Leadership Discussion Series – Meeting One Recap
When learning about leadership it is always a wonderful idea to get knowledge and advice from someone
who is an effective leader with years of experience. We were lucky enough to get that from Gene Gries,
CMSgt Ret. He has a vast array of experiences from both sides of the coin, active duty and the civilian
sector. In his discussion he told us what he considers to be the most important qualities of an outstanding
leader.
Competency, admiration, integrity, leading by example, credibility, being genuine, time, sacrifice,
consistency, flexibility, commitment, dependability, and a plan of attack are the foundations of a great
leader. One of the first qualities Gene discussed was competency. A leader should know their job well, be
knowledgeable, and have worked hard to get where they are. These individuals are usually the “go to”
people; the ones that everyone knows because of their amazing work ethic. “People inspire others to be
competent” was a direct quote that Gene used. Those that are competent and talented at their job are
admired by those that are around them. An outstanding leader will use their position of power to influence
good things for those around them, not for themselves. Leading by example is inspires others. Credibility
is vital in a leadership role. People need to be able to trust what you are saying. As a leader, you need to
be able to back up what you say. Some of the best leaders are the ones that are genuine and are consistent.
Being a leader, especially an outstanding one takes time, preparation, sacrifice, attention to detail, and a
passion for the people under you.
Aristotle said it best, “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly
because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are
what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Anything worth doing in life doesn’t
come easy. It takes time, time to learn the job, the people, what works and what doesn’t. It takes
sacrifices.
Each person has their definition of what an outstanding leader is. We have all had the bad ones.
The manager that micromanaged everything or changed the rules from day to day or from person to
person. The one that would throw whomever they needed to under the bus to get ahead. The one that
would take credit for the good things but deny knowing anything about the bad things. But then, like a
sunbeam through a cloudy day, there are the good ones. The ones that take the time to get to know you.
The leader that is there to help when needed, listens to ideas/problems and look for solutions. Hopefully,
thanks to Gene and from experiencing good and bad leaders, I can use what I’ve learned to become one of
the good ones, too.