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Good follower, good leader

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Jonathan Webb
  • 90th Civil Engineer Squadron
Everyone in our Air Force is both a follower and a leader. While the chief of staff of the Air Force is our senior Air Force member, he follows the direction of our nation's civilian leadership.

Whereas a junior Airman may not supervise anyone, their actions, ability to follow orders and attitude certainly demonstrate leadership abilities. As we learn in basic military or officer training and throughout professional military education, it's important for all military members to be good followers and good leaders, no matter what rank or position we may hold.

First, work your boss' agenda. Nothing is more fundamental than understanding your mission and carrying out your assigned duties in a manner that supports larger objectives. While I've always worked hard to support my boss or commander, this aspect was never more clear than when I served with the Army in Iraq. In Army terms, this is "commander's intent" and clearly delineates the purpose for executing a mission.

If the commander's intent was to get materiel to a forward operating base, then we knew to push through an ambush and avoid the enemy at all costs; we needed to protect and preserve our resources for a greater mission. The same holds true at home station; one of our boss' agenda items is to safely get people and equipment in and out of the missile field.

Our convoy and maintenance teams are well prepared for anything like weather, poor road conditions, civilian traffic or potential adversaries. Safety is paramount, and we may have to make a leadership decision to slow down or stop a movement if people or resources are at risk. Having the leadership abilities to make a tough decision like pushing through an ambush or stopping a missile movement demonstrates exceptional follower abilities.

Another critical aspect of our military profession that demonstrates good follower and leader abilities is adhering to the chain of command. Just as we expect subordinates to use the chain of command and keep us informed, as leaders, we must also have the discipline to use the chain of command in seeking information from those we lead.

With the advent of e-mail, we can easily get trapped in subverting our chain of command. In a combat zone or when a home station crisis occurs, it's critical we strictly adhere to our chain of command to ensure all levels of leadership can appropriately respond. Good followers and leaders must keep the integrity of the chain of command at all times.

Finally, having trust in your subordinates and their leadership is paramount to our ability to execute our mission. Our core values of integrity, service before self and excellence convey trust at every level. Leaders need to have confidence orders will be carried out while followers must trust their efforts will be supported. Trust is a two-way street that instills assurance at every level that we will accomplish our mission while supporting our people.

Every member of the Air Force should assess their role as both a follower and leader. Do you work your boss' agenda and have you clearly articulated your intent to your subordinates? Do you adhere to the chain of command? And do you have trust in both your subordinates and leadership?

Hopefully you have answered yes to all of these questions.