That said, follow me on a journey of 20 years in the Army and you will see that Leadership is something I have developed over the years. I learned early in my career about how NOT to be as a leader, by watching the poor leaders around me, and by being directly affected by their uncaring attitude for others, or their incompetence. Enough about the bad, they are many, but their influence was just a tool for my leadership toolbox.
On to the few, the good, the LEADERS in my military career. My first memorable leader was my Brigade S-3 shop (Operations) Sergeant Major, SGM Tanna. A quiet, unassuming man who was confident, compassionate, and a stickler for quality work, military courtesy, and respect for people. As a new Soldier, a mere Private First Class (PFC) working in the Aviation section, I didn't know what to think of this new SGM as he took over for our outbound SGM.
It was one act, one day that solidified my opinion of this man and convinced me that I would follow where ever he led. We worked in a three story building in Germany and were receiving new office furniture. There were no moving men to do the work, we, the Soldiers, moved all the old stuff out, and replaced it with the new. We carried a lot of desks, file cabinets and chairs up and down (basement level) three flights of stairs.
When I saw my new SGM, take of his jacket and help us move ALL the old furniture out and the new furniture in, I knew at that moment that this LEADER was different from the others that used their rank as a right to not work. Instead, he led from the front and never asked a Soldier to do anything he wasn't willing to do first. THAT is what made me respect him as my leader and willingly follow him, even when I didn't like the task, or the assignment.
Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Tanna was my SGM/CSM in many duty assignments over the years, Aviation is a small community, and when you are a good Soldier, the leaders you work for have a tendency to make sure you work for them again. He and his wife Song became our lifelong friends. My oldest daughter thought of him like a grandpa when she was little. CSM Tanna has been retired for many years, but we remain in touch and he still offers me good advice. I trust him, respect him, and love him like a second Dad. We have known each other for more than 20 years, and if the call came today, I would bear arms next to him and follow him into battle.
The leaders over the years have varied by race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, experience, military occupational specialty (MOS), marital status, etc. None of those things had any bearing on my opinion of their leadership. The bad all had simliar qualities; uncaring, selfish, rude, incompetent, unable to make decisions, spineless, and worked for their evaluation paper.
The actual LEADERS all had simliar qualities too: caring, standard bearers, compassionate, listeners, team builders, and led from the front.
The Army has seven core values it teaches with the acronym -
LDRSHIP
Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless-Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.
CSM Tanna epitomizes this acronym. He led me despite myself........
The 25 year old young woman pictured below, was only four months into the Army in this photo. She had completed Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training (to learn her military job), and Airborne Paratrooper School (to learn to jump out of airplanes into combat). She had no idea in 1991 that 12 years later she would be responsible for 45 other lives, besides her own, as she led her platoon into combat in Iraq. THANK YOU CSM (RET) TANNA for instilling in me the right leadership mentality. I was blessed to bring all of my Soldiers home. GOD BLESS US ALL
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| PFC Cyndee Taresh July 1991 |
Wonderful story about great leadership... never asking another to do what one is not willing to do oneself. Perfect.
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