General Leadership
  • Home
    • Home
    • Log-In or Register
    • Members Only
    • Sign-Up To Receive Our Newsletter!
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertise With Us
    • Register to become a contributor to GeneralLeadership.com
    • Let Us Publish You!
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Order of the Penguin
    • Featured Partners
    • Contact Us
  • Media
    • Media
    • The GL Team in Action!
    • Testimonials
  • Team
    • General Officer Authors
    • General John E. Michel
    • Matthew T Fritz
    • George H. Fritz
    • Catie Hargrove
    • Douglas VanWiggeren
    • Garth Sanginiti
    • Angela Maiers
    • Jean Michel
    • Jay Steven Levin
    • Chris R. Stricklin
    • Holly Michel
    • Kimberly Huth
    • Zach Stricklin
    • Taylor Fritz
  • Chats
  • Our Programs
    • MentorsMatter™
    • Vet2VetConnect™
    • LeaderView™

General Leadership

MailTwitter
Dec 11 2013

V is for Visionary Leadership: Move the Ball Down the Field

Posted by General James Vechery
Tweet

Visionary - GeneralLeadership.com

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what needs to be done, and they will surprise you with ingenuity.”
General George S. Patton, Jr.

V is the next letter on our journey through Servant Leadership. V stands for visionary leadership: applying common sense and empowering your people to create an environment of continual improvement. You’ve probably heard Lewis Carroll’s quote from Alice in Wonderland, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” As a leader, that outcome simply isn’t acceptable as you need to chart a course for your organization’s success…you need to move the ball down the field! I was reminded of this simple truth recently when I was mentoring a young officer about a trip we were planning. I mentioned the importance of getting my vector first to make sure we were headed in the right direction…in the end it saves a great deal of time and energy. Her response, “Yes Sir, your job is to give the vision and the vector so we can move the ball down the field.” What truth and wisdom in that young Captain’s words (and trust me, I didn’t pay her to say those words).

One of my favorite films is Remember the Titans because it is full of leadership lessons. If you’ve seen this movie, you likely remember the scene when Rev is injured after taking a cheap-shot hit from the opposing team. Coach Boone walks over to Sunshine and gives him the news he is going into the game. Initially intimidated at the opportunity, Coach Boone provides Sunshine the required vision to get him moving when he shares, “Your team needs you tonight. You’re the Colonel. You’re going to command your troops!” This encouragement was all Sunshine needed to gain the confidence to lead the Titans to victory by literally and figuratively moving the football down the field.

Apply Common Sense: The quality movement has taken the business world and, increasingly, the government world by storm. I experienced the quality approach early in my career and can remember the excitement as we improved a process for performance reports. Sure we used fancy tools, names, and concepts such as Six Sigma, fishbone charts, and brainstorming to name just a few. However, my key takeaway was that quality is simply applying common sense to a problem to make improvements. That lesson has served me well as I’ve seen over and over again the power of applying common sense to a problem or process and finding ways to create a culture of continuous improvement. It was clear to me that common sense prevails. I don’t buy into the phrase “common sense isn’t so common”.

Empower Your People: To unleash that common sense, you must empower your people to do great things. As a leader, you must recognize the wonderful strengths and attributes of those wonderful people you serve with, particularly younger members who come into your organizations with a fresh set of eyes, a different perspective, and a skill set much more advanced than those of us in “more mature” generations. I used to joke with my Airmen about how smart they are compared to my generation when I came into the Air Force. They have more computing power in their iPhone than most corporations had in their entire IBM mainframe 20 years ago and more importantly they know how to use it. I jokingly told them that as they do amazing things with the technology in the palm of their hand, I am still figuring out how to spell Facebook!

Create an Environment: A leader must create an environment where the organization can excel as they strive towards the vision set by the leader. I have frequently witnessed firsthand the strength of empowerment by creating the right environment. I will quickly share just one such story that clearly demonstrates what motivated people can do when they are empowered.

A few years ago, an Operations Support Squadron under my leadership was very excited about an initiative they were developing using an iPad to convert a traditional paper-based cockpit to totally electronic cockpit. I was very impressed with their plan and worked with my senior leadership to designate our team as the lead unit for developing this concept for Air Mobility Command, and then I turned them loose.

Fast-forward two years and the team was selected as the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Excellence Award winner for their transformational efforts! Their initiative resulted in eliminating 70-90 pounds of paper per crewmember and saved $770,000 in fuel weight per year. This innovation boasts an overall savings totaling $2.54 million per year in total costs.

Those impressive savings don’t even capture the more important reality; this team created a whole new paradigm by using common sense to adapt technology in a creative and meaningful way. That is the strength of empowerment.

I encourage you as leaders to create the vision, communicate the vision, and then empower those you lead so they can fulfill the vision and move the ball down the field. This technologically savvy generation is full of great ideas just waiting to be unleashed. General Welsh, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, recently talked about empowerment at the Air Force Association Air and Space Conference. He opined:

“We’ve got to empower our airmen better than they’ve ever been empowered,” Welsh said. “They’re remarkably capable and they don’t feel empowered, they don’t feel like they can make decisions or make suggestions because they don’t think that anybody would listen to them. We’ve got to change that. If we don’t, we’ll fail.”

When you think about visionary leadership think of the word WIN: Welcome new ideas, Inspire those around and Navigate to success! Visionary leadership is simply a must for today’s leaders as you develop a picture of where you plan to take your organization in the future. Don’t rest on your laurels, don’t buy into the lie that status quo is good enough. You must have the foresight to set the course and then the character to get out of the way as your people deliver that vision in amazing ways.

Be a visionary leader and WIN!

General James Vechery
General James Vechery
Author at GeneralLeadership.com
Major General James Vechery is a loving husband and a devoted father of three who serves in the United States Air Force. Born and raised in Maryland. Jim attended the University of Maryland where he graduated and was commissioned in the Air Force in 1988. A pilot by trade, Jim, known to many as “Vech”, has a background as a T-37 Instructor Pilot at Undergraduate Pilot Training, and also flew the C-5 Galaxy, KC-135 Stratotanker, and C-37. Major General Vechery commanded the 912th Air Refueling Squadron at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota; 22d Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, and the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California. He currently serves as the Director for Logistics, U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany. He is the principal logistics adviser to the Commander, U.S. Africa Command, and is responsible for executing all DOD logistics activities in the 53-country U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility, with a particular focus on deployment, distribution, supply, medical, contracting, and engineering.
Tags: empowerment, Leadership

Comments (3)

Add a comment Top
  1. Peter Hoffmann
    11Dec2013 (Wed) @ 1351CST

    I agree wholeheartedly! Most organizations are filled with people that are undervalued, under appreciated, and under utilized. The biggest problem to overcome is “leaders” who are too afraid to trust and empower their folks. The best way to get over this fear is to start small and start making it a part of your core values. The best leaders find a way to delegate their powers. Its counterintuitive, but the leaders with the most power are the ones who have given it away.

    Reply
    • GenJamesVechery
      13Dec2013 (Fri) @ 2340CST

      Well said! I’m glad you enjoyed the article. People are so talented–it’s absolutely amazing what they can accomplish if you just give them a vision and then get out of their way. As a smart person once said, it’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit! Lead well!

      Reply
  2. Fazal Hussain
    18Dec2017 (Mon) @ 1117CST

    Excellent article. It reminds me of Gen LeMay, who once said “Leaders are not born; they’re educated, trained, and made, as in every other profession. To ensure a strong, ready AF, we must always remain dedicated to this process.” The military leadership doesn’t develop from the birth of great men, but it is learned and earned through professional development. Leadership is the art and science of motivating, influencing, and directing troops to understand and accomplish the mission. A great leader inspires and has two basic qualities: hard work and a servant mindset. In order to be a servant leader, one must be a hard worker. And in order to be a hard worker, one must be a servant.

    Reply

Add a comment Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Log in

Our Authors

  • KevinBemel

    KevinBemel

    KevinBemel
    Total Post :0

  • tomdorl

    tomdorl

    tomdorl
    Total Post :1

    Recent Posts
    • Applying Leadership by the Numbers
  • philmorrison

    philmorrison

    philmorrison
    Total Post :0

  • GenPaulMcGillicuddy

    General Paul McGillicuddy

    GenPaulMcGillicuddy
    Total Post :1

    Recent Posts
    • Secret Traits Of Championship Teams
  • NikSanginiti

    NikSanginiti

    NikSanginiti
    Total Post :2

    Recent Posts
    • Intern Perspective: Overcoming Adversity
    • Intern Perspective: Enduring Excellence
  • ChristianKnutson

    ChristianKnutson

    ChristianKnutson
    Total Post :15

    Recent Posts
    • What Is Upward Leadership and Why You Need to Be Effective Doing It
    • Using Intelligence Theory to Lead and Unlock Creativity
    • How Mindset Can Affect Organizational Leadership
    • Sustaining High Performance In Your Teams
    • Embracing Stress To Lead Others Effectively
  • jkunkel

    jkunkel

    jkunkel
    Total Post :0

  • CroftEdwards

    CroftEdwards

    CroftEdwards
    Total Post :16

    Recent Posts
    • LeadershipFlow - Perfectly Square: A Story About Learning to Lead
    • Leadership: This AND That, Not This OR That
    • Can I Trust You As A Leader?
    • Hey Leader—What are You Fighting FOR?
    • Is It Time For A Leadership Break?
  • jscotheathman

    Scot

    jscotheathman
    Total Post :1

    Recent Posts
    • Authenticity Is The Secret Sauce
  • KenMcQuiston

    KenMcQuiston

    KenMcQuiston
    Total Post :0

  • JeffreySmith

    JeffreySmith

    JeffreySmith
    Total Post :1

    Recent Posts
    • Values-Based Leadership
  • BobGaylor

    BobGaylor

    BobGaylor
    Total Post :3

    Recent Posts
    • About Saying "I Love You"
    • I Like Hot French Fries
    • Cubs and Aspirations - Humor from Section 220
  • KimberlyHuth

    KimberlyHuth

    KimberlyHuth
    Total Post :1

    Recent Posts
    • Encourage TRUST in Your Workplace
  • DavidESpector

    DavidESpector

    DavidESpector
    Total Post :2

    Recent Posts
    • Are you Chewing Your Way Through Life?
    • Watch your Step
  • JoeThornell

    JoeThornell

    JoeThornell
    Total Post :29

    Recent Posts
    • It's Time for a Leadership Checkup!
    • Effective Leadership requires Key Ingredients
    • Leadership is Representation
    • Leadership in Stasis
    • Leadership Can Be Destructive
  • ColToddHirneisen

    ColToddHirneisen

    ColToddHirneisen
    Total Post :15

    Recent Posts
    • The Leadership Experience
    • It’s your stage, what do you do with it?
    • Opportunity: Don't Do Anything
    • Anarchy in the Workplace
    • Faking Your Way to Authenticity
  • CRStricklin

    CRStricklin

    CRStricklin
    Total Post :35

    Recent Posts
    • 3 Elements of A Shared Mental Model...The Thunderbird Way
    • The Passion of Leadership
    • Lead at the Speed of Trust
    • 4 All-Encompassing Effective Leadership Styles
    • Perfection Found in a Fighter Debrief
  • JasonMBrown

    JasonMBrown

    JasonMBrown
    Total Post :4

    Recent Posts
    • Creating a Problem-Solving Team
    • Every Team Needs A Coach
    • Think Twice Before Going Back to the Basics
    • The Two Most Important Questions In Leadership
  • kentlandreth

    kentlandreth

    kentlandreth
    Total Post :2

    Recent Posts
    • Train Your Replacement... Not Your Clone!
    • Lead with Your Feet
  • maddison

    Mickey Addison

    maddison
    Total Post :29

    Recent Posts
    • Leaders Are Readers
    • High Performing Leaders Live a Balanced Life
    • What is Synchronized Leadership?
    • Continuing the Mission - Your First 30 Days
    • Continuing the Mission - The First 100 Days
  • johnalbers

    johnalbers

    johnalbers
    Total Post :12

    Recent Posts
    • Credibility: Do you have it?
    • Experience - Is It Really the Best Teacher?
    • Passionate Leadership
    • Lessons on Leadership from Fishing (part II)
    • Lessons on Leadership from Fishing (part I)
  • SHIP

    SHIP

    SHIP
    Total Post :3

    Recent Posts
    • Priorities: A Different Approach
    • 6 Rules Learned in Afghanistan
    • Performance or Potential
  • dmcohen01

    Dave

    dmcohen01
    Total Post :2

    Recent Posts
    • Frozen Leadership
    • Forget Big and Flashy: Go For the Little Wow!
  • jokercarey

    jokercarey

    jokercarey
    Total Post :2

    Recent Posts
    • A Mother's Day Perspective
    • A Mother's Day Perspective
  • AngelaMaiers

    AngelaMaiers

    AngelaMaiers
    Total Post :4

    Recent Posts
    • The 5 C's of Passion Driven Leadership
    • A “To Be” List for Aspiring Leaders
    • Passion-Driven Leadership
    • Tactical Serendipity: Is Randomness Part of Your Leadership Strategy?
  • Geno Redmon

    Geno Redmon

    Geno Redmon
    Total Post :14

    Recent Posts
    • Lessons in Top Gun Leadership: The Fine Art of Delivering Corrective-Action
    • Top Gun Leadership: The Fine Art of Delivering Corrective Action.
    • Top Gun Leadership: Butt-Chewing 101 (pt 1 of 3)
    • Top Gun Leadership - Part 6
    • Top Gun Leadership Series - Part 5
  • ChrisPLevy

    Christopher P Levy

    ChrisPLevy
    Total Post :36

    Recent Posts
    • Construction or Demolition
    • Leading Leaders - How to be Successful
    • Go Ahead and Quit!
    • Self-Discipline, a Must for Team Success
    • Bridging the Divide
  • chrisrstricklin

    Chris_Stricklin

    chrisrstricklin
    Total Post :1

    Recent Posts
    • Monday Quote
  • dvanwig

    dvanwig

    dvanwig
    Total Post :4

    Recent Posts
    • You Are Free To Choose
    • Working For A Higher Purpose
    • Your Glass Can Be More Than Half Full
    • Prepare for the Future with a Completed Bucket List
  • khinparadise

    Mike Klintworth

    khinparadise
    Total Post :3

    Recent Posts
    • From Technical Expert to Successful Leader
    • 7 Essentials for Building a Dream Team
    • The Bridge To Your Big Dream
  • GenAllenJamerson

    General Allen Jamerson

    GenAllenJamerson
    Total Post :3

    Recent Posts
    • Social Media: A Professional’s Best Tool Used Wisely!
    • Leading with Moral Courage
    • Leading with Moral Courage
  • GenRogerBrady

    General Roger Brady

    GenRogerBrady
    Total Post :2

    Recent Posts
    • The One Reason Why We Still Insist on Honesty
    • The One Reason Why We Still Insist on Honesty
  • jslevin

    jslevin

    jslevin
    Total Post :15

    Recent Posts
    • Business Wisdom Learned From Bomb Squad Experts And Their Commanders
    • How Well Are You Leveraging The Different Thinking Styles Of Your Teams
    • Business Management Lessons from a San Francisco Bus Driver
    • DeCluttering - Your Way To Brilliance
    • Talent Stars - Don't Burn Your Shine!
  • GenGaryHughey

    General Gary Hughey

    GenGaryHughey
    Total Post :3

    Recent Posts
    • Any Job Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Right the First Time
    • Work is Honorable
    • Leadership and the Work Ethic
  • GarthStl

    GarthStl

    GarthStl
    Total Post :2

    Recent Posts
    • Time Waits for Nobody
    • Emotional Intelligence and A Call-Up to the Big Leagues
  • GenMichaelDiamond

    General Michael Diamond

    GenMichaelDiamond
    Total Post :4

    Recent Posts
    • What Happened to Long Term? - Pt 1
    • Leading the Right Team
    • Can Leaders be Heroes?
    • Generalship: 10 Traits Needed by Every Leader
  • GenJerryMartinez

    General Jerry Martinez

    GenJerryMartinez
    Total Post :2

    Recent Posts
    • Simulated Leadership
    • Simulated Leadership
  • GenJamesVechery

    General James Vechery

    GenJamesVechery
    Total Post :10

    Recent Posts
    • Passing the Baton: Leadership in Transition
    • Leadership Can Be Measured In Inches, Not Just Miles!
    • N is for Never Setting Your Goals Too Low
    • A Positive Attitude is Contagious
    • V is for Visionary Leadership: Move the Ball Down the Field
  • GenKathleenGainey

    General Kathleen Gainey

    GenKathleenGainey
    Total Post :1

    Recent Posts
    • The 3 Simple Rules of Effective Feedback
  • ColMattFritz

    Matthew Fritz

    ColMattFritz
    Total Post :15

    Recent Posts
    • A Tribute To Veterans - Solemnly Remember
    • A Day Short of Missing History
    • Why We Write...
    • Ask GeneralLeadership
    • Tune in Tonight! - 9pm Eastern - SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125!
  • GenJohnMichel

    General John Michel

    GenJohnMichel
    Total Post :92

    Recent Posts
    • Why Less is Best
    • Influence: Never Underestimate Your Impact
    • Seize the Moment
    • Vetrepreneur: Perpetual Payback
    • The Dual Pillars of Character: Strength & Honor