Face-to-face leadership Published Aug. 21, 2007 By Chief Master Sgt. Brien Burke 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. -- I recently spoke with a former commander, and as we discussed what was going on in our lives he asked me if I face my troops in both good and bad situations. It reminded me of when he faced me and informed me of my promotion, then weeks later had to tell me of the passing of my grandmother. I asked him how he found the strength to do those things. He told me that's what leaders do. Let me start by defining the words associated with one of the toughest jobs in life: lead, leader and leadership. Lead - To guide, conduct, direct, pilot, route, shepherd, show, steer. This definition is probably where "lead by example" is derived from. Leader - One who takes the initiative or lead. This is the ultimate in responsibility; by providing guidance to personnel you lead in every aspect. Leadership - The ability or capacity to lead others. This is where personal styles of leadership take over. All of the above definitions require us to take an active role. We know rank is a visible sign of leadership, one personnel will follow. Over the past few years, we have become more dependent on leadership by e-mail, and although a convenient method of leadership, it is impersonal. Most leaders find it easier to lead electronically and don't experience the interaction and disappointment exhibited by their personnel when a tough or unpopular decision has been made. I choose to take a tougher approach, which I believe is the best and most effective style -- face-to-face leadership. Don't get face-to-face leadership confused with basic training. Face-to-face leadership is simply looking your troops in the eye to congratulate them on a promotion as well as explaining unpopular decisions, the bad news -- that specific issue they don't want to hear. Even when the news is bad, how many times in our lives have we wished someone would just communicate with us on a more personal level? Sounds familiar, doesn't it? When we fail to face our personnel, we miss the best opportunities for mentoring, soliciting possible alternatives to plans or processes, and most importantly, explaining the organization's role in supporting the Air Force mission. As leaders, we are responsible for ensuring our personnel understand their roles and responsibilities. Face-to-face leadership is not new to us -- as children we were exposed to this style of mentoring early on, often from our parents. Unpopular decisions are nothing new, either. From the earliest period of our lives, parents gave face-to-face leadership. I know I didn't always agree with the decisions or direction my parents gave. The decisions I agreed with made me a better person. The decisions I didn't agree with earned me an all-expenses paid trip to the wood shed, and that trip helped me understand why their decision was best at that time. Although as youth we didn't always agree with the guidance and mentoring given, a large majority of the time the decisions made for us served to make us more responsible individuals, and prepared us for our roles in society and the Air Force today. Look back at the definitions of lead, leader and leadership. They all require you to be present and perform. Facing your troop, explaining the difficult decision, why you believe in it and its success will instill trust and confidence, inspire personnel and foster teamwork. Years from now, when your Airman is in your shoes, he or she will be able to lead Airmen whenever and wherever the Air Force needs them, and you can be proud of them just as your parents are of you.