As Mahatma Ghandi once said, “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” In a not so distant past, wall to wall counseling was more than a joke; it was a reality. In today’s Air Force, we are a more mature force that operates more like a business. With this new style of operation, comes a new set of management skills. In my opinion, a leader needs to foster teamwork, emphasize leadership, and not forget how to be a follower.
Teamwork is essential to keeping a cohesive force. Even on a large scale, no one person accomplishes the mission. Sure, the F-16 pilot drops the bombs; however the F-16 could not have taken off without POL fueling the jet, those bombs would have never gotten over target without an intel source, or the weapons troops loading the bomb on the plane. The weapons troops couldn’t have loaded the bombs without ammo supplying it; the list goes on. Fact of the matter, we need to work as a team to get the job done. For this reason, a proper leader must consistently reinforce teamwork.
I believe leadership is about motivating people to achieve a common goal. As leaders, we need to motivate our troops, and our troops motivate each other. With this in mind, leadership is everyone’s responsibility. Supervisors need not only be a great leader, but also emphasize it among their subordinates. In order to accomplish the mission, such as the one stated previously, we must lead each other down the path of