Group Commander Feedback and Advice

[Vetter]

I'm just too lazy to search through and confirm he asked the question. I believe it was him though. I like the fact that he comes and asks these questions on here. But I also question his motives and wonder if he is so out of touch that he just doesn't know relevant things to tell a group of his chosen ones.

[Bender]

I'm just too lazy to search through and confirm he asked the question. I believe it was him though. I like the fact that he comes and asks these questions on here. But I also question his motives and wonder if he is so out of touch that he just doesn't know relevant things to tell a group of his chosen ones.

Perhaps his motives are that he knows "you" like the fact that he comes and asks these questions, that he isn't out of touch at all, using the internet to connect with thousands of people he otherwise couldn't speak with, and soliciting ideas beyond his own personal experience in hopes of harvesting the best ideas possible from people with different personal experiences with which to influence those whom "you" cannot, but will be subject to in the near future (not YOU though of course).

I believe that is what you call a leader that is in touch (as well as a run on sentence).

Bendy

ETA: Although it is entirely plausible that often his motive is to force others to critically think and highlight that the "job" of a senior leader is not always as easy as it may seem from the operational and tactical level.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Bender

[BuddhaSixFour]

Lots of good stuff. I'll add:

- A SQ/CC cannot lead from your office. Remind the Wing/CC you can't lead from his.

- If you request anything non-trivial after 1400 and ask for it before 1000 the next day, you just tasked a CGO to stay until 8 PM to do it. It took him until 1530 to find out about it, and he'll need to have it in someone's inbox by 0800 for it to clear the wickets to get back to you. If necessary, do it. Just be cognizant.

- If you have a civilian Deputy CC, be skeptical of them. They might be a source of continuity, but they are a tremendous source of inertia. Unless you convince him otherwise, the day you leave, your favorite project is dead in the water.

- You have far more power to make things worse than to make them better. Work hard to improve things, but focus on the low-hanging fruit first. Minor process improvements that make day-to-day life better are more actionable and over time have a bigger impact than your grandiose vision.

- We know what we're doing. If there's something we don't get, explain it to us... Then trust us to once again know what we're doing.

- Know what you know and what you don't know. If you've never flown an MDS under your command, don't pretend to understand it. If you've never served in a crew position under your command, don't pretend to understand it. Bring your experience to the table, but respect the experiences of the people around you.

Edited March 19, 2014 by BuddhaSixFour

[17D_guy]

I've always been partial to, "It's not about you, Douchebag."

Also, when you as a Group CC say things similar to "Isn't that neat!" or "Wow.. that would be cool!" It makes life hell for some CGOs/NCOs somewhere because a CC or SNCO won't ask if it's actually a task to accomplish. They just want their brownie points.

[Skitzo]

Show-horses, Workhorses and Jackasses. These are the three types of people you have working for you.

Show-horses are easy to identify, they are pedigreed, their reports are above the board and they have done no wrong, but at a certain point you can’t prove what they have done right… they have been preened and primped for so long that the next good deal is expected. In a certain amount of your requests to the squadrons for nominations for the next good deal job, there are some that will deliver less than the workhorse. They are the type when handed a shitty deal, will pull stakes and tell you no, because this assignment is beneath me….

The workhorse is the person you want to take note of. This person may be number 3 or 4 on your squadron commander’s list of people they want to see for said good opportunity. They are probably the guys and gals that everyone in the squadrons see as the go-to for when stuff needs to get done, the people that get overlooked because there are a couple show-horses in the way.

The often respected and narrowly rewarded workhorse getting rewarded with a good deal usually elicits the following response from squadron mates: “about damn time that guy/gal got a good deal he/she is solid and I know they will work for me up at the Group/Wing etc.”

The response when an overtired prima-dona show horse gets an impressive job is usually de-motivating. Seen as a reaffirmation of the status quo.

Thus, as a group commander the people who are at the top are there because of past performance but not necessarily recent performance…

The challenge is to identify the workhorses who deserve a showhorse treatment and identify the showhorses who need a kick in the ass.

Speaking of asses, the jack-ass… causing the often mentioned 95% percent of your time devoted to the 5% causing the problems. It will distract you because you think the other guys, the other 5% who are the show-horses are solving all the problems are good… and carrying your load… it’s not true, at least at the squadron level…

[FUEL]

What they've said ^^^

My quick take: There is a book by a former Delta Force Commander (Pete Blaber) about his experiences called "The Mission, The Men, and Me". He describes the 3Ms (see the title) and orders them in order of presidence, most importantly the leader's career and welfare come last.

One of the most memorable examples is when he and his men fight a large force of Saddam loyalists in Tikrit while he simultaniously stands up to senior leaders in order to take care of the mission and men despite threats to his own career.

From my perspective much of USAF, the worst being AMC, has been focused on developing generals instead of leaders when we should be developing leaders that become generals. I've seen "show horses" picked at 1LT and gone from Exec, Ch Exec, Gp Exec, to leadership track without proving they can even lead a mission related shop, much less lead people in combat/dynamic environments, make hard decisions, take care of people, etc. Tell the O-6's what has been echoed here multiple times: Be willing to sacrafice yourself for the mission and your people, especially if leaders don't want "Service before Self" to fall on deaf ears. Unless this toxic leadership changes and we begin to see leaders value what is important, the talent will continue to hope for VSP instead of hoping to be part of the solution.

Edited March 20, 2014 by FUEL

[Recut]

Every spring and early summer, AU hosts mandatory training for all incoming Group Commanders. Many senior leaders and staff members speak to the class about leadership and current AF issues. The class has all AFSCs together for the first week, then they split ops and support. Each class has a senior mentor during the first week. If you had the opportunity to give incoming group commanders advice, what would you say? Your words may be projected on the wall at Maxwell. Seriously, I've already got the wear sunscreen speech.

Your job is to empower your subordinates so they can figure out how to train and equip the troops as best as they can. Everything else is queep.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Recut

[MSCguy]

No one wants to hear stories about your time at the zoo. There's a group cc at my base that graduated from the zoo in 1990 and still brings up that damn place every time he can. No one wants to hear about that great CEO job you have lined up next either. If you give the slightest indication that this job you're in now isn't the most important assignment to you then that causes trickle down effects of others losing faith as well.

[chizz]

I see it more at super Sq bases that bend over for TACC, but like someone previously stated, have the ability to say no. Like at a UPT base, if it is going to be thunder-storming or chance of hail for the ENTIRE day, do you know how many CGOs will go wash your car and mow your lawn if you just canx for the day vs have everyone on Wx hold ALL DAY long? Or if TACC keeps sending down short notice taskings or the Wing sets a suspense for yesterday, be able to say NO.

It goes hand in hand with creating extra work for no reason. Seen to many times the "What if so and so asked so and so?...Can you develop COAs that answer all the unknown what ifs?" Then these COAs sit in someones email for a couple months, never to be seen again. Too much busy work. Are leaders now empowered by seeing what crazy request they can come up with and how fast commanders say they can get it done? Guess what, it isnt the commanders that are doing the pointless work, the hard working individuals that are already tapped from flying all week and putting together RIF packages now have to drop everything and create ANOTHER COA presentation.

Know what problems face commanders and flight commanders. These are your issues too. These are the hurdles you can help with. Have anonymous suggestions. Thats the only way you are going to be able to dispell rumors. You have seen it here with the complaining about how General Officers and the SecAF answer townhall questions, they beat around the bush, say a lot of big words and never really answer the question. Also people are too afraid of retribution, if you want the real story offer many anonymous avenues for feedback.

[AnimalMother]

People. Leadership is people; knowing them, taking care of them, empowering them. As a commander, your people ARE your job. They will take care of the mission regardless, your obligation is to take care of them. People. The rest is just background noise (mostly).

Just my 2 cents...now back to your regularly scheduled program of drowning the embarrassment I feel towards my squadron in copious amounts of alcohol. Ugh...

[JS]

Didn't Liquid just ask the same question, except it was for a pilot training graduation?

Yeah, he did. So Liquid, what did you decide to say in the speech to UPT grads back then? Can we get a copy of the transcript?

[Liquid]

JS,

I kept it short, about 8 minutes. Focused on the graduates and their families, talked about their individual assignments and missions. Added a little lame humor, gave some quick advice, and got off the stage. I got great advice from this board and a few recent UPT grads. I thought it went well, but WTF do I know. You'd have to ask the audience to get real feedback. I'll send it to you if you want it. I'll need to sanitize the names.

[matmacwc]

I'd like to see the feedback.

[Azimuth]

I'd like to see the feedback.

2

[ForgotPassword]

Talk to the lowest levels of your Group to make sure your SQ/CCs aren't smearing bullshit and misery everywhere and just doing a really good job "show-horsing", ass kissing and covering it up. This happens way too often.

[Toro]

Hire a passed over Major who doesn't give a shit and will tell you what he and everybody else thinks straight to your face.

[matmacwc]

I get that, but what do the O-6s think?

[Recut]

I get that, but what do the O-6s think?

Who cares? The whole point of the topic was to tell the O6s what we think.

[matmacwc]

And if they blow it off as bitching or ask what our problem is that wouldn't be important to know?

[pitts2112]

I'll offer a few points, in no particular order:

A leader's job is to Direct, Unite, Inspire, and Support. If you're doing anything that's not in those categories - stop doing it!

Be the Group Commander, not a Super Squadron Commander. In the MSG, for example, it's common for the MSG/CC to try to be the super-SFS/CC or super-BCE or whatever careerfield he came out of - over-managing that squadron while giving the other squadrons in the group too little direction. Don't do that. Ever. Seriously. You probably didn't like it when you were a sq/cc, so don't do it to your people.

Be willing to tell the wing commander "I don't know, but I'll find out." We have an MSG commander who is simply the biggest control freak and data hog I've ever met. His squadron commanders literally spend 30-50% of their work week managing HIM instead of doing their jobs. He creates the very chaos and inefficiency he professes to try to cure.

This is driven by, I think, 2 things, which a good group commander will avoid:

1. He needs an enormous volume of information before he feels like he understands an issue or activity. No matter how much you try to provide the answers up front, he'll still come back at you with more questions. Providing more detail to allay his insatiable need for info merely provides more avenues for enhanced questioning.

2. He's afraid to be caught not having the answer to every question he might ever be asked. As a group commander, you've got to know what's generally going on in your squadrons and the rest of the wing, but you're not paid to know everything in detail or do your squadron commanders' jobs for them. If you don't know, man-up and admit it. And also give yourself a break because it's neither feasible nor reasonable for anyone to expect you to know everything.

As a general rule of thumb, think about the things that provide job satisfaction for you in a leadership position - having authority, being held responsible, encouraging and facilitating teamwork, solving complicated problems, developing the people under you to help them grow professionally and personally, etc. Then make sure you do nothing that deprives your subordinates of enjoying that same job satisfaction.

[Liquid]

Great advice thanks. Your direct words will be given to the next class.

I came across this speech by Simon Sinek during some research and thought some of you would enjoy it. I plan to have the Group Commanders watch it and discuss.

I've always been disappointed and embarassed when Air Force leaders eat first at special events. The head table gets served first, or goes through the lame buffet first. Army and Marine leaders eat last, after all of the soldiers and Marines. Simon wrote a book called Why Leaders Eat Last and discusses the leadership concepts in this speech. It is 45 minutes long, but very relevant to the leadership crisis we are experiencing in the AF today. If you are interested in being a better leader, it is worth your time. If you are entertained by listening to someone describe why our leadership sucks, it is worth your time.

[Homestar]

When we break up inside our companies, if our leaders don't allow us the space to feel safe inside our own companies, to feel like we belong, then we have to--we are forced--to exert our own energy to protect ourselves from each other and, by the way, expose ourselves to greater danger from the outside. If you have to worry about politics, if you have to worry about someone stealing your credit, if you have to worry about your boss not having your back, think about the energy you invest, not in your business, not in the products you're trying to develop, not in your work, not in how great you're producing, not in your creativity, but in just keeping yourself feeling safe. This is destructive.

A primer from the video. It's almost as if he's read the case history of VSP 2011 and 2014 and basing his talk around this experience.

[338skybolt]

Gallup take on why great managers are rare. Describes civilian sector but may be somewhat relevant:

https://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/167975/why-great-managers-rare.aspx?utm_source=WWW&utm_medium=csm&utm_campaign=syndication

[ElLoco]

I've always been disappointed and embarassed when Air Force leaders eat first at special events. The head table gets served first, or goes through the lame buffet first. Army and Marine leaders eat last, after all of the soldiers and Marines.

This x1000...

[Snuggie]

I've always been disappointed and embarassed when Air Force leaders eat first at special events. The head table gets served first, or goes through the lame buffet first. Army and Marine leaders eat last, after all of the soldiers and Marines. Simon wrote a book called Why Leaders Eat Last and discusses the leadership concepts in this speech. It is 45 minutes long, but very relevant to the leadership crisis we are experiencing in the AF today. If you are interested in being a better leader, it is worth your time. If you are entertained by listening to someone describe why our leadership sucks, it is worth your time.

3! One would think that they would have learned that lesson back at their commissioning source.

I also enjoyed the video, lots of good advice for leaders of all levels. I'm going to read his book when I have time between my "please promote me to Major" master's classes.