Brig Gen Mark Brown, the new Second Air Force commander, made waves last week when he cited the curious case of Lt Col Perry to illustrate one of his 11 aphorisms on leadership, which he unimaginatively refers to as Browns Bag. Referencing recent Air Force Times headlines about a squadron commander relieved of command, he insinuated that Lt Col Perrys character could not sustain his former position. Just before he left his last assignment as the Air Force Materiel Command comptroller, Brig Gen Brown published his eponymous leadership perspective. He began with a non-sequitur discussion of current budget realities, before launching into his list that goes to 11. Along the way, he made an ironic admission: I always warn those who serve to be careful making decisions based on headlines. This coming from a general officer who appears to have decided to deny Lt Col Perrys Article 138 complaint based on what he read in the Air Force Times. Heres how Brig Gen Brown explained point #10 (Your intellect can take you to positions that your character cannot sustain): With the seemingly constant news of military leaders failing their core values, I implore leaders to keep integrity at the forefront of who they are. Our intellect will get us promoted, earn us distinguished graduate status and garner many other well deserved accolades. However, our character will sustain us and make us the leaders needed by our Air Force and the nation. Singling out Lt Col Perry for his intellect wasnt unreasonable: he was, after all, an Ivy League graduate, Olmsted Scholar, select for Senior Developmental Education, and DG from every Air Force school he attended. But questioning the integrity of this former squadron commander, or suggesting he failed in his core values, is without foundation. Doing so just weeks after he himself denied Lt Col Perrys request for redress, apparently without investigating the matter, suggests dereliction of duty. And commenting publicly about a case that remains with the Secretary of the Air Force for review and action undermines confidence in the decision-making process. Other items on Brig Gen Browns list seem to contradict his point about intellect and character. Take point #5 (Rank does not equal knowledge) for example. If intellect gets us promoted, it seems reasonable that more senior-ranking Airmen would be more knowledgeable. And then theres point #3 (You are neither better-looking nor funnier on the day you take command or a leadership role), which suggests that leaders should continue doing the remarkable things that got them to their position. But what if these remarkable things were purely the product of intellect and not sustained by character? In practice, the types of accomplishments which tend to get Airmen promoted reflect all our core values – not just excellence (intellect), but also integrity (character) and (ideally) service before self. In the case of Lt Col Perry, all indications are that he commanded his squadron in much the same way as he conducted himself in previous assignments, taking care of his people while accomplishing the mission. Brig Gen Brown also offers telling advice on how to cultivate the art of leadership: we must practice and develop this skill set in large part through lessons of life -- good and bad -- that inform our future actions. This implies a vision of leaders as lifelong learners, who overcome setbacks and adversity to become ever more mature and effective. It also suggests we must allow leaders to recover from mistakes. If only Brig Gen Brown actually practiced what he preaches.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 17:51:21 +0000
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