A633.1.2.RB_FogartyShawn

            I think leaders of this era are groomed by that of the previous era. There is an abundance of greed and corruption. This is obvious from political and government leaders to that of our national sports leagues. There was and is a significant gap in ethics and understanding of corporate social responsibility. This is a product of the “bottom line thinkers” where expenses have been paid by employees, consumers, or the environment. The most obvious failure of a leader within the United States starts at the current executive branch. There must come a day, when we drop this bottom line, money grubbing ideology and place the welfare of the people and environment above our glutinous creature comforts. For instance, enacting the national healthcare bill for the people but is not good enough for the family of the executive branch?

            Leaders today must be agile but decisive. It is comical to watch leaders tap-dance around words to employ the decision of least resistance that offers the most benefit to them. The gap in leadership has been principally driven by that of greed. Everyone in conquest of the “American Dream” has historically grown more and more independent. This is obvious within the leadership level as well. In doing so, leaders are isolated. The leaders of the past relied more on relationships and not the all mighty dollar. Leaders used to conduct business with a sense of pride and honor whereas now it’s all about dollars and capital. Unfortunately there is only a few remaining that calculate success aside from their bank accounts.

            In order to close the gap between the “bottom line leaders” and those who operate with a sense of social responsibility will not be easy. It will take a significant amount of education and effort as society has at large choked down the “American Dream” which is full or empty promises. Second, there needs to be an end to the “entitlement” generation. A clear cut end, a lot of feelings need to be hurt. The previous generation embodied hard work which today’s youth has taken for granted by applications of technology. Further, the developments in technology enable more time which has not be harnessed yet. The younger generation has taken advantage of this time rather than focusing energy towards something productive.  Leaders of tomorrow are challenged with turning away from greed and towards social responsibility while harnessing the idle time created by technological advancements. Leaders must ask themselves, how can we make a positive difference?  

A632.9.3.RB_FogartyShawn

              The following is a decision in which I was extremely confident of the outcome and that my attitude towards the subject would be my decision to join the military. At the age of 18 I had several options available to me. I was a bright kid and school came easy to me. College was a likely course of action however I didn’t feel like it would fulfill my sense of adventure. I however was also in the wake of the September 11th attacks and had always felt a strong sense of patriotism and nationalism. I joined the military partially based on circumstances but predominately based on emotion. The was a flight program within the US Army, the branch I would later join, that allowed for a select number of applicants to join the military as a warrant officer and fly helicopters. This was epic, at the age of 18 I was flying helicopters, at the age of 21 I was flying helicopters in combat. I write this now on my 4^th tour overseas and haven’t a single regret for this decision.

            A second decision, one in which emotions got the better of me was in the command post on my second tour. I had lost control of my emotions and control of myself. I found myself engaged in a very tragic and combative state with a superior, to the point we stepped outside to exchange blows. Not a shining moment but I stand behind my decisions. We were command and control for a mission that went bad, very bad. We had already lost a few Soldiers and had we not altered course we would have lost more. My superior was operating off bad information and was not receptive. I had to step on his toes to interject and it did not go well. His emotions triggered mine and we fueled each other.

            The outcome of the first situation and decision is simple. I would make it again any day of the week. I still feel a strong sense of nationalism and patriotism, probably more so now than a decade ago. The second decision is almost an epic fail in the emotional intelligence field. I regret having the situation get the better of me. I’ve since learned and used that example as a teaching point for those who I mentor.

A632.8.3.RB_FogartyShawn

The Cynefin Framework can benefit decision-making as it allows the leader to identify with the cause and effect within the organizational environment. This can range from human factors to mechanical systems. For my leadership style it is best reflected in both. I work and rely heavily on other people to complete their assigned tasks in order to successfully complete mine. This can be capitalized at time in the simple quadrant where schedules and tasks are outlined in standard operating procedures. It can move in to the complicated guardant easily when the task include several unknowns are involved.
            An example of a complicated quadrant and decision is one I experienced recently. When launching on a mission or time sensitive importance we experienced some significant aircraft systems malfunctions. The knowledge of the systems enables us to identify and isolate the issues and determine a safe course of action to continue the mission. The hydraulic system and electrical systems had a short, resulting in erroneous errors. We isolated the systems involved and were able to continue the mission with minor restrictions. This decision allowed for mission accomplishment, with the lowest amount of risk taken by the crews.
            A second example is one of chaos decision making. My team was launched on an urgent MEDEVAC to rescue two victims of gunshot wounds. As we readied to launch we discovered our brakes would no disengage.  The issue was extremely uncommon. There was not time to trouble shoot the issue and launching without out breaks being operational posed some serious risks. Given the serious nature of the patients we departed from parking directly; this was relatively crazy given the location. Given the circumstances, we operated to the best that we could.
            After assessing the Cynefin Framework I’ve outlined five ways to improve the context for decision making. First, ensure that proper systems are in Place. Leaders can outline within standard operating procedures tasks to be completed and schedules to follow.  Next, acknowledge responsibility and move on. Establish systems to cross monitor and provide clear and direct communication. Third, don’t try to solve all the problems yourself. Consult with others who may be experts within their fields. Decisions are best made with putting smart people together. Fourth, allow for creative ideas and room to grow within the organization. Lastly, do not fixate on facts or problems but allow patterns to emerge and work towards the solutions.