Col. Shares Ideas on Leadership

The chapter's Young AFCEAN Advisory Council (YAAC) hosted its final installment of the 2014 Business Over Breakfast series in December, bringing in guest speaker Col. Michael Jiru, USAF, senior materiel leader and chief of the Enterprise Logistics Systems Division, Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate, Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex. Col. Jiru shared his thoughts on leadership with a crowd of professionals from industry, military and government. He began the discussion by referencing his early years in the Air Force working at the Sacramento Air Logistics Center as a structure engineer for F-111 aircraft. During this first assignment, he learned the importance of the trust subordinates must have in a leader. Good leaders also know their personality traits, as determined through a Myers-Briggs test, Col. Jiru said. In addition, they listen to those with more experience and find senior mentors to look up to who can help enable growth and prosperous leadership. The colonel advised attendees to combine their technical expertise and passion for their respective fields to inspire and lead others to the best of their abilities. He said open, effective communication and transparency with employees, when appropriate, can build trust and maintain integrity. Col. Jiru mentioned that good leaders genuinely care about the well-being of their people and make an effort to connect with them on a human level to build solid foundations of partnerships essential for successful mission execution. He underscored the necessity of using principles from management and leadership together for long-term success and taking the initiative to mentor others to mold them into potential leaders. Col. Jiru said staying up to date on technical knowledge allows leaders to engage as well as build essential credibility to influence decisions vital for mission success. Overall, he said people can learn something every day and should strive to seek ways to amplify their strengths and compensate for weaknesses to help them lead more effectively. A brief question-and-answer session followed Col. Jiru's presentation, and the audience actively engaged in discussion. The chapter's YAAC thanks Col. Jiru for donating his time and looks forward to planning the Business Over Breakfast series for 2015.

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