Leadership Milestones — Valuing Experience, Fostering Growth, Facing Challenges
Continued Development
Continued Development Required
Life in the military incorporates a perpetual requirement for continued development.
Master Student + Master Teacher
Master Student + Teacher
Effective leaders must accept the responsibility of being both:
- A master student
- A master teacher
…by embracing the role of both follower and leader.
High Standards
High Standards
Setting high, attainable standards provides opportunities for:
- Continual growth
- Guidance
- Feedback
Goal + Inspiration = Future Leaders
Goal + Inspiration
Giving Airmen a goal and inspiration for developing and performing to their best ability is a leader's direct line to developing leaders of tomorrow.
Successful Corporations
Corporate Leadership Development
In business, successful corporations actively seek out people with leadership potential and expose them to career experiences designed to develop their skills.
Maturity + Experience + Potential
Maturity Experience Potential
They also value a combination of maturity, experience, and untapped potential as a valuable asset to any organization.
Valuing Experience
Valuing Experience
Leaders foster professional growth by insisting their Airmen focus attention on:
- The aspects of a situation, mission, or project they control
Setting the Stage
Setting the Stage
Setting the stage for:
- Challenging experiences
- Enlightening experiences
- Adventurous experiences
Allow Airmen to Grow
Allow Airmen to Grow
As leaders progress and develop themselves, it is just as important to allow Airmen to do the same while growing a sense of confidence in their skills and abilities.
Fostering Growth
Fostering Growth Role
The role of the leader in fostering growth is to identify:
- Knowledge opportunities
- Improvement opportunities
Permanent and Pervasive
Permanent + Pervasive
This will ensure advancements are permanent and pervasive, NOT temporary or limited.
Recognize Successes
Recognize Successes Publicly
Leaders encourage the learning process by formally and publicly recognizing:
- Individual successes
- Unit successes
…no matter how large or small.
Facing Challenges
Facing Challenges
Developing Airmen for leadership positions requires consistent exposure to challenges, with gradual increases in responsibility over time.
Identify Early
Identify Early
Identifying people with leadership potential early in their careers and then determining the appropriate developmental challenges for them is the first step.
Recognize Capabilities
Recognize Capabilities
Leaders must recognize the capabilities of each Airman in their unit or organization, including any:
- Skills
- Talents
- Experiences the Airman may have that can contribute to current and future mission accomplishment