By Chief Master Sgt. Patrick McMahon
Air Force News Service

Former Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay once so accurately stated, “I’m firmly convinced that leaders are not born; they’re educated, trained and made, as in every other profession. To ensure a strong, ready Air Force, we must always remain dedicated to this process.”

LeMay’s words are just as relevant and vital to the development of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines today as they were more than 50 years ago when he first expressed them.

As service members, our core values are the foundational underpinnings that drive our behavior and actions. Leadership is much more an art than science. And as warriors the cornerstone for leadership decisions begins with integrity, service and excellence. The question for all of us is how do we maximize the opportunities to deliberately develop leaders at all levels in our military to enhance leadership decisions.

One philosophy is to “Own it.” Simply stated, we need to own it: own our actions, own our decisions, own our processes, own our lane and responsibilities. Often when a failure occurs, we look for decisions or policies to be made at a higher level when the right, correct and appropriate answer resides within our own area of responsibility.

A relevant example is in how a service member’s performance is properly assessed. In my opinion, one of the limiting factors in properly evaluating a member’s performance is found in organizational leaders’ and front line supervisors’ articulation of expectation management requirements. When it comes to setting expectations, a simple math equation is turned into a calculus problem. Setting clear expectations and standards is crucial to the successful execution of our military missions. The clear establishment of leadership expectations and enforcement of standards have both positive tactical and strategic effects on our military and is the bedrock of organizational success.

Recently Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy provided a timely and substantive perspective on the need for bold leadership. I wholeheartedly concur with both his perspective and strong message, but with one small caveat. I firmly believe there is no requirement to place descriptives in front of the word leadership. The words “bold” and “innovative” are intuitive within the definition of leadership and the word stands alone. In my view, there is no such thing as a bad leader as it is contrary to the definition; you are either a leader or you are not.

Creating leaders in today’s force is accomplished through a process of development based on education, training and experience. These three substantial platforms combined with continued professional development and focused mentorship by more seasoned leaders allows for the development of all ranks that can excel at every level.

The ability to fly, fight and win at sea, on land, in air, in space and in cyberspace is in direct relation to the talented professionals amongst our ranks. Developing leaders is critical to organizational effectiveness and ensuring our talented professionals are properly evaluated is essential to fostering enduring excellence. To tolerate mediocrity is to abdicate leadership responsibility. To then redefine mediocrity as exceptional is in no uncertain terms just combat ineffective and our force deserves better.

(Editor’s note: McMahon is the 50th Space Wing Command Chief at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo.)