The Difference!

 

I taught at the United States Air Force Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership Development for almost two decades. It was an honor and a pleasure to be part of a team whose purpose was to empower the future leaders of our great Air Force.

 

It's an incredible thing to watch our cadets grow from immature, wide-eyed youngsters, as they get off the bus, to strong character-based young men and women willing to put their lives on the line so that you and I and our families can enjoy the freedom that we often take for granted.

 

A few days ago, I was again honored to watch our football team challenge the Naval Academy’s football team for the honor of owning the Commander-in-Chief trophy for another year. Yeah, we won! It was fun! It’s always fun to be on a winning team, especially against Navy and Army,  but it’s not the only thing. There’s a difference between this winning team and any other in the world. Here's the difference.

 

Whenever you see any of our Academy athletes perform, you should note that none of them will become professional multi-million-dollar players upon graduation, like other youngsters who attend other schools. By the way, the Academy is by all standards an Ivy League school, except that ivy doesn't grow very well at 7200 feet, so there is none on our campus. The academic standards that our cadets have to live up to are as high, if not higher, than most schools in the nation. In addition to having to live up to extreme academic requirements, our cadets are constantly training in athletics, character development, and military leadership. Their days are packed, and I do mean packed, with mandatory learning all day long and many weekends and holidays.

 

While the purpose of other colleges is to enable their students to get out and make a lot of money, or at least a lot more money than they would without a college degree, USAFA’s purpose, as well as that of the other service academies, is to ensure that our graduates are prepared to lead others into battle. Other schools may train future CEOs. We train future Warriors. 

 

Whenever I see those future Warriors on the field, whichever field they may play on, I don't see future professional athletes. Oh, they may dream of being the next football or tennis star, but they know the reality of their future is not in product endorsements. What I see on that field is men and women who will soon (to them, it's not soon enough) willingly jump into the cockpit of an airplane to be shot at by people who will do anything to destroy our way of life. I see leaders who will do what's right because it's the right thing to do. I see people whose ultimate purpose in their lives will be to serve, not to be served. I think you'll agree that there is no other academic institution in the country so focused on teaching its students the highest ideals of moral courage. None!

 

The difference is that other schools teach their graduates to make a living. We teach our graduates to save lives even at the risk of their own. I can't tell you how proud I am of each of our cadets. I can't wait to be among them. We often refer to them as the best and brightest. Their GPAs validate that. More importantly, they are what will one day be considered the greatest generation.

 

At the end of the game, what you might not always see on television is what happens after every football and basketball game, and at other sporting events that they participate in. At the end of the game, after competing against each other as strongly as they could, the cadets and coaches gather together in front of their respective Drum and Bugle Corps, remove their helmets, hold hands, and sing the third verse of The Air Force Song and their respective alma mater. It's a toast to those who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom we enjoy. It's also a commitment to doing the same after the uniforms have been put away.

 

The difference is not found in sports. The difference is found in freedom. I send a congratulatory note to as many of our Fighting Falcons as I know personally after every game. I tell them how proud I am of their performance. What I don't have to tell them is how proud I am of who they are. They know that because I tell them every time that I see them. 

 

I can hardly wait to ask them, "Isn't this a GREAT day to be an American Warrior?!"

 

¡HEIRPOWER!

Chief bob vásquez!

Vulnerability

 

Vulnerability. You’ve, no doubt, heard of that term. It’s a buzzword among speakers who talk about leadership. I looked up the definition of the word vulnerability, and no wonder people don’t understand it and attach different meanings to it! The dictionary defines vulnerability as “the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.”  Whoa! I don’t want to put myself in THAT situation! Attacked? Harmed? No way! (By the way, my official first name is José.) Luckily, there’s a second definition: “willingness to show emotion or to allow one’s weaknesses to be seen or known.” That’s better. I can almost handle that.

 

In my perspective, there are some acknowledgements required to practice vulnerability.  Vulnerability, for an Effective Leader, requires honesty. With oneself. You know who you are, deep inside. You know what you know and what you don’t. You know what you can do and what you can’t. That doesn’t mean you can’t get better. In fact, Effective Leaders  always strive to improve themselves. That leads to being effective. It’s okay to not know everything. That’s the first step. Acknowledging that. And once you acknowledge it, there’s room for growth. What don’t you know that you can learn? That’s a good question to start you on your way toward effectiveness. As for not being able to do somethings. The great philosopher, Dirty Harry, said, “A man’s gotta know his limitations.” As you get older, and believe me, I know a lot about that, you’ll get to a point that you can’t do what you used to do the way you used to do it. And that’s okay. You can do it differently. There’s always a more effective way.

 

It's okay to be wrong. I’ve known so many “leaders” who always knew everything. Even when they didn’t. I put quotes around the word “leaders” because those folks were not leaders. They may have been put in the position of authority and even expected to lead, but no one followed them. Accepting that you’re wrong will go a long way with everyone around you, especially your followers. The key is to learn and grow. Not to become the smartest person in the room, but to be able to affect the success of the group you’re in the room with. The real effectiveness will come with you sharing what you do know. As Maya Angelou said, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." The best way to do better as a leader is to pass on what you know.

 

    And really, most importantly, it’s okay to not be okay. This one is, often, the most difficult of these acknowledgements. We think that we must be strong because we’re the leader. Well, there’s some truth to that, but no one is invincible. We’re humans, and all humans have a bad day occasionally. And that’s okay. One of the most powerful virtues in our culture is integrity. One of the characteristics of integrity that we often neglect is the meaning of the word. The word “integrity” comes from the word integer. If you’ll go back to high school math, you’ll remember that an integer is a whole number. Integrity has to do with being whole. Wholly you! You cannot give what you do not have. If you’re not well, all of you, you’re not going to do great work. If you’re hurting emotionally, your work will suffer. If you hurt a part of your body, that will, surely, affect how you perform. Take care of yourself FIRST! And if that means seeking help in any area of your life, do so. Don’t be fearful or embarrassed by it. It’ll probably be more embarrassing when you fail or hurt yourself even worse. It’s okay to not be okay. But seek help.  

 

If you can’t honestly say that you’re well in each of these three areas, your effectiveness is going to suffer. Effectiveness is about being able to perform at your best continuously and consistently. Work on those three areas. Accept who you are and what you can do, accept that you can use improvement, and seek help to make you better. That’s vulnerability.

 

Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

HEIRPOWER!

 

bob vásquez!

Happy Birthday, United States Air Force!

It hasn’t been that long, or has it, since I packed up my office for the last time.  The last time as a member of the United States Air Force, that is.  No, I didn’t get fired again.  It was just time to sound retreat and turn things over to younger warriors.  As I put my treasures away, I found it amazing how much stuff a person can accumulate in only 50 years.  As I went about the process, I realized that what I was really packing up was a collection of memories.  Memories of people I had the pleasure of working and living with throughout the world. 

For some five decades, people asked me why I served.  The answer remains unchanged.  It was always THE PEOPLE!  Packing up my collection of memories reminded me of that.  There are a few things about which I’m absolutely sure.  One of them is that the Air Force is made up of the very best people in the world!  Now, my Army, Marine, Coast Guard, and Navy brothers and sisters would probably argue with me, as well they should.  The Space Force isn’t old enough to give me any guff. I’ve only been an Airman, so I can only speak from that paradigm, although, as I’ve said for many decades, always been about US protecting our country. In fact, the battle uniform of each of our services states that it’s US against THEM, the enemy. US Marines, US Air Force, US Navy, US Army, US Coast Guard, and US Space Force. 

In the time that it took me to fill those boxes, I relived my military life as I recalled who took  that picture, who gave me that memento or that coin, who I was serving with when I was presented that Chief bust.  I was brought up under the principle that if you take care of the people, they’ll take care of the mission.  That’s another thing about which I’m absolutely sure.  What’s happened, in truth, is that as I’ve taken care of people, they’ve taken care of me, and together, we’ve taken care of the mission, we’ve protected our country.

I joined the Air Force to avoid being drafted.  Not that I had anything against the Army. I say “Hooah!” pretty well, but green just wasn’t my color at the time.  For those too young to know what the draft was, it was a process by which those who had never won a lottery, a door prize, or a raffle were given the opportunity to win a free trip across the Pacific to a tropical paradise.  Hey, that’s what the letter from President Richard Nixon said!  I joined the Air Force because of the draft.  I stayed because of the people.

 

Throughout my military life, I was blessed with the opportunity to serve with truly great leaders, colleagues, and followers.  I was mentored by people who had a much more expansive experience than I.  I had friends who gave me a different perspective on how to lead.  And I led young troops who educated me much more than they realized.  I thank God every day for all of those blessings, for all of those people who helped make me who I am.

 

As our mighty Air Force turns 79, I’m so grateful for having been a part of the legacy its people have created and maintained for all those years. Technology has enabled the Force to grow expansively, and great leaders have empowered the Force to grow deeper. That combination has been, and will continue to be, unstoppable. I call it HEIRPOWER! 

 

The last piece of history I put in its box was a plaque made for me by some young Airmen for whom I have the highest respect.  That piece of art puts everything in the proper perspective.  It quotes an old warrior who loved what he did every day of his military life.  That quote will echo in that warrior’s heart for as long as he lives.  It simply reads,  “Isn’t this a GREAT day to be an American Warrior?!” Happy Birthday, US Air Force!

HEIRPOWER! ALL IN! ALL THE TIME!

Chief bob vásquez!

Please Correct Me….

 

My good friend and Chosen Sister, Cindy Brookins Yslas, posted a thought on Facebook recently that reminded me of something that all leaders should practice. The post was a quote that said, “Don’t you hate it when people know something about you but don’t tell you (perhaps to save your feelings)… trust me, I want/deserve to know!!!” Effective Leaders tell their Followers what they need to know to succeed at whatever it is they’re doing. Even if it hurts. It’ll hurt more if you don’t. Followers, too, should tell their leaders what they don’t know. Here’s an example….

    

Not that long ago, I was speaking at a Noncommissioned Officer Academy Graduation Dinner. If you haven’t been to one, get invited to one and attend. They’re always great events. Anyway, the dress for the dinner was formal, so I wore my mess dress, which is more or less a tux for military members. Man, did I look good in it…still do…! Since I was doing those types of events regularly then, my mess dress travel bag was always at the ready. It included everything I would need for an occasion such as that. That uniform required the wearing of a bow tie. I never learned how to tie one, so I had a clip-on. I’d had that clip-on for a while, evidently, because the clip was bent and about to break. It was a weekend evening, so I had no way to replace it. I had to make it work. Been there. Done that.

 

I rigged that clip-on bow tie so that it would last through the night. Or so I thought and expected. I arrived at the event during the social hour, as usual. My normal routine was to get to know and chat with my audience as much as possible so that I could tailor my talk to them. I started at the far end of the ballroom, shaking hands, hugging, and chatting with everyone that I could, while making my way to the entrance of the room where I would congregate with the host and other distinguished guests. I must have made a couple of hundred new friends as I approached the entrance. Just shy of where I intended to stop, a senior officer came up to me, shook my hand, introduced himself, and whispered to me, “Chief, do you know that you’re not wearing a tie?” WHAT? I’m the epitome of dress and appearance! I’m known as the Ruggedly Handsome Chief! How can I not be wearing a tie? I immediately touched my neck to verify that I, indeed, WAS wearing a tie. He was right! I couldn’t believe it! I thanked him and proceeded to look for my tie. I knew that I had been wearing it when I walked into the building. I looked back to where I’d started greeting folks. Halfway between there and where I was, my tie lay on the floor. I’d greeted a bunch of folks between there and here, but no one, not one person, had told me that my tie had come off. Needless to say, I was disappointed. I went back, picked up my tie, headed to the bathroom where I stuck it onto my shirt so that I wouldn’t lose it again, and eventually did my talk. The tie stayed on the rest of the evening, and I got a standing ovation for my talk. 

 

As Cindy’s post reminded me, and as I remind you, tell people what they need to know. Even if it hurts their feelings. It actually hurt my feelings that no one told me that I was out of uniform that evening. Effective Leaders hold each other accountable. Telling someone that they have parsley between their teeth may be embarrassing for you, but it’ll be MORE embarrassing for the other person AND you if you don’t. Please, correct me when I’m wrong! 

 

Until next time, be GREAT! You ARE! 

 

¡HEIRPOWER!

 

bob vásquez!

 

Get Out of the Way!

 

I’m a Band Guy! I can’t help it! I’ve played several instruments. I’m not a singer. There’s evidence of that. I can’t stand being at an event where the National Anthem is played or sung, and the audience joins in. Most can’t sing! I know what good singing sounds like. I just can’t do it myself.

 

            Deb and I attend the Air Force Academy Men’s basketball games as season ticket owners. We have the best seats in Clune Arena, with one exception. You can hear EVERYONE singing as the middle school kids who are standing at center court singing their hearts out. Let them sing! Shut up! Sorry. I get animated when I think of this.

 

            First, be respectful of the performers who, surely, practiced a lot to be prepared to showcase their work. They really don’t need your help! Especially since you weren’t at the rehearsals.

 

            This disregard for those performers is not unlike what’s happening in our society right now. Everyone thinks they have a better version of the song and, by God, they have the right to disrespect anyone who doesn’t agree with their version!

 

            Instead of singing at the top of your lungs, why don’t you quietly hum along? That should satisfy your need to be in the spotlight without taking the spotlight away from the folks on the court. 

 

            I understand that as a UNITED States of America (although we’re not quite united lately), everyone’s voice should be heard. I agree, but at the right time and at the right place and right volume! We can’t all be right all the time. Sometimes we need to practice humility and let others share their voice, too.

 

            As I said, I’m a Band Guy! I’ve been honored to play with some extraordinary people who made up incredible ensembles. One of the characteristics of those descriptions is the humility expressed by the musicians on the set. There’s nothing like playing in a band with cats who don’t get in each others’ way. Even better, who support each other.

 

            One of my favorite mentors, Chief Master Sergeant (deceased) Jessie Brown, a great musician in his own right, once gave me a huge compliment about my conga playing. He said, “What I like about your playing, Bob, is that you don’t get in the way.” I’m not sure I’ve ever been a great, or even good conguero, but I do know that my purpose was always to support the other players, not to be the star. I see that as a form of humility.

 

            I have to admit, I DO sing. LOUDLY! In my car. With the windows up. There’s a time and place to express yourself. Be respectful of others and find that time and place. Then sing like no one’s listening!

 

            I say all of this to make a point about leading. One of the most important things a leader does is get out of the way. Respect your followers. Do the work and find out how much they’ve worked to accomplish what they’ve accomplished and encourage them to do even more. Don’t butt in. Let them thrive! It’s usually easier to do the task yourself because you can do it better. But what you’re doing when you do that is destroying the harmony needed to sustain a good team.

 

            You’ll get your chance to sing, but a leader whose interest is the team, not the self, sings background… quietly.

 

Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

¡HEIRPOWER!

bob vásquez!

Amateurs vs Professionals

 

Dr Stephen Covey shared a profound truth with me that I share with people in the service business because it’s incredibly powerful, especially when executed properly. Here's the thought…. “Amateurs sell products. Professionals sell solutions.” Read that again. “Amateurs sell products. Professionals sell solutions.”

        I retired from the United States Air Force twenty-four years ago. I remember going over to the Personnel Office as I was trying to get my retirement paperwork completed. I needed one last document to finish the process. I found the office and a young person behind the counter. I explained what I was intending to do and that I needed said document. Her eyes shone as she encouraged me to go online and download a form XXX. Piece of cake! NOT! I did download the form back at my office, but I didn’t understand many of the questions on it, nor what to do with it. I returned to the same office and found the same young person. She gave me more information. I went back to my office. Completed the form. Returned to her. After several trips back and forth, I completed everything as required, and here I am! God bless her. She could have used some guidance, but didn’t, obviously, have the tools to be a professional. She tried her best, though.

 

    What a professional would have done is understood my intent, that is, completing all of my retirement paperwork so that I could go on my new adventure, then guided me toward that end. “Chief, here’s what you need. Let me download that form for you and help you fill it out. We’ll do it right here and right now. Do you have all of the other documents you need? If not, we’ll fill them out now, too.” See the difference? Now, you may say that the young person had other things to do than to take care of an old Chief who was, evidently, worn out. But the time and effort we both invested in the product, could have been better invested in the solution.

 

    What does that person you’re intending to serve need to reach the final solution? Does the person have all the resources needed to accomplish that? If not, do you? If not, can you find someone who does?

 

       I’m convinced that we all want to be known as professionals by those we serve. It’s not that difficult to be so. But it starts with knowing where you need to go and making the time to do it right. Every person we serve deserves that. We all start as amateurs, but success will come when we’re professionals. Amateurs sell products. Professionals create solutions!

 

       Until next time, Be GREAT! You ARE!

 

                   ¡HEIRPOWER!

                             

                                  Chief bob vásquez!

 

Know and Care!

 

You may have heard the kind-of-a-joke that goes like, “What’s the difference between ignorance and apathy?” the answer being, “I don’t know, and I don’t care.” It’s almost funny, but as my mentor, Dava Flowers, suggested in an email, maybe we should think about those two topics because the Youngsters are looking for a better answer. Dava is a Youngster. She’s twenty. A college student. She’s a leader in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The email was about Dava and Nicholas Tupper, also a Youngster, and CAP Cadet, had hosted a "Fight Apathy" Meeting “where young people from my school can come together and share leadership stories and humanitarian ideas with other students and the leaders in my community.” Do you see why these Youngsters have become my mentors?

I, way too often, hear Old Schoolers complain about our Youngsters, they may be your followers, who live in an “all about me” culture. All they care about is themselves. Maybe. But if that’s so, where did that culture come from? They didn’t create it. They inherited, or assimilated into, it. I’m convinced that our followers, including our Youngsters, care. I think that, by Nature, they have to care. The challenge is what do they care about? That’s where we Oldsters come in.

How many times have you heard that (always others) “they don’t know what they don’t know?” That’s ignorance. We’re ALL ignorant of something! In my case, many things! I’m okay with that. I try to make up for that by learning as much as I can about as much as I can. Maybe you, Leader, should find out what your followers do, or don’t, know (which, by the way, would make you less ignorant) and help them to know! Interestingly, Dava’s note referred to action as she stated that her goal was to get her peers to “ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING.” One of my most favoritest adages is, “To know but not to do is not to know.” I’m not sure who said it, but it’s a profound thought. As a leader, you’re charged with leading. Duh…! Where? YOU don’t know unless you know what your followers know! And that takes getting to know them. Start there! Once you know what they know, or don’t, you can, with them, set a direction for growth. And you know what you’ll accomplish that’s deeper than you anticipated? They’ll know that you care! WHOA! My leader cares! What a GREAT climate to live and work in!

Your followers care. They do! About what? Find out! Then guide them toward assimilating what they care about with what you care about and what you BOTH care about. There’s power in that! When we all care about the same thing, we’re likely to do something about it, as Dava expects from her peers. But until you make the time to get to know them, YOU won’t know what they don’t know.

Notice that I introduced Dava as my mentor. I’ll soon, I hope, write a book titled PowerPact Mentoring, which will be based on a workshop I do. Traditionally, the mentoring process is an Old Schooler guiding a Youngster toward some end. We live in a new world. Dava and I will soon launch a podcast that we’re calling Creating Leaders of Character. Her main purpose in that project is to help me to know what I don’t know. Help me reduce my ignorance of who our Youngsters are and how they think. I don’t really lead anyone anymore, but as I encourage you to be a leader, I need to know about our followers so that I can give you better advice.

So, (as all Youngsters start every sentence) get to know your followers and show them that you care. Life, and leading, is so simple once you understand the complexities! Know and care! That is all!

Be GREAT!

You ARE!

¡HEIRPOWER!

Chief bob vásquez!