Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1407173
Macon Magazine: What makes a good leader? Gen. Hammerstedt: I think a good leader really knows themselves. I always tell my young officers, 'Know yourself, be yourself and love your Airmen.' You have to know your strengths and weaknesses and where your blind spots are so that you can surround yourself with people who think differently than you and so that you can lead the unit more effectively. For me, personally, I'm a people person. So that's the leadership lens by which I look at the world, and even though what I do is very industrial, it doesn't happen without people. For me, a good leader cares for the people. Everything starts with our people. Col. Carns: A good leader is someone who is trying to be their personal best. I think if you look at history, the best leaders are people who have been the most humble and the most credible, who are really devoted to their cause and are doing it for the right reasons. There's an adage in commander's training where you say, 'You don't get to have a bad day. You have to be your best every single day and try to be there for the people and for the mission.' But I think it's all about us striving to embody the best of the human values that you can achieve: courage, duty, honor, all of those things. It goes back to asking yourself: 'Am I making every decision in accordance with those values? Am I living my personal and professional life in accordance with those values?' If I can answer yes at the end of every day, then I think I can achieve what would be considered good leadership. Col. Droz: I think being willing to listen is key. The way I always think about it is that I'm training my replacement. It is not about me, it's about the team. I need to provide the leadership, but I need to help develop, train, inspire and motivate the workforce to achieve their personal best. By being my personal best, I help inspire that. Col. Holbeck: I think a leader unifies the group, team or organization that they're a leader of, and they unify it for a greater purpose. A good leader is one who's real. By real, I mean transparent, not afraid to make mistakes, not afraid to fail, because we learn and grow by those failures and mistakes. There's a phrase out there that folks would rather follow a leader who is always real versus one who's always right. I think that's true, too. MM: Are there pitfalls to leadership? Col. Holbeck: There is the responsibility or the burden that you do need to always be right, that folks think that you have all the answers. And the reality is, you don't. And I think that's part of being humble and transparent, and letting them know you don't, but that you can find the answer or you can work together for a solution to a problem. Col. Carns: You have to remember it's not about you; it's about the institution. The roles that we fill are not about us. They are about accomplishing our mission, taking care of people and ensuring that we are using resources wisely. This is not about me or any of us at this table. It's about ensuring that we accomplish the mission and the tasks that we have been assigned. LEFT: COL. MICHELLE CARNS AND COL. LINDSAY DROZ DURING OUR INTERVIEW. RIGHT: AT TOP, COL. AMY HOLBECK, COL. CARNS, BRIG. GEN. JENNIFER HAMMERSTEDT AND COL. DROZ AT THE WARNER ROBINS INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION. AT BOTTOM, GEN. HAMMERSTEDT WITH HER HUSBAND, MILT LUTTON HAMMERSTEDT AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 | maconmagazine.com 43