leadership her way - june 2 2015

8/16/2019 Leadership Her Way - June 2 2015

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By Dr. Scena B. Webb


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This book is dedicated to the women I haveserved with in the United States Navy, Army,

Air Force, and Marines. For the women stillin the military that I have met, you are not

alone. Your story needs a voice. You areheroes that deserve a celebration. I salute

each of you for your unwavering dedicationto duty.

For my retired sisters in arms…. Yoursacrifice will never be forgotten.

You have successfully completed 20 or

more years of faithful service to the UnitedStates of America serving in various areas ofthe military. You are to be treasured. You are

to be remembered. You will one day havemotion pictures that show your bravery andsacrifice. You will never be forgotten. I am

you. You are I. SALUTE!


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I began my doctoral journey in September

2008. As a part of that journey I had tochoose a topic worthy of original research. Ipondered various topics and one stood out

from the rest. The focus on military womenand their leadership styles developed. I

reflected on the thought of women who haveserved and retired from the military. I

immediately thought, “Wow! I can do this! Ican write about women like me”. I will sharetheir story of leadership and seek to

understand life from their eyes. So the journey began, looking for scholarly articles

on military retired women.

“But someday, somebody'll stand up and talk aboutme and write about me black and beautiful and singabout me and put on plays about me! I reckon it'll beme myself! Yes, it'll be me.” - Langston Hughes,

Harlem Renaissance.


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As I searched for information in scholarly journals about business, psychology, religion,leadership, and the social sciences, I did not

find any literature about women who servedand retired from the military that were not

associated with traumatic experiences. Isearched newspaper articles, magazines, and

periodicals turning up with nothing on theretired military woman. With each search I

grew more and more determined to writeabout this silenced population. I decided tobegin my research at the beginning,

attracting minority and diversity candidatesinto the military service. Again, there was

little research available to me so off I went insearch of a meaningful way to make a

contribution to scholarly research.Three years later I completed original

research on attracting qualified minority and

diversity candidates to the military. I felt asthough I brought a little light into the enigmasurrounding military attraction applicationsand success rates. Through writing my

dissertation I discovered a passion for sharingwith others about the leadership styles ofretired military women. The women in this


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book are my friends. I know each of thempersonally and I have a deep bond with them.We know that we are not alone in our

commonalities across military branches. Weshare a bond that says, Yes we have

successfully served and Yes we continue toserve as civilian contractors, as government

workers, as wives, as community leaders, asspiritual leaders, as coaches, as mentors, as

citizens.The women you will meet in this book

graciously gave of their time and extremely

busy schedules to share with me knowing thatI would share with you, the readers of this

work. There are many women who have yetto be heard. I will find them and write about

them. For now, I want you to relax and meetthree military retired women along withmyself. I want you to share in our feelings as

were open ourselves up to the various wayswe transfer our leadership styles into ourcurrent positions. Each of us successfullynavigated 20 years or more in the military.

Each of us currently has jobs outside of thehome. Each of us live and participate alongside of you in the community.


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I will write again and share more about usso that you can get to know us. My prayer is

that you will take a better understanding ofthe psychological adjustments the women in

this book deal with on a daily basis as wecontinue to serve our country.

Dr. Scena B. Webb


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LEADERSHIP HER WAY 1

INSIGHTS ON LEADERSHIP STYLES OFSUCCESSFUL MILITARY WOMEN 1

DEDICATION 2

PREFACE 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS 5

CHAPTER ONE 8

SASHA 8

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 12

WHAT MEDIA PORTRAYS ABOUTMILITARY WOMEN LEADERS 14PERSPECTIVES OF LEADERSHIP 15

PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES OF MILITARYLEADERSHIP TRANSFERABILITY 16STRUGGLES WITH PERSPECTIVES ON

LEADERSHIP 18SASHA’S INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONS

ON LEADERSHIP 21

CHAPTER TWO 23

DENISE 23

WHAT MEDIA PORTRAYS ABOUT MILITARYWOMEN LEADERS 28PERSPECTIVES OF LEADERSHIP 30


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PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES OF MILITARYLEADERSHIP TRANSFERABILITY 31

STRUGGLES WITH PERSPECTIVES ONLEADERSHIP 33

DENISE’S INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONSON LEADERSHIP 36

CHAPTER THREE 38

ROSA 38LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 42

PERSPECTIVES OF LEADERSHIP 45PSYCHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES OF MILITARY

LEADERSHIP TRANSFERABILITY 46PERSPECTIVES ON LEADERSHIP 49

ROSA’S INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONS ONLEADERSHIP 52

CHAPTER FOUR 54

SCENA 54WHAT MEDIA PORTRAYS ABOUT MILITARY

WOMEN LEADERS 60PERSPECTIVES OF LEADERSHIP 61


STRUGGLES WITH PERSPECTIVES ONLEADERSHIP 67MY INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONS ON

LEADERSHIP 70

CHAPTER FIVE 72SUMMARY INSIGHTS 72


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Sasha and I have known each other sinceabout 2003. She and I met while we were on

active duty. She is a brilliant woman. Myfirst impression of Sasha was, “Wow! She

carries herself coming from a position ofpower!” Sasha and I served together forseveral years before my transfer. At the time,

I met Sasha she had been serving in theUnited States Navy for about 11 years. She

was a single mother pursuing her degree.When I think of five words to describe Sasha,

I think of committed, complicated,meticulous, tenacious, and caring.

Sasha and I would laugh and compareleadership styles when working out solutionsto organizational problems. We both had our

challenges as we came up through the ranks.Being women was hard enough in positions

of leadership, however, for Sasha, the addedpressure of raising a family must have been

hell. I can’t speak to those pressures because Idon’t have any children. Though I have

many women who have served under my

leadership that did. But this chapter is notabout me it’s about Sasha and her leadership.


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Leadership (noun)

Leadership is the action of leading a group of peopleor an organization. Synonyms: guidance, direction,control, management, superintendence, supervision.

Sasha showed all of these characteristicsduring the time I served with her. She is also

complicated, a mother, a daughter, a rolemodel, a mentor, and a wonderful spouse.Most importantly, she is my friend, confidant,

and shipmate. She is fierce when leadinggroups of people. She is forceful when

controlling situations in her sphere ofinfluence. She is masterful when giving

direction. She is meticulous in hermanagement. She is mission driven in hersuperintendence. She is a no-nonsense

supervisor. She is a retired military servicemember still giving today.

Sasha is a dynamic military veteran whoserved over 20 years of dedicated and faithful

service to the United States of America. At

the time I met Sasha, she had already gainedthree years experience in leadership positions.


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She was a single parent of a three-year-olddaughter. She was no struggle to maintaininga healthy home-life while meeting the

demands of a military career. When Iapproached Sasha about joining me on this

project to help readers learn about the waysshe describes her leadership style and how

she transfers her style of leadership from amilitary application to a civilian application,

Sasha immediately agreed to share herinsights. Here are some of Sasha’s insights:

Sasha shared with me that she really didn’t

have any mentors while she was active dutyback around 2002 when we served together.

To develop her leadership style, Sasha sharedthat she more or less took a piece of everyone

that led her or worked with her. She took thestyles that she liked and didn’t like puttingthem into her leadership tool bag. Sasha

describes one true mentor, at that time asbeing a person that walked with grace anddidn’t hold back. That mentor told you thingsabout yourself that you didn’t want to hear.


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By her own account, leadershipdevelopment was not easy for Sasha. She

describes her development as a leader feelinguncomfortable in the many different ways shetried to exercise her leadership style during

the time we served together. It wasn’t untilher next transfer that she was able to put it all

together. Sasha decided to just be herself inher most comfortable role, being a mother.Sasha shared that being a mother, a person

has leadership traits that they may not realizethey have. For example, mothers have to

motivate, guide, set rules and boundaries, andteach. So Sasha took that approach and used

that as her baseline in leading people. Alongthe way, she had to adjust some things or

ways she exercised her leadership based onwhat works and what doesn’t work.

“I learned that you could not lead everyone the sameway. You have to tailor yourself to each person that

you lead while at the same time not changing yourvalues.”


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As Sasha and I continued or reflection onleadership, I asked her this question,

“Describe the most valuable leadershiplessons for you during your time in the

military?” Sasha recalled that some of themost valuable leadership lessons for her weretimes when she failed. She recalled a specific

time when she had no Chief in the divisionand her division had a major inspection. Shethought that she had it all under control. Shefelt she was doing everything right. Well, the

inspection came and she failed. Sashaemphasized that not only did she fail, but also

she failed her peers, subordinates, and upperleadership.

Sasha shared another valuable leadership

lesson happened when she came back to workfrom maternity leave after having her son.

She was going through a lot of thingspersonally and professionally. She wasdiagnosed with postpartum depression alongwith clinical depression. She was removed

from being the chief in charge of her currentworkgroup and placed in an administrativeposition. Sasha recalls that instead of taking a


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step back, she continued to press on andeverything started spinning. In her words, “Ittook all of that for me to step back and

regroup.” By then she had destroyedrelationships and had to regain the respect of

her juniors. Sasha says, “That was my mosthumbling experience in leadership.”

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Sash and I reflected on how the media doesnot portray strong military leaders who are

women. We couldn't reflect on anyHollywood movie that shows us, as women,in leadership positions serving onboard Navyships as senior leaders. The few motion

pictures that have been released are silentwith respect to the daily operations thatwomen in the military lead. Sash and I are

surface warfare qualified which means we arequalified and proficient to roam around the

bridge of a naval ship understanding theintricate details of the operations. We


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understand and can execute what it takes toget a ship or aircraft underway. We arequalified in a ship’s weapon systems. Yet, as

of the writing of this book, we are notrepresented in media or on the big screen as

such.

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Sasha and I talked about perceptions of

leadership with respect to the way we weregroomed while serving in the military. She

and I both served in the Navy. She and Iboth rose to senior leadership ranks. She and

I both had some unspoken expectations aboutleadership when we retired. Here are some ofSasha’s insights on transferring her leadership

style from a military application to her work

now as a defense contractor. I asked Sashahow she thinks she is perceived as a leader in


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her current position. Sasha said that she feelsmen perceive her as aggressive.

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I asked Sasha if there is an expectedcontract between people at work. She repliedwith a definite yes. Sasha gave an example ofa time when she asked for a mentor. She

asked for a female veteran figuring that shecould get some guidance into theexpectations of working as a newly retired

civilian. Sasha was wrong. She found outquickly that the person whom she thoughtwould mentor her ultimately demonstratedthat she was a company person not interested

in mentoring. Sasha thought that thecamaraderie that is common in the militaryworking alongside other military members

would carry over if she selected a female whomight better identify with her. I would have

made the same choice given similarcircumstances.


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I asked Sasha if she felt that militarywomen bring a sense of strategy to the job. Ishared with her that when I got to my job I

quickly became interested in who plays whatrole in my immediate surroundings. Sasha

agreed that we know how to immediatelyfigure out who does what or who will actually

do what they say. Sasha mentioned again inour chat that she has been told that

sometimes she is too aggressive. She describesher work environment as a “push-pull”situation. Anxiety at work happens sometimes

with Sasha. She describes herself as a veryattention-to-detail person at work and it

causes anxiety sometimes. Reflecting back onher own style, she feels that “they don’t

understand”. She finds herself constantly re-evaluating her military options. In the sensethat when she works on projects, she reflects

back on what she would have done in themilitary in particular situations she faces inher current job.


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I shared with Sasha how I struggle with not

letting “Chief Webb” out at work. When I

made that comment, I was referring to timeswhen I feel the person whom I am dealingwith at the time does not have the necessary

leadership skills to deal with a situation. Ireconcile in my mind that if I let “Chief

Webb” out, then all hell will break loose. Iwas reflecting with Sasha on how there aretimes in my current job that my 21 years of

military experience dictate that I step in andtake control of a situation because I know I

have the skills and ability to do so. However,I sometimes struggle with the reality that my

current role does not require my seniorleadership but that I am in a role that I seemore as a mentorship role that allows

mistakes to happen so other can develop theirleadership roles.

Sasha shared that she had an experiencewith only being onboard her job less than six

months where “Chief Sasha” had to comeout. The folks she was dealing with “did not


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know how to deal with a strong woman.”She tells of instances where she has had toput a shield up to keep her leadership going.

Sasha feels she brings a sense of loyalty to hercompany and that she brings a workplace

mentality to the job. Sasha told me that shefeels people need to “take ownership of their

project”. She shared an instance where a young female coworker, in her early twenties,

didn’t seem to know how to channel herabilities. She talked about how that particularcoworker uses her physical attributes to try to

get ahead. Now let me make this clear, Sashais not hating on the lady, she is being

descriptive in our discussion.

“I wanted to know how Sasha’s militaryexperiences have shaped her leadership style.”

Sasha said to me, “All the mistakes I madebefore play a part in channeling things.” Themilitary taught her that mission comes first.

So then came the question, “How do youtransfer your leadership style you learned in

the military?” Sasha says she has to think,“How do I get this dude to do what I need


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him to do without him knowing it?” Sashasays she has to continually adapt herleadership style to deal with others. We talked

about a particular scenario where she thoughtabout leaving the present company but found

mentorship with a guy that is also retiredmilitary. Sasha talked about the only reason

she stays is because of her boss, which is amale. (I felt that was important, but Sasha

didn’t…just for clarity here). Hercommitment to the job and to her bossbecause of his leadership style speaks volumes

to the importance of good leadership. Sashashared how she trusts her leader. She watches

his style and she adapts.

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• Motivates others for success without

being asked to do so.• Takes an active role in demonstrating

what leadership looks like.

• Understands that returning to workafter having children takes an

adjustment period.

•

Looks for the expected nonverbalcontract between people at work.

• Seeks mentorship.

• Looks for the camaraderie that iscommon in the military.

• Understands that her prior mistakes inlife shape the leader she is today.

Things to consider:

Sasha's insights on leadership reflect qualities that great leaders have such as the ability to take an


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introspective view of her skills and talents. Herauthentic self shines throughout her conversation. Byany measure, she is the type of leader that anyorganization would be lucky to have at the helm.


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Denise and I met in 2000 while we were

stationed onboard the USS Grasp in VirginiaBeach, Virginia. She had a magneticpresence that shouted leadership andconfidence. Denise always looked sharp in

her uniform and always seemed to know theanswers. She was the chief in the Information

Technology division. Denise and I becamereally good shipmates during my time

onboard the USS Grasp. There were manydays I would seek mentorship from Denisewhen we were on duty together or underway.

Denise had a down-to-earth personality

and she spoke with authority. One of themany things I admired then and now aboutDenise is her contemplative decision-making

style. She and I would talk about myleadership style and ways to deal withsituations onboard the ship. I can remember

Denise would never just “answer thequestion” for me. Instead, she would oftenrephrase scenarios with me so that I could seethe best solution. I will admit, during this

conversation I just wanted her to answer thequestion. I really missed Denise when I


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transferred from the ship. It seems that Ideveloped an immediate connection withDenise that was filled with respect and

admiration for her as a Navy Chief, amentor, and a leader.

Effective Leadership

"To be an effective leader one needs to be a goodlistener and that the greatest form of discourse takes

place within a conversation and not a lecture ormonologue," - Mike Myatt

Denise was the only female chief onboard

the ship making her the highest rankingenlisted female Sailor! We had one femalediving officer. Now, for those of my readers

who are not familiar with the significance ofthe situation, here is a bit of context. Denise

and I were serving onboard a ship that had aprimary mission of rescue and salvage. All ofthe officers were divers and most of the crew’s

job specialties were related to diving andrescue missions. Serving with divers meant

mental and physical fitness were essential.Denise was physically and mentally sharp.


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She would run in the formation with the restof us as if she was floating. She fit in well! I onthe other hand, well, let’s just say that’s a

story for another chapter.

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Denise is a brilliant military veteran whoserved over 23 years of combined Army

Reserve and Active duty Naval service to theUnited States of America. When our careerscrossed Denise had already served in many

senior leadership roles. She brought to theunit experience handling top secret and


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classified equipment, had already handledmillions of dollars worth equipment, and had

years of training junior personnel. One of the

burning impressions, I will always have aboutDenise and her leadership while we served

together was her ability to navigate the maledominated diver’s world. She showed me

how to stay the course and remain sane.When I approached Denise about joining me

on this project I knew she was extremelybusy. She did not hesitate to say yes. Shefound a way to fit me into her schedule and

during our interview she made me feel like Iwas the only one that mattered. I hope you

enjoy learning about the ways she describesher leadership style and how she transfers her

style of leadership from a military applicationto a civilian application. Here are some ofDenise’s insights:

Research suggests that mentorship plays asignificant role in leadership development. Iasked Denise about mentorship she hadreceived up to the point of our service

together back in 2000. Denise attributes themilitary for her success of becoming aninfluencer. She shared that before the


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military she was quiet and reserved. She saysthe military brought things out in her. Shewas exposed to horrible leaders and good

leaders during her military experience.Denise shared that she didn’t have

mentorship onboard the ship but that she didhave connections with some of the people she

served with at her prior assignment. One ofthe ways she developed her leadership style

back then was to observe the leadership stylesof the male-dominated senior leadershiponboard the ship and take valuable lessons

surrounding what she would implement andnot implement. She recalls that time as not

being the best experience but a valuablelesson. After leaving the ship, Denise met her

current mentor and friend. She still maintainscontact with this mentor.

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A reflection of military women in themovies such as M.A.S.H., G.I. Jane, A Few


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Good Men, Courage Under Fire, and PearlHarbor don’t even come close to representingone day in the life of what Denise and I

served. We agreed that there is no reflectionof the hard work that it took to integrate

leadership and teamwork into mostly maleSailors as a woman. Yes, leading from the

front was a part of our daily routines. Duringthose times, there were no books written on

how women in the military succeed. Werecognize that if we want representation ofour strength, our pain, our leadership, our

sisterhood, then we will have to share thestory.

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Denise brings a combination of military

leadership experience to the landscape on

leadership. She has four and a half years ofArmy Reserve experience coupled with herNavy experience. When I talked with her

about her view on her leadership style as aperson no longer active duty I listened for

military influences. Denise shared with methat the transition from being active duty tobecoming a contractor working with the

Navy and subsequent role as a governmentworker was somewhat seamless. Denise

retired from the Navy and maintains arelationship with the military after her

retirement. She did not experience acomplete disconnect from the militaryenvironment. Here are some of Denise’s

insights on transferring her leadership stylefrom a military application to her work nowas a government employee working with themilitary.


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I asked Denise if there is an expected

contract between people at work. She repliedthat she expected people to shareinformation. Denise talked about the early

years of her when she first retired. She saidshe had to figure out who does what. She told

me that in the contracting world you are kindof left on your own. She recalled that

sometimes when she observed how activeduty people behaved in leadership positions,she would think to herself, “How in the heck

did they make chief?” Her expectations arethat people will show professionalism in their

work. Denise serves as a mentor in hercurrent job. She told me that if she saw

someone in her work that seems like theydon’t have a clue, she would speak to themprivately and offer pointers.

I asked Denise how she leads in her currentposition. She works in a team environment

with active duty service members and othergovernment workers. She has the benefit of


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working with the same team members aswhen she was a contractor for thegovernment. Denise says in her leadership

style she wants to know what each member’srole is and what each player brings to the

team. As a part of her leadership style, she sitsback, watches what takes place then moves

forward. She says she will not just wait to dothings. In her words, “If there is a need then I

move forward with a solution rather thanwait on a solution.”

“If there is a need then I move forward with asolution rather than wait on a solution.”

As I reflected on the scenarios Deniseshared with me, I wanted to know if she felt

the company values her talents as a veteran.Denise told me that she feels valued for her

military experience because most of the folkson her team are affiliated with the military.She has team members who are also retired

or who are currently active duty militarymembers. Her work depends on military

contracting services and she believes herknowledge of military operations is one of the


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reasons she was hired. Denise told me thatshe believes in mentoring behavior that isprofessional. That means if a person is

demonstrating that they need help, she willtalk with them privately and offer

mentorship.

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I told Denise how I find myself evaluatingmy leaders comparing them to the way

military leaders executed the mission. Ishared with her how I constantly remind

myself that I am not the Division Chief in myrole now so I can stop myself from jumping in

to fix situations. Denise told me that whenshe was a contractor, she had to temper whatshe said before she said it. Now in her role as

a government employee, she finds herselfbeing more conscious of how she does what

she does. Denise told me that when she givesadvice, she reflects on her military

experience. She keeps an open mind. Shesays she doesn’t talk but listens to what a

person has to say. Then she will give a


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response that may seem a military response inthat the response is going to be direct and tothe point.

Denise shared an experience of workingwith a person she would mentor because she

observed that the coworker approachedactive duty personnel with a less than

professional attitude. Denise recalled and hercoworker was disrespecting event where she

felt the rank of the active duty person. Denisetold me she self-initiated a conversation withher coworker to explain how the behavior

appeared. She then went on to makesuggestions on how to deal with military

personnel in a way that gave respect to theirrank. My response was, Wow! So you are

telling me your “mentorship” wasunsolicited? Denise replied, yes. She went onto say, as a Navy chief, I am not going to

watch someone disrespect the uniformwithout taking corrective action. I wouldhave done the exact same thing.


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• Listened for influences while

developing leadership.• Has a clear vision of what leadership

should not look like.

• Expects professionalism at work.• Willingly serves as a mentor to others.


•

Seeks to understand everyone’s rolewith respect to team dynamics.

• Does not back down from doing what

is right.

Things to consider:

Denise’s insights on leadership read like a list of“who’s who” of preferred qualities. Some of the things

Denise did not share are her passion for fitness. She

volunteers yearly to ride for causes that help the lives ofothers. She is a very humble leader that has a keen eye


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for raising the spirits of those around her. She hastouched my heart forever.


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Rosa and I met in 2008 while we were at

our residency located in Phoenix, Arizonapursuing our doctoral degree. I canremember the instant energy that she had.She was giving a presentation on her

proposed topic for her dissertation. Iremember thinking to myself, wow! She is a

little lady speaking from a position of power!Since that time, she and I have been like

sisters from another mother. She is aconsummate professional. There are timeswhen I meet people for the first time and I

feel as if I have known them my entire life.

Rosa is one of those people. She retired fromthe United States Army after serving 22honorable years serving her country. We

developed a shared connection through ourdesire to work on our academic career, but amuch deeper and unexpected sisterhood

developed partly because of our militaryconnection. While I am sharing suchwonderful insights about my friend I wouldbe remiss if I did not share this, Rosa is one of

the masters at being able to show her family


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her love and dedication to their wellbeing.She is a true inspiration.

Reflective Leadership

"We can learn to see each other and see ourselves ineach other and recognize that human beings are morealike than we are unalike,"- Maya Angelou

I once believed I was a busy lady with allkinds of things on my plate to juggle. Then, Imet Rosa and all of the things that I

considered busy were minimized by listeningto the myriad of things she deals with on a

daily basis. She is a mother, a wife, a soldier,a military retiree, a federal worker, a sister, a

daughter, a friend, a spiritual sister for me,and most of all, a wonderful person. Whew!Her day starts early in the morning and a

good day may end around 7 or 8 pm for her.In comparison, my life is not busy…


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"#* 3#,1, 4(% -*1-$*7*8 +-,& J,,)6* 0&()*%/ "#* $&()* 8,*% 5,1 B*6,5) 1, C-/

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Rosa served 22 years in the military before

retiring her uniform. She embodiesleadership as an action word because she is aleader who inspires, who motivates, who

guides, who builds, and who achieves. By the

time Rosa and I became connected she hadalready amassed several different seniorleadership positions ranging from a Squad

leader to Detachment Sergeant and SeniorSupervisor. In her own words, sometimes shewore two hats overseeing two sections! The

Army veteran I got to meet was jugglingfamily life that also included caring for hermother and extended family members. Thislady was working on her doctorate as well as

maintaining a healthy relationship with herboys as a single parent. This lady even found


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time for me on days and nights when I wouldcall her to discuss my dissertation (inlength)…smile, Rose never brushed me off.

When I approached Rosa about joining meon this project to help readers learn about the

ways she describes her leadership style andhow she transfers her style of leadership from

a military application to a civilianapplication, Rosa immediately agreed to

share her insights. Here are some of Rosa’sinsights:

“There’s no greater agony than the untold storyinside you - Maya Angelou”

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I asked Rosa how many leadership

positions she had already completed when wemet. Rosa responded that the question of

leadership positions was a good questionbecause when people think about leadership

positions the first thing that comes to mind isappointed leadership positions. Her responsecame from the perspective of the five


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positions of power and leadership researchedby social psychologists John French andBertram Raven in 1959. Rosa pondered

legitimate power, reward power, expertpower, referent power, and coercive power as

connections to leadership. I asked Rosa to goback in time to 2008 when we met. I asked

her what her biggest leadership challengeswere. Rosa shared with me that mentorship

was and still is a challenge for her.Connecting to people that she can identifywith and are willing to offer guidance,

direction, encouragement, and alike. ForRosa staying motivated is also a leadership

challenge. In her own words, “Inspiration vs.Motivation is challenging.” Before there is

motivation, there is the inspiration. Rosa usedher doctoral journey to illustrate the point.She was inspired by a colleague to start the

doctoral journey. After the inspiration camemotivation (time to take action). Rosarecalled how there are hills and valleys in thedoctoral journey. Sometimes there are no

cheering fans or spectators to offer externalmotivation. Sometimes you may fall and youhave the scars to prove it and you wonder will


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I make it across the finish line. Ultimately,from the wisdom of Rosa, motivation isinternal.

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.@*5( D*BB $5 (5' +,-&/


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8')#+'92*-'# /: .'"(')#$*+

Rosa brings a dynamic to the leadership

landscape that embodies life balancing, a

decorated military veteran perspective, andan infusion of civilian work experiences. Herperspective of leadership has been shaped by

her experiences living in Germany as a singlemother of two small boys while serving as the

Detachment Sergeant. Rosa shared howthankful she is for the good and the not sogood leaders that were appointed over her in

the military. She is careful not to call theleaders “BAD” in her words. She admitted

that she served with two leaders that wouldmake the Joker (The comic book villain)

appear like an angel.Rosa told me that she was glad to have seen

the “not so good” leaders in action. Because

of many leadership experiences, Rosa sharedthat as a young private she wasn’t sure whenshe would have the opportunity to lead orwhat type of leader she would be, but she was

certain of the leader she did not want to be. Iasked Rosa if she could choose one message


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to tell herself about leadership back then thatcould help her now, what would it be? Rosasaid she would tell herself not to sell herself

short. She would tell herself not to allowanyone to talk herself out of going for her

career goals or miss out onopportunities…not even herself. Rosa retired

from the Army and works closely withmilitary veterans as her clients. Here are

some of Rosa’s insights on transferring herleadership style from a military application toher work now as a government employee

working with the military veterancommunity.

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Research suggests that styles of leadershipare learned behaviors. I have adopted the

hypothesis that the way we transfer militaryleadership styles are also learned behaviors. I

asked Rosa what she thinks of mentorshipwith respect to leadership. She shared with


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me that mentorship was then and still is todaya challenge. The challenge is connecting topeople that she can identify with and are

willing to offer guidance, direction,encouragement, and the like. Rosa shared

that technology makes connecting across theglobe less painstaking.

I asked Rosa if she had any leadershipmentors during the time I met her that stood

out to her. She shared that she did not havementors, men or women, who directlymentored her. Remember, at the time Rosa

and I became friends she had already retiredfrom the United States Army and was now a

part of corporate America. She shared thateven though she worked for a defense-related

firm that was founded and owned by awoman entrepreneur, but not her mentor.Through a friend, she learned of an

internship program with he federalgovernment. She decided to pursue theinternship and leave her corporate position.She currently works for the federal

government.Rosa recalls the confusion and time of

transition moving from one position to


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another. During that time, she began lookingfor a mentor. She found a female mentor andthings were working great. Midway into the

relationship her mentor pursued a newcareer. She found another female mentor, but

the relationship did not last. Again, Rosafound herself without a mentor. Working on

doctoral studies was even harder for herduring this transition. Rosa attributes her

stability to a friendship we share. I know thisis about Rosa, but I have to share her wordshere,

“Again I was mentor less, by now some ofthe colleagues that started the doctoral

program were close to graduating and othersfell out of the race. With each setback, it took

more self-talk to continue to move forward.At one point, I stopped running and startedwalking. I was discouraged and felt defeated.

My colleague and friend, Dr. Scena Webb,who is an inspiration and a role model to me,suggest that I contact Dr. Donyell Roseboro,an accomplished writer, educator, and the

first African American department chair atthe Watson College of Education at theUniversity of North Carolina Wilmington as


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of July 2014. Dr. Roseboro cheerfullyaccepted my invitation in 2013 and for thefirst time since I retired from the military in

2006 I have a mentor and I do not feel asthough I am running alone.”

I asked Rosa this question, “If you couldtarget your chapter of the book to a particular

audience, who who’ll that be and why?”Rosa’s audience would be young female

teens. Rosa shared that she believesmentoring female teens is a part of thesolution to women reaching parity in

corporate boardrooms.

“Early involvement through mentorship will help young females acquire and build leadership skills, gainexperience and confidence needed to gain entry to theboardroom.”

8')#+'92*-'# /1 .'"(')#$*+

I told Rosa how I have to use self-talk often

in my job as I experience high levels ofnegative responses to my career goals. When

I think over my 35+ years in my adult


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working life, I can't recall anyone workplacewhere "No” has been the common response.I asked Rosa the essence of what I wanted to

know, how she transfers her leadership skillslearned in the military to her current job.

Rosa shared that her current positionaffords her the opportunity to work with a

team of eight highly motivated professionals.All but one person is prior military from

various branches. She attributes their militaryupbringing as a foundation for how well theyinteract with each other.

Rosa shared that she does not expect asmuch from people as she did from soldiers in

the military. “In the military we worked untilthe mission was complete," Rosa explained

that the civilian sector has more boundariescompared to the military. The military offersa firmly structured environment with very

clear lines of responsibility and authority.Things such as calling supervisors by theirfirst name still brings a little discomfort, saysRosa, even though she retired in 2006.

The cohesiveness of military members has aresemblance to that of a family unit. Thatconnection or interest is not readily present in


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the civilian workforce. Team building is aninherent function of a military leader. Themindset is always one team, one fight.

I asked Rosa how her level of responsibilitychanged from when she was in the military

compared to her current position. She sharedthat her appointed leadership position

changed and that she does not have directresponsibility of overseeing processes or

people. In her words, “Nonetheless, I stillprovide leadership for those around me. I donot have legitimate power, but I am still a

leader."


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• Brings others alongside her to helpcomplete the mission.

• Believes in working for the mission, notfor the clock.

• Looks for the structure inorganizations.

• Understands that challenges areleadership opportunities.


•

Looks for the camaraderie that iscommon in the military.

• Gives credit to others for their uniquecontributions.

Things to consider:

Rosa’s insights on leadership read as though theycame out of the many leadership articles I have read.

She walks the talk. She takes command of a room and pours into the spirit of others. I have witnessed this


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first hand. She is dynamic, genuine, and competitive.She is a consummate leader.


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- Huey Freeman is her inner self.

The women I wrote about in this book arephenomenal. Each of them unselfishly shareddeep moments in their lives. They are very

special to me. They are not the only women Ihave had the pleasure to learn from duringmy military career. These particular women

were the first ones to say, Yes! Yes I will help you Scena share our story. To them, I amgrateful. I am inspired by their willingness toput things aside for me. Thank you!

"I’ve learned that whenever I decide something withan open heart, I usually make the right decision.”-

Maya Angelou

Huey Freeman is my inner self. HueyFreeman is the main protagonist in The

Boondocks syndicated comic strip written byAaron McGruder, as well as the animatedTV series of the same name. Politicallysapient and borderline militant, he regularly

reflects on current events as well as the plight


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of African Americans as it relates to greatersociety.

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My military career started on July 10, 1984.I left the streets of Detroit, Michigan looking

forward to a new chapter in my life. I had noidea what the future had in store for me. I didhave one thought in mind I wanted to see the

world. In this book, I get a chance to share afew insights about leadership. I have the

opportunity to share my perspective comingfrom someone who was not very “military

minded”. I had never seen anyone in themilitary on television or in person who lookedlike me so I did not join to follow in anyone’s

footsteps. During my time in the Navy, I did


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meet some powerfully dynamic women! Somany that I am not sure I have enough spaceto write about each of them in this book. I

promise that I will introduce you to them inmy autobiography one day.

Suffice it to say; as the years went on, Hueybegan to grow in me. I was introduced to his

character back in 1992 in Norfolk, Virginia.His character was in a comic strip. I

immediately connected with this characterand I would cut out the comics and savethem. I still have them in a photo album

today. Huey was the inner voice of theexperiences I began to have in the military.

While I couldn’t say things out loud, Hueywould. I anxiously waited for Aaron

McGruder’s column daily so I could makesense of the leadership I came in contactwith. Thank you, Mr. McGruder, for Huey!

I am a Navy veteran who served over 21 years on active duty. I have served on the eastcoast, the west coast and overseas severaltimes. I have served on three different class

naval ships, a repair tender, a submarinetender, and a rescue and salvage ship. Duringmy shore commands, I worked in several


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locations to include San Diego, California,Norfolk, Virginia, Diego Garcia, Mildenhall,England, and Detroit, Michigan. My

worldview of leadership was completelyshaped by my military experiences until I

retired from the military. During those 21 years of military service, I came to

understand and appreciate differentperspectives working with people from all

over the world.I had the chance to visit places like Hawaii,

Guam, Japan, The Philippines, Thailand,

Singapore, Diego Garcia, Gibraltar, England,France, The Bahamas, Sicily, Italy, Spain,

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Rome, I saw theDavid, The 16th Chapel in Rome (I savedmy admittance ticket!), The Vatican wherethe Pope lives, the Roman Coliseum where

the gladiators fought, Tangier Africa, andmany other places. There is no doubt thatthese experiences have shaped my perspectiveon leadership.

After I retired in 2005 from the military, I

worked in the City of Detroit in two highschools. Wow! Talk about a shift in my


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perspective on leadership. I was suddenly outof a familiar worldview where there wereclear lines of authority and expectations to a

situation where the high school principals had very demanding jobs dealing with teachers,

administrators, parents, students, and oh yes,the administration of the “No Child Left

Behind Act”. I was immediately thrust intothe world where I had to perform as a

teacher in a totally different environmentwith a brand new audience…young people.A shift and certain global perspective on

leadership took place.I left the Detroit Public School system and

came into the federal service to work as agovernment worker. Oh my! Talk about

another leadership shift. The lines ofauthority are superficially clear, but the levelsof authority does not match the expectations.

Here I found a definite disconnect from myprior experiences of leadership. I find myselfin a constant state of learning, seekingunderstanding of this leadership model.


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As of the moment I began to write this

book there have been no military movies thatI have seen depicting women of color inleadership roles. Women of color meaning

women of Latin descent, women of Asiandescent, women of African descent, women of

Caribbean descent, women of color. I havemet many women of various decent serving

in the United States military yet I have notseen a movie acknowledging thecontributions of all women in leadership

positions. Therefore, I decided that I shouldmake a contribution to the discussion of

women who have served that I knowpersonally and share just a snippet of their

leadership development and how theytransfer their leadership to the jobs they dotoday. This is an important story. I am one of

these women. Below are my medals. Myribbons are not shown.


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Leadership is leading people to do actionsor display behaviors that they might not have

shown without the leader’s influence.Leadership is having the responsibility andauthority to make things happens. Notice that

I did not say leadership was cute or alwayspositive. I don’t believe that. I do believe that

leadership is the absolute ability to motivate

yourself and others to move in a specificdirection. The military shaped my leadership


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style playing a psychological role for over 21 years. Subconsciously I was being groomedinto leadership positions at Recruit Training

Command in Great Lakes, Illinois duringboot camp.

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From that moment when I learned how to

get along with people I didn’t know from anearly age, I began shaping my view ofleadership. I can remember back in July of1984 in boot camp when a young lady in my

recruit group told me she had never actuallymet a black person. She said that she sawthem on the television every now and then

but she never actually met one. I rememberthis conversation as if it was yesterday


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because I remember saying to her, “Wow!This is 1984 and I thought everyone knewsomebody who was black.” I remember that I

wasn’t offended but rather surprised. Theleaders of my recruit group were two women.

Both of the women were stern and worked asa team. They did an excellent job of taking

30 women who came from all over Americaand training them to become a team in just a

few short weeks!I believe there is a psychological

expectation that I carry for people in

leadership positions. I expect that leaders willtake an active interest in the welfare of the

people who work for them. I expect thatleaders will use their power and positional

authority to provide their workers with toolsneeded to complete a task. I expect thatleaders will ensure that their workers are

trained to complete expected tasks. I expectleaders to indoctrinate new workers into theflow of the workplace. I expect leaders toprovide feedback both positive and negative

to those who work for them and those theywork for. I expect that leaders will behave theway they want their juniors to behave. I


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expect leaders to demonstrate the way forothers. I found out quickly that myexpectations were not matched to what I saw

when I retired from the military.I didn’t recognize that what I expected was

imprinted from my experiences in themilitary until I started talking to my

girlfriends who had also retired. We wouldcompare what we experience on our current

jobs and quickly noticed we had similarexperiences. Wow! All of a sudden I wasn’talone in my expectations. I began to notice

that my ideas of leadership were notrestricted to my Navy friends. My Air Force,

Army, and Marine Corps girlfriends allshared the same expectations. Then I knew I

had to share this information. I began to lookfor research on military leadership styles andall I kept seeing was information written by

men focusing on men. A new area emerged,our voice, the voice of the retired woman

veteran is silent with respect to leadership. Iwas compelled to write this book and share

my perspective along with a few otherwomen. I will conduct empirical research as apart two for this book that will dive deeper


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into the leadership styles of retired militarywomen. Keep a look out for that book. Thatis my promise to you, my readers, and my

sisters in uniform. I will tell our story.

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Transferring my leadership style has been adefinite adjustment. I share with my military

sisters the struggle of knowing we can takecontrol of a situation and make things happenBUT understanding that our new roles

necessitate that we scale back. My challengeis how to maintain a balanced approachwhen transferring my leadership skills.

As my sister Sasha so eloquently put it, she

strives not to be pushy when dealing withothers as a leader in her current position.When we were active duty, her assertiveness

would not be seen as pushy. She wouldsimply be demonstrating an aspect of her

leadership and authority granted by her rank.I get that! I understand. I walk a fine line


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ensuring that I stand for what is right, just,and fair while continuing to do my job in themidst of injustice. That is what I am dealing

with as of the moment I am writing this book.I share with my sister Denise who shared

that when she saw a young lady who is aleader out of order, she didn’t wait for an

invitation, she stepped into her role as a NavyChief and pulled the young lady to the side.

She automatically began correcting thebehavior through coaching. I get that! Iunderstand. I walk a fine line negotiating

circumstances with young leaders even whenthey don’t ask.

I share with my sister Rosa who sharedabout the lack of mentorship among women

who are willing to give and share withoutfeeling intimidated. I get that! I understand. Imentor young women on purpose to give

back and demonstrate that sharing does nothave to be harmful or competitive.

I continually reflect on possible responses tosituations that happen to me in my current

workplace. I know that I have already heldpositions as a Division Officer, DepartmentHead, been responsible for hiring civilian


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employees. I know that I have already beenresponsible for creating organizationaldirectives, implementing changes to policy,

and working with senior officers trainingthem on how to give performance appraisals,

administer non-judicial punishment, and howto handle corrective behavior in problem

employees. I know these are challenges I havealready dealt with, yet in my current position,

I have to walk a balanced beam becausethose who I work for have not had thoseleadership experiences. Transferring my

military leadership skills has meant pacing therate at which I share information. Through

this tight squeeze, I have been blessed toredirect my energies into writing this book

and holding seminars on leadership skills ofretired military women.

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Popular books on women’s leadership

motive us to “be bold” and “take charge”,well, that type of propaganda is not written

for the military woman because that is a part


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of our nature. The women I know who haveserved and retired do not have a problemtaking charge. However, many of these

women have been branded for doing so asaggressive or too assertive. Wow! Many of us,

including myself in all of these examples,practice leadership styles that we have been

groomed to do for 20+ years only to find outthat civilians and government workers cannot

deal with that posture.Leadership books expose that women

should be present and lean into the

discussions at the table. Well, that certainlyhas been met with mixed reactions in my

world. Again, those of us who have served20+ years may not have made it that long in

a military setting if we had not developedthose types of skills. Yet, almost every one ofthe military women I have chatted with

shared with me that they purposely pull backon the amount of work they do because oftheir present circumstances at work. Here’san example of the psychological balancing act

some retired military women deal with. I wasin the locker room last month chatting withanother military retiree after working out in


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the gym. She and I struck up a conversationand she was sharing how sometimes she justlooks at people in her work setting that “think

they know it all” and she reflects back to thetroops she commanded. She decides not to

say anything and opts to go and get herworkout in so she can redirect herself. I get it!

I told her I was writing this book to let theworld know about our psychological

challenges when transferring our leadership skills as retired military women.


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DE ?1#*;$2# "1( )':.'92*/1# /1 .'"(')#$*+

•

Operates from the perspective thatknowledge shared is leadership inaction.

• Believes and participates inmentorship.

• Practices servant leadership at workand with volunteer community events.

• Believes that people come first, then

work, then money.• Believes in spirituality, renewing

faithfulness by prayer and meditation.• Knows her self-worth owning her

accomplishments every day.• Practices mindfulness when dealing

with herself and others.

Things to consider:

My insights on leadership come from the belief and

understanding that we are all a part of life’s energy.That all living things have a right to enjoy the earth


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and live in intentional harmony. That no matter thechallenges, and there have been many, I believe that Ican make a difference in the lives of others. Leadersshould strive to do just that, make a difference in thelives of others through giving.


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sense of what they experience after themilitary. Twenty years or more of immersioninto the leadership ranks in the military

produces a different leader. There arecertain expectations of leadership that are

deeply engrained into the military retiree.When those leadership traits were not evident

once these women retired and joined theworkforce, these veterans developed coping

skills to mitigate what they know they can doin terms of leadership skills compared to whattheir new roles require. Here are some of the

common leadership mechanisms that thesewomen experience.

When looking for leadership byexample these women expected to

see leaders who show a care andconcern for the people who work forthem that is actionable. When the

reality that action-oriented caringwas not evident, these womenbecome informal leaders amongpeers demonstrating their military

leadership behaviors that show careand concern. In other words, thesewomen reverted back into a version


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of their prior leadership roles byactively demonstrating leadership intheir sphere of influence.

When looking for leadershipdevelopment (mentorship) these

women expected to experiencesomething that closely mimics their

prior the military experience oftaking the new person under their

wings. When the reality thatmentorship was not a real actionitem in their new workplaces, these

women began to recognize thatmentorship was incongruent with

mentorship in the military setting.As a result, these women stepped in

and mentored others in their sphereof influence.When looking for the camaraderie

that is common in the military, thesewomen expected to have a workexperience where people get alongfocused on the mission. When the

reality that the camaraderieexperience would be different, thesewomen adjusted by building


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coalitions in their sphere ofinfluence.

The experiences of these retired veterans

offer insight into the psychologicaladjustments that are made when they

actively participate in the workforce. Someof these women work with defense

contracting firms. Some of these womenwork in the federal government as

government employees. Some of thesewomen are entrepreneurs. All of thesewomen have advanced degrees. Most of

these women still volunteer in some waygiving back to their communities. Look for

the next series where Dr. Webb doesempirical research on this topic

interviewing a much larger population of veterans who are women. The topic of thenext research will be, leadership skills of

military women.

leadership her way - june 2 2015

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