The Power Of Personal Example - Being Present on the Ground

I had an incident with a superior in late 2018 on an Australian Army training weekend. The conversation went something like this:

“Are you alright Phil?“

“Yes sir.”

“No seriously, are you alright Phil?”

“Yes, I am sir – absolutely”

“Then why are you staying on base, when you live so close to home? Go home to your partner and come back in the morning.”

“Sir, the reason I stay on base is that my soldiers are staying here over night as well. If they are, I intend to as well. I need to be present on the ground.”

This was my polite way of saying, “No – I will be here for the whole training weekend because my  team  will be there.”

I am normally the first one on base – because I have the keys to open the building; and I am the last to leave – because I lock up. I have no doubt that my superior had my personal best interest at heart. He thought there were issues at home (there are not - I have the most understanding partner!!). At that time, I was on a client engagement interstate and flying home to attend these defence training weekends, with hardly any contact with my partner until the end of the weekend. Some of my staff have suggested rather than staying on base, I go home too.

However what sort of example does that set? What is the example if I allow myself to go home, and my team could not? One of the key reasons I was on base with my team is because, purely by chance, I was applying the leadership principle of: Know and Care for Your Subordinates.

Being present on the ground with my team, demonstrated to them that someone gave a damn and cared for them. I may not be the actual trainer, but I am there, present, on the ground with them. That small point by itself raised morale and motivated them to want to be part of the team.

The Leadership Lesson: Be present and visible on the ground with your team.  Because as a leader, everybody is watching.

Philip Wagner is a contrarian Project and Leadership educator and practitioner, serving Army Officer and developer of the Leader IQ and Project IQ concepts of Leadership and Project Intelligence - He can be contacted at  phil@philipwagner.com.au or 0419 001 911