SOUTHWEST ASIA --
I’ll always remember the time a technical
sergeant on our team disagreed with me during a meeting by telling me I was “overthinking
the issue and there’s a better solution.” I was a little taken aback. No one on our team ever contradicted my ideas in public and I certainly never heard
that I “overthought” situations! Who did
he think he was?! Interestingly enough, our program was failing, morale was low
and I was at my wits end. Despite regular meetings and attempts to squeeze
ideas out of our team, no one had the courage to address the real issue: Me. While
his approach might seem a little harsh, it was exactly what we needed. I would
pick him for my team over any technical sergeant I’ve ever worked with.
Our team was comfortable talking
to one another when it came to “safe” topics but seldom disagreed in public …
especially with the boss. It might
appear this general sense of agreement created an empowering, harmonious
environment; encouraging open expression of opinions without fear of
retribution. That was hardly the case. Our team members were so afraid of
inciting conflict, they spent more time avoiding it or complaining in private rather
than working through disagreements and reaching successful solutions. Perhaps this
culture developed because previous leadership discouraged a respectful debate.
Maybe disagreements led to serious conflict in team members’ professional and
personal lives so they felt it was safer to “go with the flow” rather than “face
the current.”
There are many reasons why disagreements
are intimidating and even painful, but they are necessary for growth. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Honest disagreement is
often a good sign of progress.” Where
would our country be if Abraham Lincoln decided to keep his opinion on territorial
issues to himself in fear of looking like “the bad guy?” What kind of country would we live in if Rosa
Parks neglected to voice her disagreement over racial segregation in fear of inciting
conflict?
As I reach the conclusion of this
week, I’m reminded of that bold technical sergeant and how his approach can be
extremely beneficial in a deployed environment. Most of us only have six months
to learn our jobs, mesh as a team and have a positive impact on the overall
mission at The Rock. Why waste that time
avoiding disagreements and maintaining the status quo? If we really want to embody
the Air Force’s core values, we have to have the integrity to step back and
take an objective look at our situations. We have to put our service before
ourselves and risk potentially uncomfortable situations for the sake of strengthening
our team. Finally, we have to embody excellence by choosing our battles wisely
and speaking up when silence will risk ineffective mission accomplishment and
unit cohesion. After all, how many of us truly appreciate a “yes man?”