraged to only have certain duty titles for a limited amount of time. The reason is because time is something that can be measured and monitored easily; however, we all know a date on the calendar doesn’t make us better, our continuous efforts do. Strive to master your craft by working on it daily and not just “leveling-up” then moving on.
The hardest thing to do sometimes is realize that we are not equipped to help everyone. Sometimes our personalities clash, sometimes we have mutual histories that are difficult to overcome. It is in these moments that we need to find someone else who can add value to them and mentor them. We should never write anyone off; rather, seek others they can connect with.
