Amber Bennett’s Post

"If you don't model it, it has no authenticity." SMA Weimer, H2F Symposium. I'm really exited to be a part of the H2F program and help leaders achieve their full protentional. We don't always make the best choices across the five domains throughout our lives, but prior to taking command is a great opportunity to become more mindful of our habits. The H2F day at the pre-command course is a first step to encourage positive life change in ourselves for the betterment of those we lead and love. As leaders take time to conduct self assessments, identify areas for growth, pursue elective content, and interaction with human performance professionals, we have an opportunity to develop meaningful and lasting change.

"At Lessiter Media, our leadership team is talking with our mid-managers to prep the next-generation to 'step up and lean in.' Many are yet to be battle-tested, and we’ll need to let go of our protective instincts to let them gain it." Read more in Mike Lessiter's NEW blog!

Communication involves so much more than speech. Nice, quick read on the NAVY SEAL principles on communication.

Thursday Thoughts with Teddy (TTT - A series that will likely last one week) A few fun facts about what happens when you progress in your career that I've noticed: 1. Your title somehow determines who wants to talk to you - No one was trying to sell me things when my title was Account Executive...certainly not when it was LCDR. 2. Who listens to you and what happens when they listen to you gets trickier over time. - I've always blurted out ideas, stated the obvious, made suggestions, thrown stuff at the wall to see what sticks.....when your junior, rarely does anything come about it. When you become Senior it can be out right dangerous. In the Navy we called it the Good Idea Fairy. The Admiral would casually think out loud, the Commanders would assume the Admiral wanted something done about it. The Commanders would then task the Lieutenants to figure out how to accomplish the idea. The LT's would do 3 weeks of work, put together a powerpoint presentation to present ways to accomplish the idea....The Admiral forgot that he ever even mentioned the idea. The burden of leadership is that you have to often be intentional with what you say because sometimes people think you actually know what you are talking about and take you seriously! (It's a constant struggle)

One thing I’ve learned in my short stint in a management/leadership role: Not everything can be a priority, especially with too little manning. The Air National Guard isn’t alone in this, but it is where majority of my experience lies as a professional. Too often, outside entities can drive workload. That was certainly the case in my first stint with my current unit. When I left and joined the 137 SOW in OKC, I was amazed at the higher ops tempo, but I was equally amazed at how well the Wing supported the Communications Squadron and didn’t drive workload [as much]. My leadership in OKC was confident in their abilities to speak to what was on the unit’s plate, but also not afraid to say, “We can’t do it all at once, so tell us the main 3-5 priorities and we will focus efforts there.” When I came back to Tulsa, I was assured the outside driving of internal priorities was no longer an issue, and to my current leadership’s credit, that has been the case. We drown with work, that’s certainly true, but it has helped me grow as a manager to be able to say, “I/we can’t do it all at once. What are your top 3-5 priorities and we will focus our efforts there.” I’m still trying to build that confidence, but just like anything, it takes time. What has helped me though? Writing it down! Seriously, I have a whiteboard divided into 4 areas to help me prioritize my work and work for my team, and it allows my leadership to see what we’re doing as a branch and offer their inputs where appropriate. It’s divided into: 1. Top Priorities 2. Daily To-Do 3. Weekly To-Do 4. Parking Lot Not everything can be a priority. Slow down, write it down, break it up into small accomplishments over time, and those big priorities will eventually get accomplished and new ones take their place. Ultimately, communicate & breathe.

Excerpt from my book DRAFT: “One of leadership’s many duties is to succession; to assess organizational needs in choosing the right people with the right skills and experience; grooming and promoting those best able to sustain and improve performance, understand the mission, and how to achieve it. When leadership fails, or mutates this into a self-serving process, succession becomes corrupted. I am not saying these were ruthless men and women preaching a gospel of intolerance and racial pride, at least not in public, but it was close. With future leaders being groomed on something other than knowledge, experience, and performance, a stupidity cycle is born that is difficult to overcome and almost impossible to stop. Like an improperly coded inventory program stuck in an execution loop, it continues to cycle through its flawed internals without producing its intended product. The same failings are recycled with every leadership generation, ensuring diseased management as the sought after standard. It becomes the foundation upon which all advancements are based; the norm to which all aspire. As a result, incompetent leaders can only render inferior service to the mission. This weakens workforce morale, not to mention the international partner’s faith in the integrity of the US Government. This is a case study in how to first undermine and then destroy high preforming individuals and organizations through favoritism, cronyism, and bigotry. What is left is something that bears little resemblance to a trusted government institution. More like a back water high school clique, bent on maintaining the status quo. Their goal is to preserve what they have and make sure it will endure past their own lifetimes. If that means destroying careers, then so be it. Welcome to US Army Aviation and Missile Command Foreign Military Sales.”

I avoid “zero tolerance” policies wherever possible. I do not care for blanket policies that are viewed as immovable laws that must be followed no matter what. But why? 1. They can discourage critical thinking. When passing judgement that may lead to negative consequences for someone it is imperative that you employ sound reasoning and critical thinking. 2. They don’t allow for situational nuances. I’ve never seen two situations that were exactly alike. Approach each one as if it’s unique- because it likely is. 3. I won’t abdicate my responsibilities as a leader. I’ve seen leaders fall back on the “policy” even when there are circumstances that warrant further consideration. We owe it to those we lead to remain flexible enough to look at each situation and all the facts surrounding it. Of course this doesn’t mean all policies are bad - I employ multiple policies. And if a standing policy fits the situation, then execute accordingly. But before imposing any punishment, make sure you’ve got the whole story. You may be surprised. *Picture is at the Lucas Military Heritage Center at West Point. It’s named after LTC Andre Lucas (no relation) who was killed in action in Vietnam and later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. Link to his bio in the comments.

If you know the priorities, then you can stay in lockstep with your partners both in and out of uniform! Problem is most don’t want to divulge to much information out of fear of losing the competitive edge, when in fact sharing your expectations & expressing your priorities to all will build a more complete cohesive team… Partnering with your Subcontractors is better than partitioning your Subcontractors!