COMMENTARY: Are you leading from the front?

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Chad Bickley
  • 100th Mission Support Group superintendent
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Throughout my career, I have always been a big fan of observing different styles of leadership and how people respond, both positively and negatively, to the various "theories." 

I arrived at my first assignment, Pope Air Force Base, in 1994. For those who may not know, Pope is pretty much surrounded on all sides by Fort Bragg, home of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Every morning, I watched hundreds of soldiers from the rank of private to general engage in unit physical training.  The base felt alive, full of camaraderie and pride, and I was truly impressed. The thing that stood out most to me was watching senior leaders out front, leading by example. I remember thinking to myself, "What a great way to lead!"

In my four years at Pope, I witnessed some of the finest examples of leadership by the 82nd Airborne, and it always revolved around leading from the front. I knew from that period on, I wanted to make this my leadership style.  

I'm a big fan of morning PT. Every morning I'm up at the crack of dawn, either for a run or a bike ride.  I was on a run the other day, pondering a subject for this article, when I heard a commercial on the radio. The commercial referenced a "wrap" that would take extra inches off your waist in preparation for your upcoming PT test. That ad drew me back to my last assignment and an encounter I had with a senior noncommissioned officer. This individual had a PT test coming up and decided to wait to the last minute to prepare. His way of preparing was to fast the final week and wear a wrap with some type of cream that would "shrink" his waistline. He had no injuries, medical concerns, nor was he striving for an excellent score; he was just being lazy and out of shape.  I counseled him on his responsibilities to "attain and maintain excellent physical conditioning."

What bothered me most was the image he portrayed to his Airmen.  I later found out a couple of his Airmen were using the same technique to prepare for their test. This would have never happened if that SNCO was leading from the front.

For this article, I used PT as an example. However, leading from the front can come in many forms.  As I've progressed though my career, I have always strived to set the standard and be a good role model for my Airmen. Like anyone, I've had my successes and failures; no one is perfect.

That said, I quickly learned from my mistakes, got back on the right vector and pressed forward. Sometimes people envision out-front leaders as "Type A" personalities ... a little loud, and gung-ho. While that might be the case, I've witnessed many silent professionals demonstrate picture-perfect, out-front leadership to our Airmen on a day-to-day basis.   As leaders, we should be out front, but we need to clearly understand our Airmen are watching our every move, both the good and the bad. I challenge you to re-evaluate the examples you set for your Airmen each and every day.

So ask yourself, are you leading from the front? And if you are, are you setting the right example?