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Service and Sacrifice

No matter the service branch, specialty, or duty location, one question is common to every servicemember: “When should I leave the military?” This question pops up during deployments, following the release of promotion lists, and on nearly every date night.

Pursuing an answer often devolves into a winding conversational journey of assessing the present, voicing struggles, affirming individual and family priorities, anticipating future career opportunities, and evaluating one’s potential to reach those opportunities. Sometimes a family crisis or significant event crystalizes the road ahead, but often the decision to continuing serving or leave remains an ill-formed collection of feelings, variables, and uncertainties.

Service Sacrifice

A Soldier assigned to the Connecticut National Guard’s 1-102nd Infantry Regiment prepares to hug his son after returning home from a nearly year long deployment at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Windsor Locks, Connecticut Jan. 22, 2022. The 1-102nd was deployed to the Horn of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. DoD photo.
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People and Competence

Not long ago, I was honored to offer remarks at the commissioning ceremony for 20 cadets from the Temple University Army Reserve Officer Training Corps “Red Diamond” Battalion. This was a truly inspiring event (and not only because it was held at Lincoln Field where the Philadelphia Eagles play). It was especially memorable for me because, as the years of Army service add up, it’s easy to forget professional milestones and personal achievement moments like these. And it was a joy to see these men and women complete their cadet journeys and begin their service as officers.

I’ve posted my remarks below, which focus on two areas: People and Competence. I hope that many of you (not just new officers) will find these thoughts helpful.

People and Competence

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Why I Removed My Confederate Flag

I grew up in the South. A little bit in Tennessee and Florida, but mostly in Georgia. Though I spent that childhood in the neighborhoods of suburban Atlanta and not in the country farm fields, I still received the imprint of geographical culture:  Southern politeness, Waffle House, sweet tea, country music, NASCAR and The Dukes of Hazard were all accepted – and expected – norms. As was pride in the Confederacy.

confederate flag

The flag of the Confederacy on the ground during a protest against white nationalists in Washington, D.C. Photo credit.
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Time to Change Perspective

“I should have seen that coming…”

“If I hadn’t had been so focused on this, I could’ve anticipated that…”

“Where did THIS come from???”

We’ve all uttered these words at one point or another, searching for an explanation as to how our circumstances managed to outpace our intellect, premonition capacity, focused research, and detailed planning effort.

perspective

Army Staff Sgt. Ariel Hughes pulls a simulated wounded soldier through an obstacle during the Drill Sergeant of the Year Competition at Camp Bullis, Texas, Aug. 19, 2019. Twelve soldiers from around the U.S. took part in the four-day competition. Link to DoD photo.
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Seasons in Leadership

Seasons. Change. Transition. Growth.

The notion of seasons has come to me from multiple sources recently. One obvious change has been my professional transition…closing the season of battalion command and embarking on a new duty with a new scope of responsibilities. (This season even ended with a ceremony…most don’t!) The people, the conversations, battle rhythms, challenges, opportunities, office spaces, run routes…it’s all different now. It’s entirely new terrain and it demands adaptation.

The other experience that inspired reflection on change was at Yosemite National Park last week, immersed in an ecosystem that is in a perpetual state of natural change. Seasons incrementally and seamlessly slip into one another, presenting subtly-forming but radical new landscapes of sun and ice, rock and water, cloud, air, plant, animal, and fire.

seasons

Half Dome, Glacier Point, and Yosemite Valley, as seen from the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail in Yosemite National Park, CA.
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Creating Stability in Your Organization

by Pete Fovargue

Change Management is a role we often place on leaders. We know that too much change impacts performance and saps motivation, so “managing transitions” and “mitigating turbulence” are common phrases relating to this managing change. More often, however, what the organization actually needs is Stability Management.

Leaders must make the work environment predictable and routine, with clear expectations for performance. People perform their best when they have a clear and stable environment in which to function. Here are five things that you can do to create stability in your organization.

stability

Inside the National Building Museum, Washington, D.C. Photo by Pete Fovargue.
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Sharing the spotlight

Every leadership position comes with its own spotlight. As a leader, you’re the one on stage, you make the decisions, you take responsibility for consequences, everyone is watching and waiting for you to take action. The default expectation is that you will do it on your own and everyone else will follow.

But what happens if you decide not to “do leadership” on your own? What if, instead of spinning inside your own head about what to do next then issuing a decree, you instead brought your team in and asked for their input? What if you said, “Hey guys, here is the situation I’m seeing. This is why it’s important. These are the factors I think are relevant. What am I not seeing? What do you think we should do?”

Would involving them undermine your authority? No.

Would it reveal weakness? No.

Would it take too much time? Not for most of the decisions you face.

On the contrary, when you involve subordinate leaders in the decisions you make, you…

…make them feel valuable and regarded.
…get their buy-in and gain a glimpse of how your impending decision might affect the team.
…reveal their strengths and gaps, which you can note for later development.
…infuse their input, making your decision stronger.
…show them how to lead at the next level.

The notion of the solitary, all-knowing leader is outdated at best. At worst, it is a weak response to the opportunity leaders have to improve the quality of their decisions and develop the team. If leaders can move past the notion that they are the only ones on the stage, the performance will be much better.

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