Charlie and the Art of Unleadership

Near Chaco Canyon, New Mexico - Photo by JoAnn Sturman

W.R. Priskna
fliesinyoureyes.com

I knew S.R. Oberst from our days at the Air Force Academy and was pleased to see him again when he dropped by the detachment's operations center to say hello after ferrying a helicopter from South Dakota to the Boneyard at Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona. In tow was his operations officer, the obese and ancient looking Captain Charlie Crown, who accompanied Steve on the mission. I remember thinking, “Was that Captain Crown or Clown?” as I tried to crush his velvety smooth hand when Steve introduced him to me.

I heard stories about Charlie, but never knew the full extent of his repertoire until I read Steve's accounts about him. He would have been the perfect comic foil, but for his treachery and willingness to destroy the careers of many young officers. If it were not for Steve's quick thinking, he might have found himself in the same predicament. How was it an incompetent officer was put in a position of responsibility? In fact there is a lot of luck involved with career progression in the military. If a young officer has the ill fortune of having someone like Charlie Crown write his Officer Efficiency Report, then it is best to look for another career. Conversely, if one receives glowing reports from a high ranking, well connected officer, a career achieves a certain amount of momentum. As a newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, George Marshall, who eventually became a five star general, Secretary of State, and author of the Marshall Plan, received his first efficiency report from his commander, a U.S. Army Major. It was concise and accurate. “I should be working for him,” the major wrote. Marshall was an exceptional man, but would he have risen to such heights if Charlie Crown was his first commander?

My initial operational commander, Captain Henry, was a charismatic leader with a keen mind and adept flying skills, who just happened to look like a blond Steve Canyon. The lieutenants and junior captains would do virtually anything for him. It was a sad day when he transferred, and Lt. Col. Michaels, an incorrigible alcoholic but with friends in high places assumed command. He was not a malevolent conniver like Charlie, but his personal ambition, ambivalence towards others, and lack of leadership trashed many careers just the same.

Thanks, Steve, for writing about Charlie the Unleader. It is fitting to recall the characteristics of unleaders described in your series:

• Un-Leadership: Most successful people will tell you that one or more leaders they encountered during their careers had a positive impact on their lives. I call these people “Life-altering Leaders” – People in your life who contributed in a very positive way to the person you are today. But what about the people we encounter who we would never want to emulate? You know, the lousy boss or superior officer who made your life hell. Well, I think of these people as “Un-leaders” - People in your life who provided you with negative lessons that helped make you the person you are today.

• Although not an absolute character trait of an Un-Leader, most Un-Leaders are very good “brown-nosers”. Whenever a high ranking officer or VIP came to visit the unit, Charlie’s entire demeanor changed. It was humorous to watch him attempt clever ways to ingratiate himself with each new visitor. But his motivation was to gain the VIP’s ear, because one common trait of Un- Leaders, is to always take credit for everything they can for their own personal advancement. When referring to accomplishments of a group or team, Un-Leaders lead with the word “I”, such as “I did this”, “I implemented this”, “I created this”, or “I invented the internet”. Charlie was an expert credit taker. He could squeeze more “I’s” into a brief VIP introduction statement than a politician at a fundraiser.

• Most Un-Leaders are not really very good at their chosen profession. They tend to look down their noses at training or learning more about their job. However, they generally claim to be very good at what they do. Charlie’s confidence in his flying abilities knew no bounds. He never went on training flights except to get in his minimum flight requirements. Un-Leaders believe they can intimidate their way through every situation.

• Most Un-Leaders do not have any real friends. If they have a friend, it tends to be someone just like them, which means it is someone who is looking out for “me” first. Virtually every pilot in the entire squadron knew that a check ride with SK was something to be taken seriously, which meant hit the books and take some training flights to get ready. 1) as mentioned earlier Charlie had a disdain for training; 2) Charlie had no friends; and 3) his non-friends were rooting for SK.

• When confronted with personal failure, Un-Leaders will blame someone else. They are incapable of accepting blame or taking positive steps to address a failure. Further, the Un- Leader will react with anger and take on the role of an injured party. It is also highly likely the Un-Leader will seek revenge on the people they blame for their failure.

• Most male Un-Leaders I have known love to brag about their sexual exploits. Charlie was no exception and frequently recounted lurid escapades that demonstrated his prowess in the bedroom. He definitely considered himself God’s gift to women.

• Some male Un-Leaders may be god’s gift to some women.

• Unleaders are bullies. They are experts at browbeating, pulling rank, or whatever else it takes to get their way. Charlie scared the weather Lieutenant, but the results of his bullying scared me.

• We’ve all heard that great leaders lead by example. They are to be emulated or copied. Great un-leaders lead by unexample. They are not to be emulated or copied. Knowing this fact alone would keep me from following Charlie through the big red door.

• Un-leaders usually cannot be counted on to contribute to a team effort. Charlie had been more un-help during THE Trip than anyone should expect from a crew member. When it comes to “crunch time” un-leaders are often un-seen, or in the case of Charlie on the last leg of this trip, un-aware.

• As stated previously, one common trait of Un-Leaders, is to always take credit for everything they can for their own personal advancement. Charlie extended this to being willing to take credit for something even if no credit was due. The fact that he slept through the entire emergency in the back of the helicopter was probably an irrelevant detail in his mind.

• Un-Leaders do not play by normal rules. They will lie, steal or cheat to get what they want. They also delight in wielding their power at the expense of others. For Charlie, just thinking about ruining the careers of five lieutenants probably gave him an adrenaline rush.

• Sometimes the only way to respond to an Un-Leader’s actions is to fight back. If there is a key to defeating an Un-Leader, it is this: Un-Leaders seldom have any real friends, but usually have many enemies. Anyone who ever served under Charlie was undoubtedly the latter. Seek help from fellow victims.

• Un-Leaders may use clever methods for disguising who they really are. As the old saying goes, “You can put a dress and lipstick on a pig, but it will still be a pig.” Don’t be caught off guard if an Un-Leader masks his identity with charm and “Eddie Haskellish” good manners. An Un-Leader with dyed hair or fake sincerity, is still an Un-Leader.

• Leadership is not a black and white virtue. Not being an un-leader does not mean you are a leader. There are lots of people in the middle who are neither. Some of these people can improve their leadership skills, but a true leader, one who consistently demonstrates leadership traits, is rare. Leaders are people who make good stuff happen that probably would not have happened without that leader’s influence. Note: I use the qualifier of “good” stuff, because people whose leadership results in bad stuff are usually Un-Leaders.