Deliberate Development

I am not sure when this shift occurred within me, but I am glad it did. For me the progression went from wanting to be the best technician to becoming the best teacher. Even though both of these are based in service, they are still ultimately based on personal accolades. Then there was the transition period where I was determined to take care of others so they could succeed. I didn’t want formal recognition; however, “hoped” others knew I was the one growing my team. Now, I am more like a proud father who gets excited when my team succeeds and my efforts are not obvious. We all know how good it feels to get the recognition for a job well done, let’s help our team experience that. I promise the reward is in their success.

It can be easy to point out flaws about others and walk away, especially if you have no stake in their success.  Having a ‘me first’ outlook doesn’t highlight you as a leader.  Helping others and thinking ‘we’ means having concern with others and being a stakeholder in their success.  A ‘me’-minded leader thinks of things in how only they think it should be and how it affects them.  A ‘we’-minded leader looks at things from a team standpoint—‘how can I help the team’ or ‘how does this affect us’?  Pointing out someone’s flaws and not extending a helping hand speaks volumes about the kind of leader you are.  Being a ‘we’ leader helps everyone succeed.

This is something that happens to all of us at one point. We allow our days to be ran and managed by the priorities of other people. We don’t have a sense of purpose and react to the whims of our coworkers and those around us. Sure, we have to work the mission and the priorities; however, when we do not have a set plan for our time, everything becomes a priority. Take control of your life and career by simply learning to control your day.

This is one of the biggest challenges I have as a SNCO. I have worked very hard over the years to gain the knowledge and experiences that I have to finally make it into the SNCO tier. I figured people would be in a line with interesting problems for me to solve. However, there is no line and I typically have to seek out the issues. My biggest fear was that I was not trusted and then I learned people did not want to “bother” me with an issue and they would continue to stew in it. Use your SNCOs networks, experiences and big picture views to remove the roadblocks in your path. Rule of thumb: If it is something in your daily duties, try to solve it yourself. If it is something that involves another team, get a SNCO involved.

I think all of our units have a mission and vision statement written or hanging on some wall. We walk past it everyday and may have caught a glimpse. Sometimes, we memorize it because the Chief has called people out during roll calls. What is the purpose? EPR/OPR bullet for our leaders? At least, that is what we tend to think. A vision is intended to paint the picture for where the team is heading. Like before we start a road trip, we know we are going to grandma’s. We need to do the same thing with our teams. Tell them where we are going and the milestones we need to hit along the way and then equip them to accomplish each. This is how you turn random words on a wall into action.