Deliberate Development

One of the biggest struggles I see new leaders having is the difficulty getting others to care as much as they do. It all comes down to pride in ownership.

I remember taking martial arts as a kid and walking into the training center for months and completely ignored the chairs in the waiting area. Then one day, my instructor placed me in charge of ensuring the waiting room was clean before and after each class. One of the tasks…straightening up the chairs. I could not fathom how people could simply walk past crooked chairs or not care about how they looked when they stood up. I was tempted to make a sign or even “educate” others.

The problem wasn’t the people or their habits, it was me. I had never even given the chairs a second glance until I was in charge of them. When we take over a program or some area, we have pride in ownership. We want things to be just right because our name is attached to it. Or maybe just because we notice the problem now that we own it. Whatever the case, we have to respect the fact that others probably don’t know about the problem.

What can you do? First, think about if the problem is something others need to know about. For example, a sign in the waiting room educating parents on chair alignment would not be something of value. However, if it is something that you learned about that would benefit others, it is something that needs shared.

Next, educate. Maybe people are not taking pride in what they do on a daily basis. Show them the impact of their work. I read before that the coach of the U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team took them to Arlington Cemetery to get a feel of what it means to serve their nation. They were able to represent our flag in sport because these heroes gave it all for them in combat. Maybe it doesn’t have to be that drastic, but find a way to show them how they fit into the bigger picture.

Lastly, create an environment for them to grow. General Stanley McChrystal talks about being a gardener. The gardener does not make the seed grow. No matter what they do, they can not make the seed grow. They can only cultivate the proper environment for it to grow.

Don’t blame others for not caring about the same things you do, give them ownership of the problem or educate them on the importance of it.

Rule one of flightline management was to not treat the Crew Chiefs poorly. This group is used to working in crappy conditions, missing lunches, and never getting ahead and basically have nothing to lose. So when new managers would come aboard and try to overwork them even more, they would get their revenge. Something that typically took 4 hours could easily take 16. Crew Chiefs are willing to use their experience and gifts to get things done by the book while overlapping tasks. It takes years to cultivate this; however, when someone treats them bad, they get “nervous” and do each task separately. This is a minor example of what poorly treated people can do. Take the time to seek your team’s feedback and listen. They don’t want you to fail.

Every single time I heard a leader tell me over the years that they have an open door policy I have wanted to laugh. I envisioned myself walking past the other three links in my chain of command and right into his or her office to express my thoughts. In my mind, I never even made it to the door. I have learned others feel the same way too.

I completely and wholeheartedly believe the leader who says the door is open and I genuinely believe they would want to help me. Many are concerned about the fallout from walking through that door and voicing a concern that hasn’t been routed through the chain with a staff summary sheet firmly affixed. This is something we need to address as leaders. I want those on my team to be able to go direct to the person who could best solve the problem for them not to be redirected.

Recently, I had an issue with my cell phone bill and called the customer service line. I knew I needed to speak to a supervisor in billing to get this charge removed from past experiences; however, I had to talk to a customer service agent who then transferred me to tech support and then to billing. From there I had to get a little rude to even get to the supervisor I wanted from the beginning who was able to fix my issue. Over 30 minutes wasted. Yet we do the same thing to our team members and wonder why they are not taking initiative to fix problems. We are simply wearing them down before they even make it to the appropriate level who can assist.

I am now that tool standing in front of my team spouting the cliche about how my door is open. However, I employ a few other methods to connect and receive feedback other than “hope” someone will have the courage to walk through my door.

1. ) Culture of trust: No matter what the issue is that is highlighted to me, I don’t punish the other links in the chain that were skipped or who couldn’t solve the problem. Look at what the issue is, not who to blame for it. Is there a way to empower or train others to solve this at their level?

2.) Anonymous feedback: I created a survey on Survey Monkey that provides an anonymous way to pass me concerns. My team can do this from home, their phone, their desk or where ever they choose and I will never know who was saying it unless they tell me. This is better than a comment box, because people have the fear they will be seen dropping the message. I have received some amazing feedback in there that has pointed me to some simple fixes which have paid dividends.

3.) Walk through your own open door: Get out of your office and go to where the work is being done in your unit. You will get to see firsthand what problems the team is facing and what struggles they have. I have been able to get ahead of so many major issues this way and it lets my team know I care. In fact, these are typically the people who end up taking advantage of my open door policy. Go figure.

What does this quote from Alexander the Great mean to you? To me, it means we have to be strong as leaders. We can’t be afraid to stand up for our team and to our team. I recently watched as a supervisor chastised his subordinate and then flip-flopped when he got push-back. If he could not even stand firm with his troop, how in the world is he expected to stand firm when talking to someone higher in the food chain than himself. Being a lion means we have to protect the team and also ensure we are handling issues on the team too.

Many of us look at being a leader like Maximus Decimus Meridius in the movie Gladiator. We lead the charge into battle and are revered for our courage and battlefield prowess. Because of our technical abilities, we are usually promoted to positions of leadership. However, if we get into the weeds too often, we are not focused on the bigger picture and not helping the whole team. We need to be involved in the daily tasks being performed, but it is our primary job to equip our team with the proper training and resources. Equipping others to fight the battle is much more valuable than your individual efforts.

This is one of the biggest complaints I have ever heard about those of us with rank. “SNCOs look good because we work hard for them and then they forget all about us.” This kills me to think I may have given that impression and I work really hard to never do that. We are a team that needs everyone on it to be successful. Those doing the work make the mission happen. Those of us with rank are there because we have more experience and the ability to see the obstacles coming up and move them before the team gets there. People are not on our teams to service our desires…we serve each other to lift each other.