I am currently reading “Fighter Pilot - The memoirs of legendary ace Robin Olds”. Son af a WWI US pilot and fighter pilot himself on P38 and P51 in ETO WW2 when he was 22 YO, and later on F4 pilot in Vietnam as Wing Commander. I found this page interesting and inspiring, so I wanted to share. It refers to the first briefing he had with the F4 pilots as their new boss.
(…) The next morning, I let the pilots stew together over “this fucking new CO” for a little bit before I entered the briefing room, walked to the front, and turned to face them. They got quiet and their eyes glazed over. I glared at them silently for a moment and began, “My name is Olds and I’m your new boss. I’ve been around the air force a little while and I’m really glad to be here. You guys know a lot that I don’t know and I’m here to learn from you. I’ll be flying as your wingman for a couple of weeks. You are going to teach me, but you’d better teach me good and you’d better teach me fast because I’m going to fly Green Sixteen until I think I’m qualified to fly Green Three, and then I’m going to be Green Lead. When you get me ready, I’ll be Mission Commander, and we’ll get it done together. Now, you just stay ahead of me because as long as you know more than I do, we are going to get along just fine. I will listen to you and learn from you, but soon I’m gonna be better than all of you, and when I know more about your job than you do, look out.”
From somewhere in the middle of the room came a quietly drawn out, “I see.” The tone was a sarcastic “Yeah, right, Colonel,” and I immediately sought out the offender. I could tell it had come out a little louder than he’d intended. My glance fell hard on a guy at the end of a row, Captain J. B. Stone, but slid quickly to the snickering major beside him, Cliff Dunnegan. I’d see about them both.
Over the next several days, I let the guys train me. Stone and Doc Broadway checked me out in the panhandle route packages, and soon I was scheduled with them to Route Pack 6. I wanted to see where the action was right away and I got what I wanted. Regularly I’d give the guys in the briefing room the same goading speech, “I’m gonna be better than you!” As soon as they stopped being pissed off, they got into the spirit of the challenge. When we weren’t flying, I was stalking through the base looking over their shoulders, visiting the squadrons and hanging out with them at the O club. Pretty soon, I knew all of their names. They taught me well, both on the ground and in the air. I was out in front in less than two weeks.
This method of taking over a new command was deeply ingrained in me. My father had shown me how to be a leader by his own example. It was reinforced by other great commanders who had earned my respect, leaders like Hub Zemke, Tooey Spaatz, Jimmy Doolittle, and many more. They all connected with their troops on a personal level and learned everything they could about every part of their organization.
Here’s what I’d learned over the years. Know the mission, what is expected of you and your people. Get to know those people, their attitudes and expectations. Visit all the shops and sections. Ask questions. Don’t be shy. Learn what each does, how the parts fit into the whole. Find out what supplies and equipment are lacking, what the workers need. To whom does each shop chief report? Does that officer really know the people under him, is he aware of their needs, their training? Does that NCO supervise or just make out reports without checking facts? Remember, those reports eventually come to you. Don’t try to bullshit the troops, but make sure they know the buck stops with you, that you’ll shoulder the blame when things go wrong. Correct without revenge or anger. Recognize accomplishment. Reward accordingly. Foster spirit through self-pride, not slogans, and never at the expense of another unit. It won’t take long, but only your genuine interest and concern, plus follow-up on your promises, will earn you respect. Out of that you gain loyalty and obedience. Your outfit will be a standout. But for God’s sake, don’t ever try to be popular! That weakens your position, makes you vulnerable. Don’t have favorites. That breeds resentment. Respect the talents of your people. Have the courage to delegate responsibility and give the authority to go with it. Again, make clear to your troops you are the one who’ll take the heat. (…)