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Show 2 COMMENTARY TIMES July 10, 2014 Embracing smart change By Col. Craig Rice 75th Medical Group commander V VCCILLy ..11.M-C- J. 7 -1, Hilltop Times Editorial Staff: Charles Horton Standard-Examiner publisher Hilltop Times Mitch Shaw Writer Sarah Stoll Hilltop Times Correspondent Dana Rimington Hilltop Times Correspondent Deadlines: Editorial and news items are due by noon on the Friday prior to the Thursday print date. To submit news items email 75abw.pa@us.af.mil or call 801-777-1902. For Classified Advertising, call 801-625-4300. For Retail Advertising, call 801-625-4388. The Hilltop Times is published by Ogden Publishing Corp., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under, and in compliance with, a Memorandum of Understanding with Hill Air Force Base. The content of the Hilltop Times does not necessarily represent the views of, nor is it endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or Hill Air Force Base (collectively, the Government). The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Government of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Standard-Examiner, 332 Standard Way, Ogden, Utah, 84404. Additional editorial content is provided by various military and civilian wire services and Hill Air Force Base public affairs departments. Call 801-777-1902 with story ideas or comments, or email 75abw.pa@us.af.mil . Call 801-625-4300 for Classified Advertising or 801-6254388 for Retail Advertising. HAWC Nest Fitness Tip from the Health and Wellness Center Did you know smokers are most successful in kicking the habit when they have support such as medication therapy, counseling, guidebooks, friends and family member encouragement? QUIT TODAY. For assistance call the HAWC at 801777-1215 can't get some slogans out of my head; slogan's like ike's "Just Do It," KFC's "Finger Lickin Good," and M&M's "Melts in your mouth not in your hands." For decades, military services have also employed slogans in their attempt to lure the best young men and women into their ranks. Many slogans, like the "duty, honor, country," and "It's Not Just A Job, It's An Adventure," were extremely effective. For 21 years, the Army had the highly successful slogan, "Be All That You Can Be." It certainly got my attention during commercial breaks of M*A*S*H and inspired me to enter Army ROTC. However, in 2001 the Army felt the need for an "upgrade" and changed their slogan. I am not sure what prescription meds Army brass were on the day they made their final selection ... "An Army of One" ... you can't be serious? However, many lessons can be learned from this change. Lesson No. 1: carefully consider the need for change, especially if what you are attempting to change is not broken. To assist them in identifying a new slogan to represent their million plus soldiers, the Army did what most organizations do and hired private marketing Hill's Last DUI: page / Unit Involved: Thankfully, it replaced jokes about the ridiculous Air Force "Aim High" slogan at USO comedy routines across the AOR; there may be no "I" in TEAM ... but now there are an "M" and "E." Lesson No. 3: if you do choose to make a change, ensure the change adds real value. Regretfully for soldiers everywhere, it took Army brass a full five years to acknowledge their failure and course correct. It wasn't until 2006 that they saw the light and converted to "Army Strong," once again hitting a grand slam, capturing the warrior ethos. Lesson No. 4: when your change is a failure, don't be too proud to admit it and try something else (or return to the pre-change status). The one fact I am absolutely confident about in the military is change. Change can be extremely effective and necessary for organizations to adapt, survive and flourish. Although often unpopular, change is a noble cause for real leaders, however, change just for the sake of change is not a strategy. Change should be data driven and evidence based and, most of all, change must add significant value. When the change is a failure, we must own our mistake, acknowledge the failure and provide a timely course correction. Are you ready to embrace smart change? Examining the layers of leadership By Col. David Chiesa 71st Medical Group V ANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla — Remember the movie "Captain America?" The main character tried to join the Army under different names and in different cities, yet he was always denied because of his size and perceived notions about his abilities. This comic book hero eventually overcame his lack of physical attributes, and defeated the greatest threat of World War II — Hydra. Our Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, published Air Force Instruction 1-2, "Commander's Responsibilities," May 8. The information contained within it can be described as "back to the basics of leadership." I see these basics embodied with Captain America, a man with many layers. Let's peel back his layers of leadership and explore how we can improve ourselves by following his example and our own AFI. Picture a room filled with 20 people engaged in a heated discussion. You can see them but they cannot see you. Now pick the leader out of the group. Think about how you would identify the leader. What about him or her stands out to you? You have preconceived ideas on what a leader should look and act like, what their short comings are and what values they hold. These are the layers of the leadership. Your strength in each layer determines how successful a leader you will be. When you first imagined the people in the room, you assigned physical features to each. This is the outer layer of leadership. What is your leader's personal appearance? Imagine how they dress. Think of their body language and posture. Are they well groomed? Do they have good communication skills? Is he or she well-mannered and noninterruptive? In a nutshell, do they look confident? Time leaders have a certain presence about them. If someone does not take good care of themselves, it will be difficult to care for others. Your physical appearance matters. It is the first thing people see. A picture perfect appearance can mask all the other layers, however, so let's peel it back and expose the more vulnerable aspects of our leader. Here we find our leader's strengths, weaknesses and blind spots. Everybody has blind spots. They are what others see about you that you do not see about yourself. A true friend, mentor, supervisor or leader will be honest with you about your blind spot. You are making yourself vulnerable, so prepare to be humbled. Let's peel back another layer to expose his or her character. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become deeds. Watch your deeds. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character. Character is everything." Ralph Waldo Emerson "Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become deeds. Watch your deeds. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character. Character is everything." The way you let events affect you impacts your character. Eventually, bitterness will show up as a blind spot or as a blemish in your physical appearance. Work to become better not bitter. Seek assistance if you have circumstances in your life you cannot deal with — that is a sign of courage. The core of our perfect leader is unique. He or she understands they were made for a purpose, a unique purpose. And they pursue that purpose with perseverance. Do you know what your purpose is? Do you understand how unique you are? Take the time to find out what you were meant to do with your life. Set goals and vigorously tackle the obstacles in your way. If you need help, speak to your mentors. They will point you in the right direction. When Captain America was chosen to become a "super soldier,' he was evaluated on the quality of his character and not on his outward appearance. His inner layers, his core values and his desire to serve his country, drove his new outward appearance. He became the ideal leader. I challenge each of you to start with your inner core and develop each layer until your outermost layer reflects the qualities inside. Use AFI 1-2 as your guide. Strengthen your layers, and embody the spirit of leaders like Captain America. Have the courage to read it and go "back to the basics." AtiN irn3 THINK SAFETY Hill's Total 2014 DUls: 5 and advertising firms. Although the firms were experts in their field, they were not Army soldiers and didn't have experience in Army service. Lesson No. 2: the most important people to involve when considering change are the people closest and most vested in the process. It would be an understatement to say the "An Army of One" slogan fell flat on its face. Although intended to express the individual physical, mental and emotional strength that resides within every Army soldier, it drew silly visions of a sole "super hero" soldier running across the desert heading alone into battle. 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