Camp Pendleton, 1998. “Corporal Landblom, just because you were the honor graduate at squad leaders’ course, does not mean that you can lead these Marines to a ********** on nickel night.” Those were the words of my platoon sergeant when I questioned him why he did not give me a squad when leadership billets were being filled. My hatred for the Staff Sergeant‘s view of me fueled my desire to be greater. If honor graduate was not good enough, then I needed to find out what I was missing. It was not a matter of being buddies with this guy. In seeking advice from outside leaders, my shortcomings were presented for me to improve upon. I had great tactical and technical knowledge, but I couldn’t win people over with my lack of leadership. It was my inability to connect on a human level with many people. I had very little power of influence with my peers. These Marines were straight out of high school while I joined the Marine Corps after my fifth year of college. I was a social spaz on top of that. I would spend the remaining time of the training calendar and the deployment on the ship putting the leadership pieces together. I was determined to prove to everyone that I am more than capable to lead.
I am a continuous student in the field of leadership. My quest to learn leadership will never end as long as there are different points of view I have yet to explore. I learned leadership through my many mistakes of poorly thought out assumptions, naiveté, and ego. The lessons I learned the quickest were from the ones that threw me to the ground after getting smacked down by reality. It was through self-analysis, research, and seeking mentorship where I pulled myself up with my own bootstraps. Reflecting on the last 25 years of my experiences in a leader’s role, I have properly formulated my ideas into plans and products that can be beneficial to others. People do not need to feel alone when they are trying to grow as a leader. That is why I am not afraid to share my vulnerabilities with them.
Al-Taqqadum, Iraq, 2005. “Lieutenant Landblom, are you ready for this Aircraft Commander Check Ride? Time to giddy-up.” Lieutenant Colonel Hudson believed in my abilities to lead an aircrew earlier than I thought. This was due to the endorsements of the people between him and me. They created the confidence for the commander to determine that I was ready for the next challenge. The best part about this particular flight: we were doing combat operations in Iraq. The worst part of this flight: we were doing an evaluation flight during combat operations in Iraq.
In the dynamic environment that we combat helicopter pilots work in, there are many elements that try to kill us: the enemy, gravity, components of the aircraft failing, and the pilot’s own ignorance and/or complacency. With those forces working against us, combat pilots are highly skilled at risk mitigation and decision making to be successful. However, these skills are not in possession of a single person; these skills are part of every aircrew member of the team. The aircrew team utilizes these skills simultaneously to be effective.
What was supposed to be a three hour flight got extended well past our scheduled return time. We had actual on-call missions to provide support; especially as a casualty evacuation crew to get the injured and wounded from the battlefield to the best available trauma support unit. After three hours of trying to impress the boss, I was physically and mentally worn out. We were inbound to pick up some important people at a headquarters outpost. I was struggling to get the aircraft on a flight path to arrive safely into the zone. Not caring anymore about trying to impress the commander, I safely waved off the approach and made an off-handed comment: “well I screw that one up, let’s do this better on the next approach.”
During the previous years as a copilot, I was known to beat myself up over trivial mistakes that could be remedied. This did not allow the aircrew to act like a team with me. If I could not forgive myself, would I beat them up for their small flaws as well? In the aircraft, the team is what made our squadron successful as a casualty evacuation organization.
It was not until the end of my shift when my mentor, Captain “Shazaam” Marvel, intercepted me on my way back to my shack. He explained to me that I impressed our commander with a change in my attitude. The biggest concern Lieutenant Colonel Hudson had about advancing me into an important position was my self-torture. The insight that Shazaam and the other senior pilots had given me about my approach in “trying to be flawless” enabled me to become better in invoking confidence to my team. It came down to an attitude of “fix the problem first.”
It is rewarding to me to be a part of a growing leader’s journey. By speaking in front of groups and organizations, I am able to explore ideas of leadership with the audience. They learn from what I present and I learn from their feedback. It brings a sense of community amongst the people who are growing at different stages.
Okinawa Japan, 2018. Missing the times I had with the Marines in providing leadership training to them, I can recall the different subjects that we explored. Other than the mandatory classes that were set for us by Headquarters Marine Corps, we talked through many “what if this happens” scenarios. The last seminar I remember conducting was for the newly promoted corporals. Here I asked the question: “what is the difference between an explanation and an excuse?” There were many different answers. However, at the end they were all asking me for the answer. I explained to them the answer was not up to me, it was up to them when they would hold their team members accountable. This led them to take a deeper look to formulate their ideas into something greater.
My experiences are not the only factors that I rely on to assist growing leaders. I have mentors and example-setters who have shared their experiences with me. I can refer to their lessons which can best serve the scenario that is at hand. Not all of these people are Marine Corps Officers. Vice Presidents of different corporations have given their time to mentor me in their view of leadership. Civic leaders shared with me great insights to what they learned along the journey. University professors challenged me and provided ideas in thinking about the long-run of leadership for organizations.
Returning to the squad leader story. I used the deployment time to read and learn about effective leadership and practice it with a few trusted people. The battalion returned to Camp Pendleton after the six month deployment on the Navy ship. Once the organization was reestablished in our buildings, there were many changes in the staff being made. The Staff Sergeant was relieved of duty (fired) while our platoon commander was brought up to serve as the company executive officer. Due to my self-educating and progressing to be a better person, I was assigned two billets above squad leader, to Platoon Commander. With this assignment came the endorsements from those in high ranking positions to make me an officer and a pilot. It paid to be a growing leader.
I believe speaking about leadership is my calling. It has brought calmness to a man to be known throughout the Marine Corps as “Landmine.” If you know of an organization that can benefit by investing in the growth of their current and future leaders, let them know about Leadership Developed. We will put together a plan to make them greater in their communities.
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