There are few things more exciting, more freeing, and more attractive to humans than man-made flight. Many Soldiers have walked the broken ground of combat and looked to the sky. With a mixture of envy and anticipation, they search the horizon for their Chinook ride home, their Blackhawk MEDEVAC, or their Apache close-combat attack support. What does it take to be an Aviation lieutenant? The Aviation community expects its leaders to stay humble, maintain self-awareness, and identify metrics for success. Although these three components do not underpin all of the factors that the Aviation community expects from its young leaders, they do represent key themes that ultimately stress perhaps the best piece of advice I can give: LISTEN AND TALK TO YOUR SOLDIERS. Here is what your future Soldiers want you to know.
While setting out to inform future leaders of what to expect from the Aviation Branch, I decided to reach out to my previous and current Soldiers. Personal anecdotes, contextual history, and the strategic impacts of Army Aviation on current and future warfare are all important topics. But, ultimately, I decided young leaders needed to hear from the men and women they will be leading. How else can you decide if you want to join their team?
Often, senior leaders refer to “people” as the Army’s most important resource, which makes perfect sense. Without people there is no one to lead and no one to operate the equipment. For me, it is the people that make being a leader so gratifying. Because my interpretation of being a Platoon Leader in an Aviation unit may be biased, this essay relies on a diverse pool of active and retired aviation Crew Chiefs, First Sergeants, Warrant Officers, past Platoon Leaders, Company Commanders and Field Grade officers to help answer the question: “What do you expect from your Platoon Leader?” As a testament to these professionals, the average response time on the question above was less than a day. Their quick and thoughtful responses demonstrate that the Army is a learning organization that genuinely wants its leaders to succeed.
Stay Humble
Of the three factors we will discuss, “Humility” was the one consistent across the board. There is a lot of experience at the tactical-level and Soldiers appreciate the humility of their leaders. Collectively, each Soldier, within context, appreciates when their Platoon Leader:
- …participates in the occasional maintenance task.
- …executes Maintenance Test Flights with as much enthusiasm as an actual mission.
- …seeks advice from the experience within the organization.
These actions of empathy demonstrate the humility of the leader, which ultimately builds trust between the Soldier and leader. It also reveals the leader’s devotion to the organization. Distrust separates the Soldier from the leader in what is already a hierarchical structure. Leaders like former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General (Retired) Colin Powell, note that a lack of trust is a leadership failure in-and-of itself.
Maintain Self-Awareness
Sharpen your strengths and train your weaknesses. Leaders who are unaware of their weaknesses can create an unbalanced work environment. Additionally, those who failed to understand the impacts of their actions on the platoon can have a similar effect. These leader actions, or inactions, restrict growth and disrupt unit cohesion.
Aviation is a complex job with problem-sets not replicated in a book or school environment. You cannot possibly know all the answers, but the risk is too high to “fake it”. Operating an aircraft cannot just be “going through the motions”. And, if you don’t know the answer, seek out the answer. Your crew relies on you, and you on them, to perform your duties to standard. Remain self-aware and intellectually curious. When coupled with humility, you are poised to succeed as a leader and take your unit to new heights across your identified metrics.
Identify Metrics for Success
The majority of the curriculum in Flight School’s Initial Entry Rotary Wing (IERW) phase, focuses on the components of planning for and executing a flight. Some of the more complex roles of a Platoon Leader are not tested and therefore, left to be learned at the unit. You will need to rely on resident experience and doctrine. Prior to assuming responsibility for a platoon, the lieutenant will lack experience and exposure to aviation requirements. He or she may not know the time required to complete maintenance actions, the rate of progression advancement and speed and quality of flight planning, or other factors. Work with your crew, your superiors, and your peers to develop informed metrics for success. Without them, you will conduct “business as usual,” which is just another phrase for “going nowhere fast”.
Finally, at the intersection of “self-awareness” and “humility”, we find the vital traits for a successful Aviation Platoon Leader. With these traits, a young officer can rely on the experience of the unit’s maintenance personnel, crew chiefs, platoon sergeants, and instructors. The more experienced can lend their understanding and give the Platoon Leader the confidence and knowledge. With their mentorship, he or she will be well on the way toward developing worthwhile Measures of Performance (MOPs) and Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs).
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Interestingly, while conducting Soldier interviews for this piece, not one person listed a “can-do all” attitude. Nor, did they mention an officer who knows and understands every aspect of Aviation. They, instead, opted for a leader who displays humility, empathy, and a passion to never pass-up an opportunity to improve. If, at first glance, they seem like feasible and reasonable expectations, that is because they are. As a leader, in Aviation or any branch, you are trusted to manage your organization and prepare it for war. Remain humble, seek self-awareness, and always strive to be and do better.
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