A521.9.4.RB_FogartyShawn

                Leadership serves as the lifeblood running throughout my organization. Leaders are charged with split second decisions that carry catastrophic consequences.  In today’s military operations time is often cut short and leaders are left to make decisions based on intuition and training. I believe an important element of a leader is where the “Leadership participates.” I thoroughly support that a leader needs to be down on the front line and not making decisions from an office chair. I support leaders getting their hands dirty and not forgetting about the little people grinding it out every day. Second, “Leadership that connects” is equally as important. Although I understand the significance of rank and good order and discipline within an organization leadership has to realize that even the little people have feelings, families, and the bottom line is not the only important element of the organization.  Third, “Leadership that is relatively free of ego” is important particularly because you have to have someone who is self serving. Stephen Denning was able to explain this as “True leaders do not lead because they expect something in return. They lead because they have something to give.” I fully support this mentality and believe leaders who expect compensation are distracted from their true nature or position. Lastly, it is important for leaders to understand thoroughly what Winston Churchill once said, “Fear is reaction courage is a decision.”

References

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling. (pp. 269-293). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc..

A521.8.4.RB_FogartyShawn

My personality falls into two categories. The first is carefree, outgoing humorous personalities which can approach strangers with ease and start a conversation. This usually occurs outside the professional setting where I’m not concerned with maintaining my professional bearings. I generally don’t care if I am rejected as his is my “off duty” side and it serves as a purpose to relax and enjoy myself. When starting a new conversation with someone I’ll ask the basic, ritual questions and observe their body language. If they continue to be interested in a conversation I’ll digress into other topics. If their body language appears to be apprehensive then I’ll wrap up the conversation with “have a good day” and move out to somewhere else.

The second personality I claim to have is within a professional setting and here is where the art of conversation is important. Although body language plays a part your qualifications or certifications also come into play. I’ve always stayed within my lane. It appears foolish in my organization to talk about something you have no idea about. The one thing I need to work on is to be an active listener. I have the ability to complete people’s sentences or ideas before they do which naturally turns me ears off when they are talking. I first identified this during the self awareness section of MSLD 520 and have been working to improve m listening skills. I’ve been able to improve slightly but by continually working towards being a better listening I will be a better conversationalist.

                Another aspect to my professional personality is that rejection is common. Since we all work within specific fields it is easy for you to associate within your group. At times we venture out however like the readings suggest you should anticipate rejection. Lastly, I think that body language and conversational skills will be the key indicators to breaking the ice when making contact with someone new.

A521.7.4.RB_FogartyShawn

The context of my story is based a personal experience of mine as a junior aviator in the Armed Forces. I was both young as an officer and as a pilot, more over a pilot in command. I allowed the elements to control my decision making and failed to properly plan for the weather. This resulted in a causation effect that potentially impacted the next day’s operations. This was a learning experience and I’ve this story several times as I’d mentor junior pilots. Y sharing this story my knowledge and personal feelings are conveyed and hopefully helps as people make decisions in the future.  

Expeditious Failure:

It was a bitter cold afternoon which rolled into a rainy winter night. We completed a through pre-flight inspection in the warmth of our hanger to ensure our aircraft was mechanically sounds prior to the training flight. As our training mission was wrapping up after the sun went down we all dreaded the rainy walk from the parking apron back into the hanger. Once the engines and rotor blades stopped our minds were focused on getting out of the cold rain. We rushed through post flight and expeditiously tied and chained the aircraft. When I arrived at work the next day I found out a support mission was cancelled due to maintenance. It was discovered that our transmission filter button had popped and we failed to catch it during post flight. Even through there’s a possibility it popped well after we left I could not say with certainty. If we caught it they could have repaired it in time to support the missions. Our negligence was an expeditious failure to our flawless support.

A521.6.3.RB_FogartyShawn

High Performance Teams:

     The elements of a high performance team are comprised of individuals with a shared sense of values. Team members exhibit the same work ethic and can rapidly change their performance or shift their effort to maximize productivity. These teams grow stronger over time as they learn from the progress that is behind them. Individuals within the team are self motivated and grow independently but the summation of skills contributes to the whole. Lastly, high performance teams are considered the “A” team. Each team members exhibits an extraordinary capability that excels the team beyond normal expectations for a general populace. There is a loyalty and a high degree of trust within a high performance team.
     I operate on a high-performing team within my organization which is comprised of several talented individuals.  We are highly trained and each of my crew members is a master within their specialty. My teammates are like an extension of my family. We place an enormous amount of trust (including our lives) in each other’s hands. There is a self driving motivator that compels you to not “let down the team.”

     There are four patterned of working together which is outlined as: Work Group, Team, Community, and Network. Work groups are good as they bring together a multitude of individuals for a common task or problem. The downside to a workgroup is when sections are asked to give someone up for the work group you do not always get the sharpest individuals for the workgroup. Teams are great as individuals of the team share a common goal. This usually allows for cohesiveness and focus throughout the team. Communities are good as everyone shares a common idea however there is little control over the execution phase of any operations or procedures. Lastly, networks allow individuals to build connections to others who share similar ideas. This works well especially well as you have a pool of knowledge to dip into if you hit a rough patch along a project. Overall, I think teams are best as the shared goals and sense of purpose allow for the most cohesiveness throughout the individuals.