Being Airman-Leaders Published Aug. 20, 2009 By Lt. Col. Erich Murrell 30th Medical Support Squadron commander VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Over the last few months I have read the great leadership articles written by our fellow Vandenberg Team members and the articles reminded me about how important it is for each of us to be Airman-Leaders, not just leaders of Airman. All too often the word leadership is used to describe those of a senior rank. For me, leadership doesn't and can't begin when "eagles get pinned on our shoulders," or "eight strips are sewn on our sleeves." Leadership has to be part of every Airman's tool set, no matter what level they are in the organization. We must all take time to develop and facilitate the development of leadership traits in our superiors, subordinates and ourselves. Like most of you, over the years I've sat in numerous classes and seminars, which included a discussion on who the best leaders have been throughout history. These discussions often included listing out the character traits of these leaders and a lively debate on whether a person is born with the leadership skills or develops them over time. While I believe a person must have some level of aptitude to become a leader, I also believe that proper training and development, mentorship and availability of role models can facilitate those that have "less innate" leadership abilities to become Airman-Leaders. Let's take this discussion a bit further. Take a moment to think about the following people: Mother Theresa, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Hitler, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Julius Cesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Martin Luther King, Osama Bin Laden, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Christ, Josef Stalin, Ayatollah Khomeini, Attila The Hun, Robert E. Lee, Saddam Hussein, Douglas MacArthur and Joan of Arc. I am sure that many of you have noticed there are people on the list whose "work" was diametrically opposed; so, what do these people have in common? In the pages of history, they were all great world leaders. Now, before you tear this page out of the paper, shred it and burn what's left, let me explain. The word great is defined in the Merriam-Webster's dictionary as "notably large in size," "long continued," or "remarkable in magnitude or degree"; in other words, great doesn't necessarily mean "good." I believe one of the main traits that differentiate these world leaders was their character. We need not only to strive to be Airman-Leaders, but Airman-Leaders with good character. For me, developing a good character is the foundation of building great Airman-Leaders. The importance of having a "good character" is ever-present in our Professional Military Education and has been deemed so important that the United States Air Force Academy has developed a Center for Character Development with a stated objective of "graduating officers who have the forthright integrity and voluntarily decide the right thing to do -- and do it!" USAFA's definition of character is one that we all should take to heart: Character is "One's moral compass, the sum of those qualities of moral excellence which compel a person to do the right thing despite pressure or temptations to the contrary." Since each person has a different set of values, beliefs, backgrounds, etc., I believe a great way for us to begin to build the character traits for Airman-Leaders is to engrain our Core Values of "Integrity First," "Service Before Self" and "Excellence in All We Do" into our daily lives. Taking to heart the Airman's Creed is another way to develop the characteristics we all need to be good Airman-Leaders. When we engrain these character traits into our lives, we instill a culture that produces great leaders. Always remember, every Airman should be a leader at "our level" of the organization, and it is our responsibility to help develop our superiors, subordinates and ourselves into Airman-Leaders of good character. After all, when we do this, we create an organization where people want to work, where they work hard and mission success is guaranteed.