My interview with a Blackhawk helicopter pilot

I am praying for the people in the helicopter crash last night and their families. I have a great respect for pilots and those that serve in the military. It seems like something else is happening here. Please find my interview with a Blackhawk helicopter pilot.

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Tom Crea is a leadership expert, decorated career Army officer, and Blackhawk helicopter pilot. Because of his proven skills, he was hand-selected to run the Army's leadership development program at two Boston colleges, where he and his team transformed college students into combat leaders.

Tom is a servant-leadership ambassador and the author of Unleash Your Values: How to Lead and Succeed in Business Today…A Helicopter Pilot's Spin on Developing the Leader in You. His radio show, Your Evolving Leadership Journey, is a series of discussions with authors who understand why servant leadership works, those who learned similar lessons in humility, empowering others, delegating, and more, just as Tom learned in the Army.

Today, Tom shares real-world leadership insights with business leaders from all walks, ranging from first time managers to CEOs. Ken Gosnell, the founder of CEO Experience was able to sit down and have a conversation with Tom pertaining to the keys of servant leadership.

1. The characteristics of a servant leader

Ken: Tom, you call yourself a servant leader. Why is servant leadership so important to you, and why should every CEO see themselves as a servant leader?

Tom: A core value the Army taught us and one that I appreciate to this day is the letter "S" cushioned in the middle of our (L-D-R-S-H-I-P) acronym; Selfless-Service. Throughout my career, I saw several leaders live this value and the impact these leaders had on their organizational climate, smaller units. When this behavior is ingrained in everyone, from the formal training provided by the larger organization, and reinforced throughout, it made it easier to work across silos and want to collaborate with other units – what a tremendous organizational attitude!

Ken: You teach that there are core servant leadership principles. Can you explain a couple of these principles and why they are essential for leaders to embrace?

Tom: Sure. Let's talk about humility and active listening.

When I began my career, I was in a training program with 40 peers. I started off doing very well and then got knocked back on my heels more than once. The good news was I learned these lessons early on, and it changed the way I thought, my attitude, and ultimately, my behavior. I became more empathetic and more appreciative of the value others bring to the team.

Too often, we think we need to be the ones doing the talking. If you take the time to listen to others, you might discover different, better solutions to a problem. If you want to build a stronger team, develop the team members. Let's say a suggestion they might have is just as good as your idea. As a leader, be willing to set aside your ego and implement the recommendation of others for the sake of building a better team.

2. The cultural impact of a servant leader

Ken: What was one leadership lesson you learned in your military experience that every CEO would benefit their organization if they would put it into practice?

Tom:Corporate America started doing these around the turn of the century, but the Army began using the After Action Review (AAR) in the early '80s, so I had the benefit of experiencing its impact throughout my career.

When we talk of creating a "learning environment," imagine you've just completed a major operation and as part of the process, you've carved out a few hours to review the event immediately after: what went right? What could be improved?

Every member of the leadership team and various experts gather under a large tent. When you walk into that meeting, the Rules of Engagement (ROE) are that any aspect of the operation is fair game. Your job, when you deliver feedback, is to address the task, not attack the person.

When you see the most senior leader in the organization accept a critique of his or her role – back to humility, right? – You know you're in a learning organization. That's how you maximize the contributions of everyone, and that's how you shape the environment, climate, or culture you want for your organization.

Ken: Can you explain the Army's "Be, Know, and Do" approach? How have you seen a company apply this principle and find success?

Tom: BE, KNOW, DO is about a leaders presence, intellect, and character.

The easy one is KNOW, which boils down to your technical and tactical knowledge. Essentially, the skills you need to acquire for your role and how to apply them best within your industry.

The best way I can explain BE (Presence) and DO (Character) is to repeat Bob Rosen's tree metaphor from his book Grounded. Your presence is like the tree's roots, what people can't see. Your character Is what people can see, the branches and leaves.

If you hack off a branch, another will grow. If you kill the roots, the tree will whither and die.

Another message about humility: Focus on what others can't see – develop your roots.

3. The capabilites of a servant leader

Ken: You flew a Blackhawk helicopter in the Army. That is an impressive piece of equipment. What did you learn from the training or in operating such a powerful machine?

Tom: My big "aha" with the Blackhawk was to respect its power. To explain, I have to take you back to my early years when I was flying the Vietnam era UH-1, Huey helicopter.

The Blackhawk had two engines, each stronger than the only one in the Huey. When I learned to land on a pinnacle, a landing pad on the top of a mountain (in Korea), my first attempts were complete failures. (Another humbling experience – the Army had a way of keeping your ego in check!) If you made your approach too fast or too slow, you couldn't "stick the landing" without exceeding the engine's capabilities; you had to have a near-perfect approach and landing.

Those experiences taught me to appreciate the Blackhawk as well. You had to know the weight of the airframe and your engine's capabilities. What was the maximum performance I could achieve without exceeding any limitations? As leaders, there's a great message here about learning each team member's capabilities. It reminds me of a quote from Ken Blanchard's One Minute Managerthat stuck with me: "There is no such thing as the equal treatment of unequals."

4. The clarity of a servant leader

Ken: Miscommunication impacts the performance of both the leader and the organization. Can you give one communication tip that would help every CEO develop better communication with their team?

Tom:Stephen Covey laid this out best; it's one of the 7 Habits … Seek First to Understand. Imagine traveling to a foreign country where they didn't speak English. Wouldn't you at least attempt to learn the language before you travel? Moreover, don't you think the residents would treat you better if you did?

Communication is about common understanding. If you want to connect with others, know what language they speak, and learn to speak their language.

Ken: Self-awareness is essential for good leadership. You stress the importance of a leader knowing their blind spots.

Tom: Let's continue with communication styles. Let's say you took an assessment and you know your natural and adaptive styles. You also know the style you prefer, which is your blind spot, and if you're not careful, it could be a weakness.

What do I mean? Think back to biology and more specifically, the eye. Where the optic nerve attaches to the back of the eye, you'll recall that because there are no rods and cones at that spot, so you have a natural blind spot 45 degrees off of your left and your right front. It's why during Driver's Education you learned to turn your head, especially at intersections. Just think of how important that message was during flight school!

5. The capacity of a servant leader

Ken: Delegation is a struggle for most CEOs and leaders. You teach delegation is essential for leaders to master. Why is delegation crucial, and what tips could you give to a leader who might be struggling to delegate to others?

Tom: When I speak, I ask my audience to identify their leadership purpose. When it comes to delegation, the question is: why do you want to delegate? Is it to reduce your workload? That's an OK answer. A better response: because you want to develop others.

Imagine if you treat your team members with the same love and purpose a parent shows their child. You nurture, and your desire to help them learn and grow makes all the difference in the world to them.

You may have to guide someone through each of the four stages in Blanchard's Situational Leadership model. In their weakest areas, first, it's directing, then coaching, then supporting, and finally delegating. When that happens, you just freed up your time!

Ken:Why do you have a passion for working with leaders?

Tom: My purpose throughout my professional career has been to hold myself accountable to Robert Greenleaf's "best test," contained in an essay he wrote a 1970 essay about Servant Leadership and worth repeating here:

• Do those served grow as persons?
• Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?
• What is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, not be further deprived?

I believe I am a product of the best leadership development program available. I also think purpose-driven leaders provide the most fertile soil. For me to live my purpose and make the best use of the talents that He has given me, I believe I'll help society best by sharing what I've learned with purpose-driven leaders.