An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Leadership points to ponder

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. John "Gunny" Bangs
  • 305th Logistics Readiness Squadron
MCGUIRE AFB, N.J. --  In the British Army there are no good units and no bad units -- only good and bad officers and NCOs. They make or break the unit. Today we cannot afford anything but the good ones. No man can be given a more honorable task than to lead his fellow countrymen in war.

"Leaders are made more often than they are born. You all have leadership in you. Develop it by thought, by training and by practice," said Field Marshal Viscount Slim of Burma, 1949.

These are crucial days for our nation. Many of us as Airmen have shed blood for our beloved country and would gladly do it again. Many of us also recognize that these are crucial times for McGuire and its leadership as well.

In getting to know Airmen through the years, it seems to me that most Airmen were born to fight in the right sense. However, when we can no longer go into combat we need to guard diligently against fighting one another within the organization. May God help us to channel that innate, bold fighting spirit into right and just causes that bring unity and ultimate glory to his wonderful name.

We need to remember we are no better than the others, but cast by fate we are first among equals. There is no doubt in my mind and experience that people both military and civilian are looking on to see not just our pomp and ceremony and how well we are organized, but our character and integrity and how we solve our problems, great and small. Do we care for one another? Do we rescue one another? Risking our own lives and reputations in the process? Do we forgive one another or carry around a grudge?
For any leader there is always a great tension in attaining the balance between the two basic responsibilities of leadership that we were taught in the Air Force:

1. To obtain the objective.

2. To look after the welfare of the troops.

As we are involved in attempting to fulfill two basic obligations, whether in the military or in civilian life, most insightful leaders will confess that seldom do we strike the perfect balance. Imbalance calls for correction and that, in turn, can be humbling.

A humble Airman? A humble leader? Not impossible. There are basically two ways to grow in humility or to become humble:

1. To humble oneself.

2. To be humiliated.

It is far better to humble oneself than to be humiliated. A story about President Abraham Lincoln aptly exemplifies this tough leadership choice:

"To please a certain official, Abraham Lincoln once signed an order transferring certain regiments. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, convinced that the president had made a serious blunder, refused to execute the order. 'Lincoln's a fool!' he roared.

"When President Lincoln heard what Secretary Stanton had said, he replied, 'If (Secretary) Stanton said I am a fool , then I must be, for he is nearly always right. I'll step over and see for myself.' President Lincoln did just that. When Secretary Stanton convinced him the order was in error, President Lincoln quietly withdrew it. Part of President Lincoln's greatness lay in his rising above sensitivity to the opinions of others concerning himself. In his humility, he welcomed criticism and he demonstrated a strength that few leaders ever matched," according to J. Haggai.

- Humility is strong -- not bold;

- Quiet -- not speechless;

- Sure -- not arrogant.

Although we as leaders have all graduated from various levels of Air Force basic training and have advanced into and through various experiences in life, no matter our age, we still need a technical instructor. He will guide us, take off the rough edges, and help mature us as men and women leaders through the ongoing rugged basic training of life.
I submit that whether we are believers or non-believers, that God and his son are our great technical instructors. They want to help us to not grow weary and fainthearted and also to lovingly correct and discipline us.

Finally, let us remember our war dead from innumerable battles. In large part they have, through their ultimate sacrifice, given us our excellent reputation today. They cry from the grave, beseeching us to not fail them in our present struggles.