I have some thoughts about leadership and the kind of leaders I think are successful and want to see in the command. Leadership is values driven, and loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage should be more than words ... they are our code. Leaders lead best when they understand that they are entrusted with accomplishing the mission, while at the same time, having the welfare of their Soldiers and their Families always upper-most in their minds. It is what a gentleman by the name of Ken Jennings calls “Servant Leadership”. The Serving Leader Model is really quite easy and quite effective. I believe in this model and try to live the principles in my daily interactions with peers and subordinates.
Run to a great purpose — To do the most possible good, strive for the impossible. Beyond self-interest, seek benefit for all.
Upend the Pyramid — You qualify to be first by putting other people first. You are in charge of principally to charge up others.
Raise the Bar — Set high expectations. The best reach-down is a challenging reach-up.
Blaze the Trail — Make it possible for others to perform well. Your biggest obstacle is the one that hinders someone else.
Build on Strength — To address your weaknesses, focus on your strengths. You cannot become the best unless others do too.
I am a believer in coaching, teaching and mentoring our subordinate commanders and junior NCOs. I expect you to take the time in the daily performance of your duties to pull up a chair or head to the motorpool, office, class room or wherever your subordinates are and take the time to talk to them, and more importantly, listen to them and what is going on.
I am also a big believer that the basic building block is the battalion, and every level above the battalion ... the brigade, the division and the command, is value added. Let’s make sure that we are value added. We are here to make those battalions, those Drill Sergeants, those troops successful in their mission.
Maj. Gen. Mallory passed the 108th Colors to me at an incredibly interesting and challenging time in what is going on in the military and with our republic. We will continue to be challenged by change. We are and will continue to be, an Army in transformation. We will be doing more with less. The missions will stay the same or increase, but our budget will tighten as this Republic works at reducing a rising deficit.
Through adversity, we will innovate and we will be successful. We cannot lose focus on who we are, U.S. Army professionals who are part of the generating force and the training base. We provide the best Soldier from the generating force to the operating force, in support of Army force generation.