11.3 Service Mindset & Fostering Effective Relationships
Key Takeaways
- General Louis L. Wilson, Jr., Pacific Air Forces Commander, provided ten pieces of leadership advice in 1976, beginning with 'Be Tough' and ending with 'Be Honest.'
- The five points of power from Ken Blanchard are position, task, personal, relationship, and knowledge power.
- AFH 1 states that the sole advantage of power is the ability to do better.
- Leaders should avoid the 'activity trap' — spending valuable time on inconsequential or trivial matters instead of make-or-break issues.
- Relationship power carries a specific caution: perceived favoritism can have negative effects in the organization.
What a Service Mindset Means
AFH 1 grounds the service mindset in a leader's obligation to others: "Being involved in an Airman's development and growth is essential to a leader's influence and credibility." Two qualities are named as making that involvement work:
| Quality | AFH 1's definition |
|---|---|
| Self-Awareness | Leaders must be fully aware of their own values and needs before counseling Airmen. Self-aware leaders are more likely to act consistently with their own values and actions and less likely to project onto Airmen |
| Empathy | Being understanding of and sensitive to another person's feelings, thoughts, and experiences to the point that you can almost feel or experience them yourself. Leaders with empathy put themselves in another's shoes and see a situation from their perspective — which helps the development of a plan of action that works |
"Less likely to project onto Airmen" is the specific consequence AFH 1 attaches to self-awareness, and it is the kind of precise phrase the exam reuses.
General Wilson's Ten Points
In 1976, Pacific Air Forces Commander General Louis L. Wilson, Jr., provided advice AFH 1 calls timeless. Learn the ten headings and the reasoning attached to each — several are directly quotable.
| Point | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1. Be Tough | Set your standards high and insist that your people measure up. Have the courage to correct those who fail to do so. In the long run, your people will be happier, morale higher, the outfit better, and your people prouder |
| 2. Get Out from Behind Your Desk | See for yourself what is going on in your work center. Your people will see you are interested in their problems, work conditions, and welfare. Many of your people problems will go away if you practice this |
| 3. Search Out the Problems | "If you think there are no problems in your organization, you may be wrong. Your job is to find them." Foster an environment that encourages people to bring problems they cannot solve themselves |
| 4. Find the Critical Path to Success | Get personally involved on a priority basis; let your influence be felt on make-or-break issues. "Avoid the activity trap — do not spend your valuable time on inconsequential or trivial matters. Weigh in where it counts" |
| 5. Be Sensitive | Listen to your people, communicate, and be perceptive to their needs. Recognize problems, seek out ideas, be innovative, and recognize that effective communication involves shared perceptions |
| 6. Do Not Take Things for Granted | Do not assume things have been fixed — look for yourself. The probability is high that fixed problems will recur, so monitor your processes |
| 7. Do Not Alibi | You and your people will never be perfect. Do not be defensive about things that are wrong. "Nothing is more disgusting than the individual who can do no wrong and has an alibi for anything and everything that goes awry" |
| 8. Do Not Procrastinate | Hard decisions will not be any easier tomorrow. This does not mean making precipitous or unreasonable decisions just to be prompt, but once you have arrived at a decision, get on with it |
| 9. Do Not Tolerate Incompetence | Once people demonstrate laziness, disinterest, or an inability to do the job, you must have the courage to terminate their assignments. When your people do good work, recognize and encourage them |
| 10. Be Honest | Create an atmosphere of trust and confidence. Be candid and insist that they do likewise, because they set their behavior patterns based upon your example. "Nothing is more disastrous than half-truths." Finally, be honest with yourself — do not gimmick reports and figures to make things look good on paper |
The two phrases most likely to appear verbatim are "avoid the activity trap" (point 4) and "nothing is more disastrous than half-truths" (point 10).
Notice that points 1, 9, and 10 all describe the same underlying demand — the courage to confront, whether that means correcting a subordinate, ending an assignment, or refusing to dress up a report.
Leadership Self-Evaluation
AFH 1 offers a list of questions for aspiring leaders, noting that "only the most honest responses will reveal one's definitive strengths and potential weaknesses." They cluster into four themes:
Decisiveness and resolve
- Do I have the courage to make tough decisions and stand by them?
- Am I flexible when dealing with change?
- Can I remain enthusiastic and cheerful when confronted with seemingly impossible tasks?
- Am I willing to do my best with what seem to be inadequate means?
Developing others
- Can I inspire people to achieve outstanding results?
- Am I willing to take reasonable risks to allow my Airmen to grow and become more productive?
- Am I willing to let my Airmen be creative?
Communication
- Does my manner invite communication?
- Do I really listen and withhold judgment until I have all the facts?
Accountability and followership
- Am I willing to accept my Airmen's failures as my own and recognize their successes as theirs?
- Am I able to do many things at one time to manage a complex job?
- Can I carry out orders as well as give them?
The last question is the one that most clearly connects the service mindset to followership — a theme AFH 1 raises again in Section 7A's tactical expertise level and in the Airman's Creed's "Wingman, Leader, Warrior."
Leadership Milestones and Developing Others
AFH 1 states that "effective leaders must accept the responsibility of being both a master student and a master teacher by embracing the role of both follower and leader." It then walks through what fostering development requires:
| Element | What AFH 1 requires |
|---|---|
| Valuing Experience | Insist Airmen focus attention on the aspects of a situation, mission, or project they control, setting the stage for challenging, enlightening, and even adventurous experiences |
| Fostering Growth | Identify knowledge and improvement opportunities so advancements are permanent and pervasive, not temporary or limited. Encourage learning by formally and publicly recognizing individual and unit successes, no matter how large or small |
| Facing Challenges | Consistent exposure to challenges with gradual increases in responsibility over time. Identify leadership potential early and determine appropriate developmental challenges |
| Professional Development | Diagnose the developmental needs of Airmen — off-duty education, PME, specific skills training, professional development seminars, communication skills development |
| Personal Development | Relationships, interpersonal skills, and off-duty education |
| Dealing with Setbacks | "To learn and improve, people need to be encouraged to try new things." Followers must remain optimistic, even in times of adversity |
| Dealing with Change | Learn as much as possible about a change and its potential direct and indirect effects before dealing with the change process, and learn how to deal with the emotions often associated with change |
The Power of Leadership
AFH 1 acknowledges that "the concept of power sometimes brings to mind such associations as coercion, manipulation, and even corruption," then reframes it with a line worth memorizing:
"The sole advantage of power is the ability to do better."
The practical instruction that follows is equally testable: rather than rely on the one aspect of power where you are strongest, take advantage of opportunities to apply various aspects of power in varying circumstances where most appropriate.
The Five Points of Power
Drawn from Ken Blanchard's Points of Power, Situational Self Leadership, developing one's own sources of power enables leaders to be less dependent on others, allowing them to take initiative and make greater contributions.
| Power | Source | AFH 1's marker |
|---|---|---|
| Position power | Inherent in the authority of the position you have | May be indicated on your business card with a title showing you can manage people or command resources |
| Task power | Being good at a particular task and being able to help others with a process or procedure they are responsible for | Competence in the work itself |
| Personal power | Personal character attributes — strength of character, passion, inspiration, or a personal vision of the future | Further enhanced by interpersonal skills, such as the ability to communicate with and persuade others |
| Relationship power | Association with others through friendship, familiarity with a colleague, cultivation of a relationship, preferential treatment, or reciprocity (trading favors) | Caution: perceived favoritism can have negative effects in the organization |
| Knowledge power | Expertise in an area, often through a special skill or group of skills | Often evidenced by degrees or certifications; generally transferable within jobs or organizations |
Two discriminations the exam relies on:
- Task power versus knowledge power. Task power comes from being good at a specific task and helping others through a process; knowledge power comes from credentialed expertise that transfers across jobs.
- Relationship power is the only one carrying an explicit warning. If an item asks which point of power comes with a caution about favoritism, the answer is relationship power.
Notice that only position power comes with the job. The other four are earned, which is exactly why AFH 1 says developing them makes a leader less dependent on others — an NCO with task, personal, relationship, and knowledge power can influence outcomes well beyond what their stripes alone authorize.
Which of Blanchard's five points of power carries an explicit caution in AFH 1 about a potential negative effect on the organization?
General Louis L. Wilson, Jr.'s advice warns leaders to avoid the 'activity trap.' What does that mean?
According to AFH 1, what does self-awareness make a leader less likely to do when counseling Airmen?