We Over Me

Being in a leadership position is a hard role to fill. In my many years in the Air Force I have seen many “leaders” come and go, and I have filled many leadership roles. I have served under some very good leaders and I have served under some down right horrible leaders. Some say leaders are born and others say leaders are made, from my experience it’s a little bit of both.

One thing all the great ones had in common was the "we, not me" mentality. It was always about "what can I do to positively effect the team, what can I do to make the job easier and more enjoyable, what can I do to make work a positive experience and ultimately, what can I do to effect positive change in our organization and in my sphere of influence." These leaders concerned themselves with their people, getting to know them, care for them and taking the time to just be there when they were needed.

One key trait that good leaders poses is the ability to take and apply constructive criticism. All of us have blind spots and things that we can work on, but we have to be able to listen to those around us to bring about positive change in ourselves and grow our leadership influence.

One thing that I have learned from my guys is that all they really want is for someone to care about them, really care for them, because, believe me, they can see right through the lack of care. One of my best friends and must influential people I have worked with said it best, “leadership is simple, all you have to do is give a s---!”

I challenge all of you to practice a G.A.S. mentality. When we care more for our people and less about ourselves, they see it, when we follow through with what we say we are going to do, they see it. When we go the extra mile on something that may seem silly and not all that important to us, trust me, it means the world to them! In a world of "what’s in it for me", be the difference and just Give a S---!

- Josh LeBlanc