CONFERENCE NOW

“Never Fly Solo” A Lesson in Successful Leadership

By Tom Van Jacobs

NSGA Marketing Coordinator

The 2022 Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit kicked off with wingman and speaker Lt. Col. Waldo Waldman’s presentation “Never Fly Solo: Building Collaborative Cultures of Courage, Trust and Excellence.”

Waldman brought the energy to the Conference and left everyone knowing that “we survive solo, but we win together.” The question that is asked every day is, “Can I depend on you?” Waldman said to answer this you must commit to three facets: excellence, the mission and the team.

Wingman Tip No. 1 - Commitment to Excellence

You have to commit to doing your job right the first time or don’t do it at all. As a leader, you have to double down on your standards as a company even during tough times. Do not sell out on your standards in order to fill a void because this lowers your standards and hurts your reputation. Be willing to say no even if it is difficult, knowing it is the right thing to do. Your passion to being a better version of yourself has to be greater than your fear. Waldman explained that for him to join the Air Force Academy he had to jump off a 33-foot diving board. He was able to jump off that diving board because he was not going to let that fear of jumping come in the way of his passion to live his dream. Waldo asked the question, “what is your 33 feet?” and are you willing to take that risk to strive for your dream and be the leader you need to be. “Your comfort zone is your danger zone.” Commit to growing as a leader and as a person. “If you want your team to grow, you have to grow,” Waldman said. A good wingman gets to know their team and what their values are and values their teams’ values. This allows you to grow as a leader and a wingman and will have your team strive for excellence knowing you are showing support for them. Your team is always watching you as a leader, so “are you pushing it up or pulling it back?”

Wingman Tip No. 2 – Commitment to the Mission

This means you are always mission ready. You have to know your goal and have a plan in place to achieve it. Always ask yourself the what ifs and have contingency plans when obstacles arise to accomplish your mission. Waldman put it simply, “complacency kills,” so even if you think you are in a good place, do not let off the throttle. Be the nerd of your company and put in the effort and time to achieve your mission. When life and the environment are changing, you have to adapt and change with it in order to stay ahead and continue to strive to the mission.

Waldman said football legend Jim Brown told him that “they may have been smarter than me, but they never worked harder than me.” You have to keep pushing up the throttle and doing the things behind the scenes to make sure you and the team are growing and achieving greatness.

Wingman Tip No. 3 – Commitment to the Team

To truly elevate your game you must be committed to the team. “We are only as strong as our weakest link,” and if one person fails then the whole team fails. Everyone is important and that is why no one flies solo.

Waldman said that “leaders lift,” and you must be that person and leader that encourages your team members and lifts them up. If you treat your team members as a person first, before an employee, you will earn their loyalty. Show that you care about your team and listen to them. If someone is struggling with work, don’t be quick to judge them and tear them down for making the mistakes. You must treat them like a human being and ask questions of how things are going to understand why they might be struggling. Show sympathy and understand where they are coming from. There might be a reason someone is struggling that is outside of work and if you listen and lift them up, then they will be your wingman to the end and “push it up” for you. “Be a commander, not a demander,” Waldman said.