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LE DERSHIP HER W Y
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By Dr. Scena B. Webb
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This book is dedicated to the women I haveserved with in the United States Navy, Army,
Air Force, and Marines. For the women stillin the military that I have met, you are not
alone. Your story needs a voice. You areheroes that deserve a celebration. I salute
each of you for your unwavering dedicationto duty.
For my retired sisters in arms…. Yoursacrifice will never be forgotten.
You have successfully completed 20 or
more years of faithful service to the UnitedStates of America serving in various areas ofthe military. You are to be treasured. You are
to be remembered. You will one day havemotion pictures that show your bravery andsacrifice. You will never be forgotten. I am
you. You are I. SALUTE!
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I began my doctoral journey in September
2008. As a part of that journey I had tochoose a topic worthy of original research. Ipondered various topics and one stood out
from the rest. The focus on military womenand their leadership styles developed. I
reflected on the thought of women who haveserved and retired from the military. I
immediately thought, “Wow! I can do this! Ican write about women like me”. I will sharetheir story of leadership and seek to
understand life from their eyes. So the journey began, looking for scholarly articles
on military retired women.
“But someday, somebody'll stand up and talk aboutme and write about me black and beautiful and singabout me and put on plays about me! I reckon it'll beme myself! Yes, it'll be me.” - Langston Hughes,
Harlem Renaissance.
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As I searched for information in scholarly journals about business, psychology, religion,leadership, and the social sciences, I did not
find any literature about women who servedand retired from the military that were not
associated with traumatic experiences. Isearched newspaper articles, magazines, and
periodicals turning up with nothing on theretired military woman. With each search I
grew more and more determined to writeabout this silenced population. I decided tobegin my research at the beginning,
attracting minority and diversity candidatesinto the military service. Again, there was
little research available to me so off I went insearch of a meaningful way to make a
contribution to scholarly research.Three years later I completed original
research on attracting qualified minority and
diversity candidates to the military. I felt asthough I brought a little light into the enigmasurrounding military attraction applicationsand success rates. Through writing my
dissertation I discovered a passion for sharingwith others about the leadership styles ofretired military women. The women in this
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Leadership: Her Way
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book are my friends. I know each of thempersonally and I have a deep bond with them.We know that we are not alone in our
commonalities across military branches. Weshare a bond that says, Yes we have
successfully served and Yes we continue toserve as civilian contractors, as government
workers, as wives, as community leaders, asspiritual leaders, as coaches, as mentors, as
citizens.The women you will meet in this book
graciously gave of their time and extremely
busy schedules to share with me knowing thatI would share with you, the readers of this
work. There are many women who have yetto be heard. I will find them and write about
them. For now, I want you to relax and meetthree military retired women along withmyself. I want you to share in our feelings as
were open ourselves up to the various wayswe transfer our leadership styles into ourcurrent positions. Each of us successfullynavigated 20 years or more in the military.
Each of us currently has jobs outside of thehome. Each of us live and participate alongside of you in the community.
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I will write again and share more about usso that you can get to know us. My prayer is
that you will take a better understanding ofthe psychological adjustments the women in
this book deal with on a daily basis as wecontinue to serve our country.
Dr. Scena B. Webb
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LEADERSHIP HER WAY 1
INSIGHTS ON LEADERSHIP STYLES OFSUCCESSFUL MILITARY WOMEN 1
DEDICATION 2
PREFACE 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS 5
CHAPTER ONE 8
SASHA 8
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 12
WHAT MEDIA PORTRAYS ABOUTMILITARY WOMEN LEADERS 14PERSPECTIVES OF LEADERSHIP 15
PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES OF MILITARYLEADERSHIP TRANSFERABILITY 16STRUGGLES WITH PERSPECTIVES ON
LEADERSHIP 18SASHA’S INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
ON LEADERSHIP 21
CHAPTER TWO 23
DENISE 23
WHAT MEDIA PORTRAYS ABOUT MILITARYWOMEN LEADERS 28PERSPECTIVES OF LEADERSHIP 30
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PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES OF MILITARYLEADERSHIP TRANSFERABILITY 31
STRUGGLES WITH PERSPECTIVES ONLEADERSHIP 33
DENISE’S INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONSON LEADERSHIP 36
CHAPTER THREE 38
ROSA 38LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 42
PERSPECTIVES OF LEADERSHIP 45PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES OF MILITARY
LEADERSHIP TRANSFERABILITY 46PERSPECTIVES ON LEADERSHIP 49
ROSA’S INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONS ONLEADERSHIP 52
CHAPTER FOUR 54
SCENA 54WHAT MEDIA PORTRAYS ABOUT MILITARY
WOMEN LEADERS 60PERSPECTIVES OF LEADERSHIP 61
PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES OF MILITARYLEADERSHIP TRANSFERABILITY 65
STRUGGLES WITH PERSPECTIVES ONLEADERSHIP 67MY INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONS ON
LEADERSHIP 70
CHAPTER FIVE 72SUMMARY INSIGHTS 72
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PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES OF MILITARYLEADERSHIP TRANSFERABILITY 72
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Sasha and I have known each other sinceabout 2003. She and I met while we were on
active duty. She is a brilliant woman. Myfirst impression of Sasha was, “Wow! She
carries herself coming from a position ofpower!” Sasha and I served together forseveral years before my transfer. At the time,
I met Sasha she had been serving in theUnited States Navy for about 11 years. She
was a single mother pursuing her degree.When I think of five words to describe Sasha,
I think of committed, complicated,meticulous, tenacious, and caring.
Sasha and I would laugh and compareleadership styles when working out solutionsto organizational problems. We both had our
challenges as we came up through the ranks.Being women was hard enough in positions
of leadership, how- ever, for Sasha, the addedpressure of raising a family must have been
hell. I can’t speak to those pressures because Idon’t have any children. Though I have
many women who have served under my
leadership that did. But this chapter is notabout me it’s about Sasha and her leadership.
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Leadership (noun)
Leadership is the action of leading a group of peopleor an organization. Synonyms: guidance, direction,control, management, superintendence, supervision.
Sasha showed all of these characteristicsduring the time I served with her. She is also
complicated, a mother, a daughter, a rolemodel, a mentor, and a wonderful spouse.Most importantly, she is my friend, confidant,
and shipmate. She is fierce when leadinggroups of people. She is forceful when
controlling situations in her sphere ofinfluence. She is masterful when giving
direction. She is meticulous in hermanagement. She is mission driven in hersuperintendence. She is a no-nonsense
supervisor. She is a retired military servicemember still giving today.
Sasha is a dynamic military veteran whoserved over 20 years of dedicated and faithful
service to the United States of America. At
the time I met Sasha, she had already gainedthree years experience in leadership positions.
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She was a single parent of a three-year-olddaughter. She was no struggle to maintaininga healthy home-life while meeting the
demands of a military career. When Iapproached Sasha about joining me on this
project to help readers learn about the waysshe describes her leadership style and how
she transfers her style of leadership from amilitary application to a civilian application,
Sasha immediately agreed to share herinsights. Here are some of Sasha’s insights:
Sasha shared with me that she really didn’t
have any mentors while she was active dutyback around 2002 when we served together.
To develop her leadership style, Sasha sharedthat she more or less took a piece of everyone
that led her or worked with her. She took thestyles that she liked and didn’t like puttingthem into her leadership tool bag. Sasha
describes one true mentor, at that time asbeing a person that walked with grace anddidn’t hold back. That mentor told you thingsabout yourself that you didn’t want to hear.
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By her own account, leadershipdevelopment was not easy for Sasha. She
describes her development as a leader feelinguncomfortable in the many different ways shetried to exercise her leadership style during
the time we served together. It wasn’t untilher next transfer that she was able to put it all
together. Sasha decided to just be herself inher most comfortable role, being a mother.Sasha shared that being a mother, a person
has leadership traits that they may not realizethey have. For example, mothers have to
motivate, guide, set rules and boundaries, andteach. So Sasha took that approach and used
that as her baseline in leading people. Alongthe way, she had to adjust some things or
ways she exercised her leadership based onwhat works and what doesn’t work.
“I learned that you could not lead everyone the sameway. You have to tailor yourself to each person that
you lead while at the same time not changing yourvalues.”
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As Sasha and I continued or reflection onleadership, I asked her this question,
“Describe the most valuable leadershiplessons for you during your time in the
military?” Sasha recalled that some of themost valuable leadership lessons for her weretimes when she failed. She recalled a specific
time when she had no Chief in the divisionand her division had a major inspection. Shethought that she had it all under control. Shefelt she was doing everything right. Well, the
inspection came and she failed. Sashaemphasized that not only did she fail, but also
she failed her peers, subordinates, and upperleadership.
Sasha shared another valuable leadership
lesson happened when she came back to workfrom maternity leave after having her son.
She was going through a lot of thingspersonally and professionally. She wasdiagnosed with postpartum depression alongwith clinical depression. She was removed
from being the chief in charge of her currentworkgroup and placed in an administrativeposition. Sasha recalls that instead of taking a
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step back, she continued to press on andeverything started spinning. In her words, “Ittook all of that for me to step back and
regroup.” By then she had destroyedrelationships and had to regain the respect of
her juniors. Sasha says, “That was my mosthumbling experience in leadership.”
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Sash and I reflected on how the media doesnot portray strong military leaders who are
women. We couldn't reflect on anyHollywood movie that shows us, as women,in leadership positions serving onboard Navyships as senior leaders. The few motion
pictures that have been released are silentwith respect to the daily operations thatwomen in the military lead. Sash and I are
surface warfare qualified which means we arequalified and proficient to roam around the
bridge of a naval ship understanding theintricate details of the operations. We
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Leadership: Her Way
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understand and can execute what it takes toget a ship or aircraft underway. We arequalified in a ship’s weapon systems. Yet, as
of the writing of this book, we are notrepresented in media or on the big screen as
such.
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Sasha and I talked about perceptions of
leadership with respect to the way we weregroomed while serving in the military. She
and I both served in the Navy. She and Iboth rose to senior leadership ranks. She and
I both had some unspoken expectations aboutleadership when we retired. Here are some ofSasha’s insights on transferring her leadership
style from a military application to her work
now as a defense contractor. I asked Sashahow she thinks she is perceived as a leader in
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her current position. Sasha said that she feelsmen perceive her as aggressive.
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I asked Sasha if there is an expectedcontract between people at work. She repliedwith a definite yes. Sasha gave an example ofa time when she asked for a mentor. She
asked for a female veteran figuring that shecould get some guidance into theexpectations of working as a newly retired
civilian. Sasha was wrong. She found outquickly that the person whom she thoughtwould mentor her ultimately demonstratedthat she was a company person not interested
in mentoring. Sasha thought that thecamaraderie that is common in the militaryworking alongside other military members
would carry over if she selected a female whomight better identify with her. I would have
made the same choice given similarcircumstances.
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I asked Sasha if she felt that militarywomen bring a sense of strategy to the job. Ishared with her that when I got to my job I
quickly became interested in who plays whatrole in my immediate surroundings. Sasha
agreed that we know how to immediatelyfigure out who does what or who will actually
do what they say. Sasha mentioned again inour chat that she has been told that
sometimes she is too aggressive. She describesher work environment as a “push-pull”situation. Anxiety at work happens sometimes
with Sasha. She describes herself as a veryattention-to-detail person at work and it
causes anxiety sometimes. Reflecting back onher own style, she feels that “they don’t
understand”. She finds herself constantly re-evaluating her military options. In the sensethat when she works on projects, she reflects
back on what she would have done in themilitary in particular situations she faces inher current job.
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I shared with Sasha how I struggle with not
letting “Chief Webb” out at work. When I
made that comment, I was referring to timeswhen I feel the person whom I am dealingwith at the time does not have the necessary
leadership skills to deal with a situation. Ireconcile in my mind that if I let “Chief
Webb” out, then all hell will break loose. Iwas reflecting with Sasha on how there aretimes in my current job that my 21 years of
military experience dictate that I step in andtake control of a situation because I know I
have the skills and ability to do so. However,I sometimes struggle with the reality that my
current role does not require my seniorleadership but that I am in a role that I seemore as a mentorship role that allows
mistakes to happen so other can develop theirleadership roles.
Sasha shared that she had an experiencewith only being onboard her job less than six
months where “Chief Sasha” had to comeout. The folks she was dealing with “did not
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Leadership: Her Way
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know how to deal with a strong woman.”She tells of instances where she has had toput a shield up to keep her leadership going.
Sasha feels she brings a sense of loyalty to hercompany and that she brings a workplace
mentality to the job. Sasha told me that shefeels people need to “take ownership of their
project”. She shared an instance where a young female coworker, in her early twenties,
didn’t seem to know how to channel herabilities. She talked about how that particularcoworker uses her physical attributes to try to
get ahead. Now let me make this clear, Sashais not hating on the lady, she is being
descriptive in our discussion.
“I wanted to know how Sasha’s militaryexperiences have shaped her leadership style.”
Sasha said to me, “All the mistakes I madebefore play a part in channeling things.” Themilitary taught her that mission comes first.
So then came the question, “How do youtransfer your leadership style you learned in
the military?” Sasha says she has to think,“How do I get this dude to do what I need
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him to do without him knowing it?” Sashasays she has to continually adapt herleadership style to deal with others. We talked
about a particular scenario where she thoughtabout leaving the present company but found
mentorship with a guy that is also retiredmilitary. Sasha talked about the only reason
she stays is because of her boss, which is amale. (I felt that was important, but Sasha
didn’t…just for clarity here). Hercommitment to the job and to her bossbecause of his leadership style speaks volumes
to the importance of good leadership. Sashashared how she trusts her leader. She watches
his style and she adapts.
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• Motivates others for success without
being asked to do so.• Takes an active role in demonstrating
what leadership looks like.
• Understands that returning to workafter having children takes an
adjustment period.
•
Looks for the expected nonverbalcontract between people at work.
• Seeks mentorship.
• Looks for the camaraderie that iscommon in the military.
• Understands that her prior mistakes inlife shape the leader she is today.
Things to consider:
Sasha's insights on leadership reflect qualities that great leaders have such as the ability to take an
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introspective view of her skills and talents. Herauthentic self shines throughout her conversation. Byany measure, she is the type of leader that anyorganization would be lucky to have at the helm.
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Denise and I met in 2000 while we were
stationed onboard the USS Grasp in VirginiaBeach, Virginia. She had a magneticpresence that shouted leadership andconfidence. Denise always looked sharp in
her uniform and always seemed to know theanswers. She was the chief in the Information
Technology division. Denise and I becamereally good shipmates during my time
onboard the USS Grasp. There were manydays I would seek mentorship from Denisewhen we were on duty together or underway.
Denise had a down-to-earth personality
and she spoke with authority. One of themany things I admired then and now aboutDenise is her contemplative decision-making
style. She and I would talk about myleadership style and ways to deal withsituations onboard the ship. I can remember
Denise would never just “answer thequestion” for me. Instead, she would oftenrephrase scenarios with me so that I could seethe best solution. I will admit, during this
conversation I just wanted her to answer thequestion. I really missed Denise when I
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transferred from the ship. It seems that Ideveloped an immediate connection withDenise that was filled with respect and
admiration for her as a Navy Chief, amentor, and a leader.
Effective Leadership
"To be an effective leader one needs to be a goodlistener and that the greatest form of discourse takes
place within a conversation and not a lecture ormonologue," - Mike Myatt
Denise was the only female chief onboard
the ship making her the highest rankingenlisted female Sailor! We had one femalediving officer. Now, for those of my readers
who are not familiar with the significance ofthe situation, here is a bit of context. Denise
and I were serving onboard a ship that had aprimary mission of rescue and salvage. All ofthe officers were divers and most of the crew’s
job specialties were related to diving andrescue missions. Serving with divers meant
mental and physical fitness were essential.Denise was physically and mentally sharp.
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She would run in the formation with the restof us as if she was floating. She fit in well! I onthe other hand, well, let’s just say that’s a
story for another chapter.
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Denise is a brilliant military veteran whoserved over 23 years of combined Army
Reserve and Active duty Naval service to theUnited States of America. When our careerscrossed Denise had already served in many
senior leadership roles. She brought to theunit experience handling top secret and
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classified equipment, had already handledmillions of dollars worth equipment, and had
years of training junior personnel. One of the
burning impressions, I will always have aboutDenise and her leadership while we served
together was her ability to navigate the maledominated diver’s world. She showed me
how to stay the course and remain sane.When I approached Denise about joining me
on this project I knew she was extremelybusy. She did not hesitate to say yes. Shefound a way to fit me into her schedule and
during our interview she made me feel like Iwas the only one that mattered. I hope you
enjoy learning about the ways she describesher leadership style and how she transfers her
style of leadership from a military applicationto a civilian application. Here are some ofDenise’s insights:
Research suggests that mentorship plays asignificant role in leadership development. Iasked Denise about mentorship she hadreceived up to the point of our service
together back in 2000. Denise attributes themilitary for her success of becoming aninfluencer. She shared that before the
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military she was quiet and reserved. She saysthe military brought things out in her. Shewas exposed to horrible leaders and good
leaders during her military experience.Denise shared that she didn’t have
mentorship onboard the ship but that she didhave connections with some of the people she
served with at her prior assignment. One ofthe ways she developed her leadership style
back then was to observe the leadership stylesof the male-dominated senior leadershiponboard the ship and take valuable lessons
surrounding what she would implement andnot implement. She recalls that time as not
being the best experience but a valuablelesson. After leaving the ship, Denise met her
current mentor and friend. She still maintainscontact with this mentor.
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A reflection of military women in themovies such as M.A.S.H., G.I. Jane, A Few
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Good Men, Courage Under Fire, and PearlHarbor don’t even come close to representingone day in the life of what Denise and I
served. We agreed that there is no reflectionof the hard work that it took to integrate
leadership and teamwork into mostly maleSailors as a woman. Yes, leading from the
front was a part of our daily routines. Duringthose times, there were no books written on
how women in the military succeed. Werecognize that if we want representation ofour strength, our pain, our leadership, our
sisterhood, then we will have to share thestory.
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Denise brings a combination of military
leadership experience to the landscape on
leadership. She has four and a half years ofArmy Reserve experience coupled with herNavy experience. When I talked with her
about her view on her leadership style as aperson no longer active duty I listened for
military influences. Denise shared with methat the transition from being active duty tobecoming a contractor working with the
Navy and subsequent role as a governmentworker was somewhat seamless. Denise
retired from the Navy and maintains arelationship with the military after her
retirement. She did not experience acomplete disconnect from the militaryenvironment. Here are some of Denise’s
insights on transferring her leadership stylefrom a military application to her work nowas a government employee working with themilitary.
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I asked Denise if there is an expected
contract between people at work. She repliedthat she expected people to shareinformation. Denise talked about the early
years of her when she first retired. She saidshe had to figure out who does what. She told
me that in the contracting world you are kindof left on your own. She recalled that
sometimes when she observed how activeduty people behaved in leadership positions,she would think to herself, “How in the heck
did they make chief?” Her expectations arethat people will show professionalism in their
work. Denise serves as a mentor in hercurrent job. She told me that if she saw
someone in her work that seems like theydon’t have a clue, she would speak to themprivately and offer pointers.
I asked Denise how she leads in her currentposition. She works in a team environment
with active duty service members and othergovernment workers. She has the benefit of
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working with the same team members aswhen she was a contractor for thegovernment. Denise says in her leadership
style she wants to know what each member’srole is and what each player brings to the
team. As a part of her leadership style, she sitsback, watches what takes place then moves
forward. She says she will not just wait to dothings. In her words, “If there is a need then I
move forward with a solution rather thanwait on a solution.”
“If there is a need then I move forward with asolution rather than wait on a solution.”
As I reflected on the scenarios Deniseshared with me, I wanted to know if she felt
the company values her talents as a veteran.Denise told me that she feels valued for her
military experience because most of the folkson her team are affiliated with the military.She has team members who are also retired
or who are currently active duty militarymembers. Her work depends on military
contracting services and she believes herknowledge of military operations is one of the
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reasons she was hired. Denise told me thatshe believes in mentoring behavior that isprofessional. That means if a person is
demonstrating that they need help, she willtalk with them privately and offer
mentorship.
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I told Denise how I find myself evaluatingmy leaders comparing them to the way
military leaders executed the mission. Ishared with her how I constantly remind
myself that I am not the Division Chief in myrole now so I can stop myself from jumping in
to fix situations. Denise told me that whenshe was a contractor, she had to temper whatshe said before she said it. Now in her role as
a government employee, she finds herselfbeing more conscious of how she does what
she does. Denise told me that when she givesadvice, she reflects on her military
experience. She keeps an open mind. Shesays she doesn’t talk but listens to what a
person has to say. Then she will give a
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response that may seem a military response inthat the response is going to be direct and tothe point.
Denise shared an experience of workingwith a person she would mentor because she
observed that the coworker approachedactive duty personnel with a less than
professional attitude. Denise recalled and hercoworker was disrespecting event where she
felt the rank of the active duty person. Denisetold me she self-initiated a conversation withher coworker to explain how the behavior
appeared. She then went on to makesuggestions on how to deal with military
personnel in a way that gave respect to theirrank. My response was, Wow! So you are
telling me your “mentorship” wasunsolicited? Denise replied, yes. She went onto say, as a Navy chief, I am not going to
watch someone disrespect the uniformwithout taking corrective action. I wouldhave done the exact same thing.
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"#* 3#,1, 4(% -*1-$*7*8 +-,& J,,)6* 0&()*%/ "#* $&()* 8,*% 5,1 B*6,5) 1, C-/
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,@A?!@># ?1#*;$2# "1( )':.'92*/1# /1
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• Listened for influences while
developing leadership.• Has a clear vision of what leadership
should not look like.
• Expects professionalism at work.• Willingly serves as a mentor to others.
• Seeks mentorship.
•
Seeks to understand everyone’s rolewith respect to team dynamics.
• Does not back down from doing what
is right.
Things to consider:
Denise’s insights on leadership read like a list of“who’s who” of preferred qualities. Some of the things
Denise did not share are her passion for fitness. She
volunteers yearly to ride for causes that help the lives ofothers. She is a very humble leader that has a keen eye
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for raising the spirits of those around her. She hastouched my heart forever.
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Rosa and I met in 2008 while we were at
our residency located in Phoenix, Arizonapursuing our doctoral degree. I canremember the instant energy that she had.She was giving a presentation on her
proposed topic for her dissertation. Iremember thinking to myself, wow! She is a
little lady speaking from a position of power!Since that time, she and I have been like
sisters from another mother. She is aconsummate professional. There are timeswhen I meet people for the first time and I
feel as if I have known them my entire life.
Rosa is one of those people. She retired fromthe United States Army after serving 22honorable years serving her country. We
developed a shared connection through ourdesire to work on our academic career, but amuch deeper and unexpected sisterhood
developed partly because of our militaryconnection. While I am sharing suchwonderful insights about my friend I wouldbe remiss if I did not share this, Rosa is one of
the masters at being able to show her family
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her love and dedication to their wellbeing.She is a true inspiration.
Reflective Leadership
"We can learn to see each other and see ourselves ineach other and recognize that human beings are morealike than we are unalike,"- Maya Angelou
I once believed I was a busy lady with allkinds of things on my plate to juggle. Then, Imet Rosa and all of the things that I
considered busy were minimized by listeningto the myriad of things she deals with on a
daily basis. She is a mother, a wife, a soldier,a military retiree, a federal worker, a sister, a
daughter, a friend, a spiritual sister for me,and most of all, a wonderful person. Whew!Her day starts early in the morning and a
good day may end around 7 or 8 pm for her.In comparison, my life is not busy…
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"#* 3#,1, 4(% -*1-$*7*8 +-,& J,,)6* 0&()*%/ "#* $&()* 8,*% 5,1 B*6,5) 1, C-/
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Rosa served 22 years in the military before
retiring her uniform. She embodiesleadership as an action word because she is aleader who inspires, who motivates, who
guides, who builds, and who achieves. By the
time Rosa and I became connected she hadalready amassed several different seniorleadership positions ranging from a Squad
leader to Detachment Sergeant and SeniorSupervisor. In her own words, sometimes shewore two hats overseeing two sections! The
Army veteran I got to meet was jugglingfamily life that also included caring for hermother and extended family members. Thislady was working on her doctorate as well as
maintaining a healthy relationship with herboys as a single parent. This lady even found
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time for me on days and nights when I wouldcall her to discuss my dissertation (inlength)…smile, Rose never brushed me off.
When I approached Rosa about joining meon this project to help readers learn about the
ways she describes her leadership style andhow she transfers her style of leadership from
a military application to a civilianapplication, Rosa immediately agreed to
share her insights. Here are some of Rosa’sinsights:
“There’s no greater agony than the untold storyinside you - Maya Angelou”
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I asked Rosa how many leadership
positions she had already completed when wemet. Rosa responded that the question of
leadership positions was a good questionbecause when people think about leadership
positions the first thing that comes to mind isappointed leadership positions. Her responsecame from the perspective of the five
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positions of power and leadership researchedby social psychologists John French andBertram Raven in 1959. Rosa pondered
legitimate power, reward power, expertpower, referent power, and coercive power as
connections to leadership. I asked Rosa to goback in time to 2008 when we met. I asked
her what her biggest leadership challengeswere. Rosa shared with me that mentorship
was and still is a challenge for her.Connecting to people that she can identifywith and are willing to offer guidance,
direction, encouragement, and alike. ForRosa staying motivated is also a leadership
challenge. In her own words, “Inspiration vs.Motivation is challenging.” Before there is
motivation, there is the inspiration. Rosa usedher doctoral journey to illustrate the point.She was inspired by a colleague to start the
doctoral journey. After the inspiration camemotivation (time to take action). Rosarecalled how there are hills and valleys in thedoctoral journey. Sometimes there are no
cheering fans or spectators to offer externalmotivation. Sometimes you may fall and youhave the scars to prove it and you wonder will
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I make it across the finish line. Ultimately,from the wisdom of Rosa, motivation isinternal.
"#* 3#,1, 4(% -*1-$*7*8 +-,& J,,)6* 0&()*%/ "#* $&()* 8,*% 5,1 B*6,5) 1, C-/
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8')#+'92*-'# /: .'"(')#$*+
Rosa brings a dynamic to the leadership
landscape that embodies life balancing, a
decorated military veteran perspective, andan infusion of civilian work experiences. Herperspective of leadership has been shaped by
her experiences living in Germany as a singlemother of two small boys while serving as the
Detachment Sergeant. Rosa shared howthankful she is for the good and the not sogood leaders that were appointed over her in
the military. She is careful not to call theleaders “BAD” in her words. She admitted
that she served with two leaders that wouldmake the Joker (The comic book villain)
appear like an angel.Rosa told me that she was glad to have seen
the “not so good” leaders in action. Because
of many leadership experiences, Rosa sharedthat as a young private she wasn’t sure whenshe would have the opportunity to lead orwhat type of leader she would be, but she was
certain of the leader she did not want to be. Iasked Rosa if she could choose one message
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to tell herself about leadership back then thatcould help her now, what would it be? Rosasaid she would tell herself not to sell herself
short. She would tell herself not to allowanyone to talk herself out of going for her
career goals or miss out onopportunities…not even herself. Rosa retired
from the Army and works closely withmilitary veterans as her clients. Here are
some of Rosa’s insights on transferring herleadership style from a military application toher work now as a government employee
working with the military veterancommunity.
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Research suggests that styles of leadershipare learned behaviors. I have adopted the
hypothesis that the way we transfer militaryleadership styles are also learned behaviors. I
asked Rosa what she thinks of mentorshipwith respect to leadership. She shared with
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me that mentorship was then and still is todaya challenge. The challenge is connecting topeople that she can identify with and are
willing to offer guidance, direction,encouragement, and the like. Rosa shared
that technology makes connecting across theglobe less painstaking.
I asked Rosa if she had any leadershipmentors during the time I met her that stood
out to her. She shared that she did not havementors, men or women, who directlymentored her. Remember, at the time Rosa
and I became friends she had already retiredfrom the United States Army and was now a
part of corporate America. She shared thateven though she worked for a defense-related
firm that was founded and owned by awoman entrepreneur, but not her mentor.Through a friend, she learned of an
internship program with he federalgovernment. She decided to pursue theinternship and leave her corporate position.She currently works for the federal
government.Rosa recalls the confusion and time of
transition moving from one position to
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another. During that time, she began lookingfor a mentor. She found a female mentor andthings were working great. Midway into the
relationship her mentor pursued a newcareer. She found another female mentor, but
the relationship did not last. Again, Rosafound herself without a mentor. Working on
doctoral studies was even harder for herduring this transition. Rosa attributes her
stability to a friendship we share. I know thisis about Rosa, but I have to share her wordshere,
“Again I was mentor less, by now some ofthe colleagues that started the doctoral
program were close to graduating and othersfell out of the race. With each setback, it took
more self-talk to continue to move forward.At one point, I stopped running and startedwalking. I was discouraged and felt defeated.
My colleague and friend, Dr. Scena Webb,who is an inspiration and a role model to me,suggest that I contact Dr. Donyell Roseboro,an accomplished writer, educator, and the
first African American department chair atthe Watson College of Education at theUniversity of North Carolina Wilmington as
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of July 2014. Dr. Roseboro cheerfullyaccepted my invitation in 2013 and for thefirst time since I retired from the military in
2006 I have a mentor and I do not feel asthough I am running alone.”
I asked Rosa this question, “If you couldtarget your chapter of the book to a particular
audience, who who’ll that be and why?”Rosa’s audience would be young female
teens. Rosa shared that she believesmentoring female teens is a part of thesolution to women reaching parity in
corporate boardrooms.
“Early involvement through mentorship will help young females acquire and build leadership skills, gainexperience and confidence needed to gain entry to theboardroom.”
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I told Rosa how I have to use self-talk often
in my job as I experience high levels ofnegative responses to my career goals. When
I think over my 35+ years in my adult
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working life, I can't recall anyone workplacewhere "No” has been the common response.I asked Rosa the essence of what I wanted to
know, how she transfers her leadership skillslearned in the military to her current job.
Rosa shared that her current positionaffords her the opportunity to work with a
team of eight highly motivated professionals.All but one person is prior military from
various branches. She attributes their militaryupbringing as a foundation for how well theyinteract with each other.
Rosa shared that she does not expect asmuch from people as she did from soldiers in
the military. “In the military we worked untilthe mission was complete," Rosa explained
that the civilian sector has more boundariescompared to the military. The military offersa firmly structured environment with very
clear lines of responsibility and authority.Things such as calling supervisors by theirfirst name still brings a little discomfort, saysRosa, even though she retired in 2006.
The cohesiveness of military members has aresemblance to that of a family unit. Thatconnection or interest is not readily present in
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the civilian workforce. Team building is aninherent function of a military leader. Themindset is always one team, one fight.
I asked Rosa how her level of responsibilitychanged from when she was in the military
compared to her current position. She sharedthat her appointed leadership position
changed and that she does not have directresponsibility of overseeing processes or
people. In her words, “Nonetheless, I stillprovide leadership for those around me. I donot have legitimate power, but I am still a
leader."
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BC!# ?1#*;$2# "1( )':.'92*/1# /1
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• Brings others alongside her to helpcomplete the mission.
• Believes in working for the mission, notfor the clock.
• Looks for the structure inorganizations.
• Understands that challenges areleadership opportunities.
• Seeks mentorship.
•
Looks for the camaraderie that iscommon in the military.
• Gives credit to others for their uniquecontributions.
Things to consider:
Rosa’s insights on leadership read as though theycame out of the many leadership articles I have read.
She walks the talk. She takes command of a room and pours into the spirit of others. I have witnessed this
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first hand. She is dynamic, genuine, and competitive.She is a consummate leader.
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8A9=:7> ?;C>
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- Huey Freeman is her inner self.
The women I wrote about in this book arephenomenal. Each of them unselfishly shareddeep moments in their lives. They are very
special to me. They are not the only women Ihave had the pleasure to learn from duringmy military career. These particular women
were the first ones to say, Yes! Yes I will help you Scena share our story. To them, I amgrateful. I am inspired by their willingness toput things aside for me. Thank you!
"I’ve learned that whenever I decide something withan open heart, I usually make the right decision.”-
Maya Angelou
Huey Freeman is my inner self. HueyFreeman is the main protagonist in The
Boondocks syndicated comic strip written byAaron McGruder, as well as the animatedTV series of the same name. Politicallysapient and borderline militant, he regularly
reflects on current events as well as the plight
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of African Americans as it relates to greatersociety.
"#* 3#,1, 4(% -*1-$*7*8 +-,& J,,)6* 0&()*%/ "#* $&()* 8,*% 5,1 B*6,5) 1, C-/
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My military career started on July 10, 1984.I left the streets of Detroit, Michigan looking
forward to a new chapter in my life. I had noidea what the future had in store for me. I didhave one thought in mind I wanted to see the
world. In this book, I get a chance to share afew insights about leadership. I have the
opportunity to share my perspective comingfrom someone who was not very “military
minded”. I had never seen anyone in themilitary on television or in person who lookedlike me so I did not join to follow in anyone’s
footsteps. During my time in the Navy, I did
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meet some powerfully dynamic women! Somany that I am not sure I have enough spaceto write about each of them in this book. I
promise that I will introduce you to them inmy autobiography one day.
Suffice it to say; as the years went on, Hueybegan to grow in me. I was introduced to his
character back in 1992 in Norfolk, Virginia.His character was in a comic strip. I
immediately connected with this characterand I would cut out the comics and savethem. I still have them in a photo album
today. Huey was the inner voice of theexperiences I began to have in the military.
While I couldn’t say things out loud, Hueywould. I anxiously waited for Aaron
McGruder’s column daily so I could makesense of the leadership I came in contactwith. Thank you, Mr. McGruder, for Huey!
I am a Navy veteran who served over 21 years on active duty. I have served on the eastcoast, the west coast and overseas severaltimes. I have served on three different class
naval ships, a repair tender, a submarinetender, and a rescue and salvage ship. Duringmy shore commands, I worked in several
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locations to include San Diego, California,Norfolk, Virginia, Diego Garcia, Mildenhall,England, and Detroit, Michigan. My
worldview of leadership was completelyshaped by my military experiences until I
retired from the military. During those 21 years of military service, I came to
understand and appreciate differentperspectives working with people from all
over the world.I had the chance to visit places like Hawaii,
Guam, Japan, The Philippines, Thailand,
Singapore, Diego Garcia, Gibraltar, England,France, The Bahamas, Sicily, Italy, Spain,
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Rome, I saw theDavid, The 16th Chapel in Rome (I savedmy admittance ticket!), The Vatican wherethe Pope lives, the Roman Coliseum where
the gladiators fought, Tangier Africa, andmany other places. There is no doubt thatthese experiences have shaped my perspectiveon leadership.
After I retired in 2005 from the military, I
worked in the City of Detroit in two highschools. Wow! Talk about a shift in my
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perspective on leadership. I was suddenly outof a familiar worldview where there wereclear lines of authority and expectations to a
situation where the high school principals had very demanding jobs dealing with teachers,
administrators, parents, students, and oh yes,the administration of the “No Child Left
Behind Act”. I was immediately thrust intothe world where I had to perform as a
teacher in a totally different environmentwith a brand new audience…young people.A shift and certain global perspective on
leadership took place.I left the Detroit Public School system and
came into the federal service to work as agovernment worker. Oh my! Talk about
another leadership shift. The lines ofauthority are superficially clear, but the levelsof authority does not match the expectations.
Here I found a definite disconnect from myprior experiences of leadership. I find myselfin a constant state of learning, seekingunderstanding of this leadership model.
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As of the moment I began to write this
book there have been no military movies thatI have seen depicting women of color inleadership roles. Women of color meaning
women of Latin descent, women of Asiandescent, women of African descent, women of
Caribbean descent, women of color. I havemet many women of various decent serving
in the United States military yet I have notseen a movie acknowledging thecontributions of all women in leadership
positions. Therefore, I decided that I shouldmake a contribution to the discussion of
women who have served that I knowpersonally and share just a snippet of their
leadership development and how theytransfer their leadership to the jobs they dotoday. This is an important story. I am one of
these women. Below are my medals. Myribbons are not shown.
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E .@*5( D*BB FGHI
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Leadership is leading people to do actionsor display behaviors that they might not have
shown without the leader’s influence.Leadership is having the responsibility andauthority to make things happens. Notice that
I did not say leadership was cute or alwayspositive. I don’t believe that. I do believe that
leadership is the absolute ability to motivate
yourself and others to move in a specificdirection. The military shaped my leadership
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style playing a psychological role for over 21 years. Subconsciously I was being groomedinto leadership positions at Recruit Training
Command in Great Lakes, Illinois duringboot camp.
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From that moment when I learned how to
get along with people I didn’t know from anearly age, I began shaping my view ofleadership. I can remember back in July of1984 in boot camp when a young lady in my
recruit group told me she had never actuallymet a black person. She said that she sawthem on the television every now and then
but she never actually met one. I rememberthis conversation as if it was yesterday
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because I remember saying to her, “Wow!This is 1984 and I thought everyone knewsomebody who was black.” I remember that I
wasn’t offended but rather surprised. Theleaders of my recruit group were two women.
Both of the women were stern and worked asa team. They did an excellent job of taking
30 women who came from all over Americaand training them to become a team in just a
few short weeks!I believe there is a psychological
expectation that I carry for people in
leadership positions. I expect that leaders willtake an active interest in the welfare of the
people who work for them. I expect thatleaders will use their power and positional
authority to provide their workers with toolsneeded to complete a task. I expect thatleaders will ensure that their workers are
trained to complete expected tasks. I expectleaders to indoctrinate new workers into theflow of the workplace. I expect leaders toprovide feedback both positive and negative
to those who work for them and those theywork for. I expect that leaders will behave theway they want their juniors to behave. I
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expect leaders to demonstrate the way forothers. I found out quickly that myexpectations were not matched to what I saw
when I retired from the military.I didn’t recognize that what I expected was
imprinted from my experiences in themilitary until I started talking to my
girlfriends who had also retired. We wouldcompare what we experience on our current
jobs and quickly noticed we had similarexperiences. Wow! All of a sudden I wasn’talone in my expectations. I began to notice
that my ideas of leadership were notrestricted to my Navy friends. My Air Force,
Army, and Marine Corps girlfriends allshared the same expectations. Then I knew I
had to share this information. I began to lookfor research on military leadership styles andall I kept seeing was information written by
men focusing on men. A new area emerged,our voice, the voice of the retired woman
veteran is silent with respect to leadership. Iwas compelled to write this book and share
my perspective along with a few otherwomen. I will conduct empirical research as apart two for this book that will dive deeper
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into the leadership styles of retired militarywomen. Keep a look out for that book. Thatis my promise to you, my readers, and my
sisters in uniform. I will tell our story.
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Transferring my leadership style has been adefinite adjustment. I share with my military
sisters the struggle of knowing we can takecontrol of a situation and make things happenBUT understanding that our new roles
necessitate that we scale back. My challengeis how to maintain a balanced approachwhen transferring my leadership skills.
As my sister Sasha so eloquently put it, she
strives not to be pushy when dealing withothers as a leader in her current position.When we were active duty, her assertiveness
would not be seen as pushy. She wouldsimply be demonstrating an aspect of her
leadership and authority granted by her rank.I get that! I understand. I walk a fine line
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ensuring that I stand for what is right, just,and fair while continuing to do my job in themidst of injustice. That is what I am dealing
with as of the moment I am writing this book.I share with my sister Denise who shared
that when she saw a young lady who is aleader out of order, she didn’t wait for an
invitation, she stepped into her role as a NavyChief and pulled the young lady to the side.
She automatically began correcting thebehavior through coaching. I get that! Iunderstand. I walk a fine line negotiating
circumstances with young leaders even whenthey don’t ask.
I share with my sister Rosa who sharedabout the lack of mentorship among women
who are willing to give and share withoutfeeling intimidated. I get that! I understand. Imentor young women on purpose to give
back and demonstrate that sharing does nothave to be harmful or competitive.
I continually reflect on possible responses tosituations that happen to me in my current
workplace. I know that I have already heldpositions as a Division Officer, DepartmentHead, been responsible for hiring civilian
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employees. I know that I have already beenresponsible for creating organizationaldirectives, implementing changes to policy,
and working with senior officers trainingthem on how to give performance appraisals,
administer non-judicial punishment, and howto handle corrective behavior in problem
employees. I know these are challenges I havealready dealt with, yet in my current position,
I have to walk a balanced beam becausethose who I work for have not had thoseleadership experiences. Transferring my
military leadership skills has meant pacing therate at which I share information. Through
this tight squeeze, I have been blessed toredirect my energies into writing this book
and holding seminars on leadership skills ofretired military women.
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Popular books on women’s leadership
motive us to “be bold” and “take charge”,well, that type of propaganda is not written
for the military woman because that is a part
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of our nature. The women I know who haveserved and retired do not have a problemtaking charge. However, many of these
women have been branded for doing so asaggressive or too assertive. Wow! Many of us,
including myself in all of these examples,practice leadership styles that we have been
groomed to do for 20+ years only to find outthat civilians and government workers cannot
deal with that posture.Leadership books expose that women
should be present and lean into the
discussions at the table. Well, that certainlyhas been met with mixed reactions in my
world. Again, those of us who have served20+ years may not have made it that long in
a military setting if we had not developedthose types of skills. Yet, almost every one ofthe military women I have chatted with
shared with me that they purposely pull backon the amount of work they do because oftheir present circumstances at work. Here’san example of the psychological balancing act
some retired military women deal with. I wasin the locker room last month chatting withanother military retiree after working out in
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the gym. She and I struck up a conversationand she was sharing how sometimes she justlooks at people in her work setting that “think
they know it all” and she reflects back to thetroops she commanded. She decides not to
say anything and opts to go and get herworkout in so she can redirect herself. I get it!
I told her I was writing this book to let theworld know about our psychological
challenges when transferring our leadership skills as retired military women.
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DE ?1#*;$2# "1( )':.'92*/1# /1 .'"(')#$*+
•
Operates from the perspective thatknowledge shared is leadership inaction.
• Believes and participates inmentorship.
• Practices servant leadership at workand with volunteer community events.
• Believes that people come first, then
work, then money.• Believes in spirituality, renewing
faithfulness by prayer and meditation.• Knows her self-worth owning her
accomplishments every day.• Practices mindfulness when dealing
with herself and others.
Things to consider:
My insights on leadership come from the belief and
understanding that we are all a part of life’s energy.That all living things have a right to enjoy the earth
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and live in intentional harmony. That no matter thechallenges, and there have been many, I believe that Ican make a difference in the lives of others. Leadersshould strive to do just that, make a difference in thelives of others through giving.
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sense of what they experience after themilitary. Twenty years or more of immersioninto the leadership ranks in the military
produces a different leader. There arecertain expectations of leadership that are
deeply engrained into the military retiree.When those leadership traits were not evident
once these women retired and joined theworkforce, these veterans developed coping
skills to mitigate what they know they can doin terms of leadership skills compared to whattheir new roles require. Here are some of the
common leadership mechanisms that thesewomen experience.
When looking for leadership byexample these women expected to
see leaders who show a care andconcern for the people who work forthem that is actionable. When the
reality that action-oriented caringwas not evident, these womenbecome informal leaders amongpeers demonstrating their military
leadership behaviors that show careand concern. In other words, thesewomen reverted back into a version
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of their prior leadership roles byactively demonstrating leadership intheir sphere of influence.
When looking for leadershipdevelopment (mentorship) these
women expected to experiencesomething that closely mimics their
prior the military experience oftaking the new person under their
wings. When the reality thatmentorship was not a real actionitem in their new workplaces, these
women began to recognize thatmentorship was incongruent with
mentorship in the military setting.As a result, these women stepped in
and mentored others in their sphereof influence.When looking for the camaraderie
that is common in the military, thesewomen expected to have a workexperience where people get alongfocused on the mission. When the
reality that the camaraderieexperience would be different, thesewomen adjusted by building
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coalitions in their sphere ofinfluence.
The experiences of these retired veterans
offer insight into the psychologicaladjustments that are made when they
actively participate in the workforce. Someof these women work with defense
contracting firms. Some of these womenwork in the federal government as
government employees. Some of thesewomen are entrepreneurs. All of thesewomen have advanced degrees. Most of
these women still volunteer in some waygiving back to their communities. Look for
the next series where Dr. Webb doesempirical research on this topic
interviewing a much larger population of veterans who are women. The topic of thenext research will be, leadership skills of
military women.