Living through BRAC BRAC, or Base Realignment and Closure, is a real factor for a lot of Guard and Reserve units nationwide. Some wings have never experienced it, but it is the systematic closure and realignment of Air Force assets, in this case in the Guard. Budget cuts and aging ANG, Air National Guard, fleets have made this unwanted change an everyday reality. These changes may include a different air frame, moving the wing from one place to another, completely closing of a wing or a combination of all of these options. The remainder of this paper will focus on the 2005 BRAC of the Oklahoma Air National Guard at Oklahoma City and how leadership proved their …show more content…
The first was vision. Vision is a leader’s ability to see the future, portray a goal to their followers without losing sight of what is in front of them. The vision of the 137th was simple: be the best at what we do. The 137 Airlift Wing had a long tradition of excellence, from near perfect mission accomplishment rates in the 2003 Iraq invasion to the Air National Guard’s longest safety record. Leadership reassured its members that they are great at what they do, that we will continue to be excellent by being the best we can in the tanker mission. The second principle is communication. Although basic in nature, John Adair put it best; “the test of your powers of communication comes when the seas are rough with change, and people feel disorientated and out of touch.” (Adair, 2002) In 2005 the seas were rough, but a plan was in place for everyone. Everyone knew the time line, and everyone knew their place in the new mission. Leadership communicated this message down to their followers, everyone was able to rally behind our leadership and move forward through difficult times. No secrets were kept, the wing was going to change and everyone knew
Mission command consist of the following six principles: build cohesive teams through mutual trust, create sheared understanding, provide clear commander’s
What might have been the setback we previously faced in making decisive, clear or sound effective decisions? Was it a defect in how Commanders and Leaders led units or troops, or perhaps the philosophy in which we chose to command and control every aspect of the battlefield? What does it mean to recognize or comprehend the art of Command and the science of Control? The six principles of mission command are key in developing a cohesive team that will support all aspects of the mission. Asking “why” is now encouraged when it pertains to certain situations or missions. Understanding the purpose of why a course of action or desired outcome is necessary, leads to mission success and a cohesive unit with thinking leaders. Thinking clearly usually isn’t an issue for most leaders, but position an individual in a situation of extreme stress or complexity, then there might be a reason to be concerned. Through
The strategy of the 176th Wing is unique primarily based on our location and our
The second principle is Come out from Behind Yourself into the Conversation and Make it Real (p.67). While many fear "real," it is the unreal conversation that should scare us to death. Unreal conversations are expensive, for the individual and the organization. No one has to change but everyone has to have the conversations. When the conversation is real, the change occurs before the conversation is over. You are able to accomplish your goals in large part by making every conversation you have as real as possible (p. 64). It's important to take yourself seriously and take your life personally.
The first business principle that I chose, was principle #2 “Decide who you serve”. In this principle we focus primarily on who we will be serving, (Fisher, 2008).. These individuals are now known as our target group. By having a target group we may focus our care on their needs. I chose this
The first principle is being in the moment. Being in the moment means an individual must focus all his/her attention on the other individual in order to be fully present, physically engaged, curious without judging and self-aware. This concept disengages us from being on “autopilot” and enables us to communicate effectively by being mentally and physically present, being unbiased, making positive choices and maintaining relationships with others. Furthermore, it develops great communication skills by minimizing miscommunication and generating appropriate responses and behaviors. This element is crucial in my leadership goal because as an individual, who enjoys multitasking,
Leaders inadvertently practiced mission command principles since the Civil War. Over time, the naming convention of the fundamentals has changed; however, the concept of the principles was still close in relations as time evolved. The effective application of the six mission command principles is critical to the success of commanders. Most prominent military leaders who exercised the fundamentals of mission achieved victorious results. Most leaders who lack effect in apply mission command principles in their plan habitually ended with little to no success. General Williams Tecumseh Williams and Major General Wade Hampton III are two examples of historical military leaders from the burning of Columbia who implemented and or fail to implement the principles of mission command during the Civil War.
The final attribute of mission command for consideration is understanding. Understanding prepares leaders at all echelons with the vision and far-sightedness that is essential to make operative choices, manage risks, and consider second and third order effects (Mission Command White Paper, 3 April 2012, 5). Leaders who possess understanding have the mental capacity to grasp and appreciate any state of affairs which facilitates their capacity to make autonomous decisions. Conversely, leaders who lack understanding put their troops or others at risk.
This concise paper addresses a lifetime of learning on part of the author and the gracious graduated squadron commander interviewee who leant his time and wisdom. In the next few paragraphs the three key elements that will be addressed include: the author’s leadership philosophy, elicited in the hot seat from the Group Commander, a summary of the author’s commander interview, and an analysis of the interview through the lens of the author’s own philosophy.
Kouzes and Posner identified five exemplary leadership practices, or guidelines to become an effective leader. During Apollo 13’s mission to the moon, Gene Krantz, NASA flight control director (Bartley, 2017), demonstrated one of the practices, enabling others to act, when faced with challenges. This practice emphasizes on building trust to foster collaboration, and developing competence through self-determination, which results in strengthening others (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). The Apollo 13 mission was going smoothly until their space craft suffered severe damage, where Krantz and his crew were faced finding solutions to bring the astronauts back to earth (IMDB, n.d.).
Some of the Team principles that we decided to utilize, included: accepting uncertainty, rejecting preconceived solution, follow through
The second principle, “The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” I also identify with Colin Powell’s seventeenth principle, “Have fun in your command. Don’t always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you’ve earned it: Spend time with your families. Corollary: Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard.”
Six principles comprise the philosophy of mission command: (a) build cohesive teams through mutual trust; (b) create share understanding; (c) provide clear commander’s intent; (d) exercise disciplined initiative; (e) use mission orders; and (f) accept prudent risk. When combined together, these six principles assist the commander in balancing the aforementioned art of command and science of control. To understand how General Robert E. Lee’s performance at Gettysburg lacked the marks of a great mission commander necessitates a deeper understanding of the individual principles of mission command.
study and put these principles in place in my unit as a pilot and progress to the organization to
A leader is cultivated and groomed to make the best potential shine through the grimmest picture with decisiveness. A committed leader will prioritize essential needs and wants, allowing focused results to steer the mission. A leader embodies the Air Force in every aspect and relays those traits to subordinates through tough love and determination. A firm hold on the task at hand can make or break the efforts put forth to complete it.