Reflecting on my first family

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Therese A. Bohusch
  • 30th Medical Operations Squadron commander
The chain of command in the Bohusch house was very clear from an early age. In fact, I'm pretty sure my parents had their own version of the Core Values in the works. The Bohusch girls were always well-groomed and, more importantly, well-behaved, setting the example for all whether we liked it or not. And if we deviated, the course correction was swift and direct. There was never a question about who was in charge: parents led, children followed. 

I spoke recently with one of my Airmen who was concerned about a work situation; she observed that a small group of folks had forgotten how to be good followers. What a striking comment. We constantly hear leadership clichés: "everyone is a leader," "lead from the position you're in" and "lead from the front," to list a few. My personal favorite is "lead by example." 

It's curious that the leader-follower relationship could be in question in a hierarchical organization such as the U.S. Air Force. Officers and enlisted members learn about followership in professional military education. And we even call ourselves the Air Force Family. But when was the last time you heard "Be a good follower" from your supervisor, or should I say "mom" or "dad"? It can be hard to recall the followership lessons, because our first families prep us for entering the real world independently and the Air Force Family focuses on developing real world leaders. 

Another of my Airmen approached me recently in preparation for a feedback. This Airman gave me an article about "managing your boss" that she hoped we could discuss in context of our working relationship as part of the feedback. What a striking request. Early in my career as I struggled with followership, my Dad sent me a book that he had found helpful in his own career: Christopher Hegarty's "How to Manage Your Boss." That book still sits on my shelf today and I have often used the concepts with my own bosses and recommended it to staff members. 

So what does it mean to "manage your boss?" My parents liked a clean house, so I cleaned. My parents liked me to try everything on my plate, so I tried. I didn't do everything they wanted or get it all right, but I did prioritize the big stuff and made sure I was on target. I was starting to figure out how to manage my parents. They were leading, and I was following, but I was also getting things I wanted out of the relationship - their trust and confidence and my allowance! 

Now is this a crazy concept, or what? Be a good follower - do your job, meet or exceed expectations, and good things will come to you. Every day we are faced with opportunities to lead and follow and we tend to have gut reactions based on our basic family training. "Lead by example" implies that you may be in charge, but there are times you might really be the best example simply by being a good follower.