Another week missed!  I think I was trying to catch up on sleep after two busy weekends of Cotton Patch.  Time to buckle down and type.

I like to think there are three different kinds of leaders.  I call this the Clint Eastwood theorem.  They are the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Named after the 1966 spaghetti western of the same name.  The “Good” is pretty self-explanatory as is the “Bad”.  The interesting ones are the “Ugly”.  These are the ones that actually get things done but it’s never on the straightest or most logical path.  It’s a pretty broad category but it’s also the most entertaining.

I’ve written several blogs about guys I’ve worked for.  Mostly commanders, but I’ve also worked for a variety of folks who were what we call “section chiefs”.  These are guys who are in charge of specific squadron functions like Current Operations or Scheduling, to name a few, but aren’t commanders.  They’re guys who are ambitious enough to take on a bigger job and hope to, someday, be given the opportunity to be actual commanders.  In other words, they’re getting to learn by making mistakes in a area  that won’t screw things up to badly for the whole squadron.

As a young Air Reserve Technician (full time reservist/civil servants for those unfamiliar with the program) you often find yourself the sole full-timer in a section trying to do what, on active duty, would be accomplished by a staff of five or six.  It’s one of the things that makes the reserves so efficient but it can mean a lot of pressure to manage the daily flying program.  There might be another four or five reservists in the shop, but they may only be there two days per month leaving you to do the lion’s share of the work.  On top of that, the section chief is usually a reservist and unless he fully grasps the reality of the workload, you can find yourself working for someone with, shall we say, unrealistic expectations.

I once had a reserve supervisor who had a highly successful civilian job but he had absolutely no management experience.  He would come in for the UTA (drill weekend) and decide that the entire program needed to be revamped.  He would brief the squadron commander of the new direction and promptly disappear for 28 days.  He couldn’t be reached, because he was too busy, and I was left fend for myself.  He would reappear on the next UTA and complain that his new program had not yet been implemented.  Because of him, I identified a new subset of the “Ugly” category.  I call it “I think, therefore it is”.

I’m sure, if you think about it, you can come up with someone that fits into this category and maybe we all do a little.  We can have all of the best intentions of doing or changing something but unless we actually DO something it won’t happen.  I see all of these programs to “raise awareness” about every disease or social ill but being aware is not “doing”.  You might feel good about how compassionate and caring you are but feelings accomplish nothing.  Leaders don’t throw out ideas and assume things will get done just because they’re in charge.  Leaders coach, mentor, manage, follow up and clarify when necessary.  These are skills that are learned through years of experience.  Years of observing those who have already figured it out and years of making mistakes along the way.  You just can’t take someone who has never managed anything but himself and put him in charge.

Thankfully, my ” I think, therefore it is” guy never became a commander.  Sadly, our nation is not so lucky.  The current healthcare debacle is a direct result of putting an “I think, therefore it is” guy in the White House.  Someone who has never run anything but his own life is trying to take charge of our lives.  His failure to take any interest in a process that will negatively impact the lives of millions demonstrates a complete lack of leadership.  He claims to be a visionary but the only vision he offers is a backwards look to the failed socialist policies of the last 100 years.

There’s no substitute for rolling up your sleeves and doing the hard work.  Managing without micromanaging.  Surrounding yourself with people who will tell you the truth not what they think you want to hear.  I pray it’s not to late.