Leader in the Field

1LT Files

My Leader in the Field

1Lt Files is the Assistant Professor of Military Science and Special Projects Officer of the Army Reserve Officer Training Core (ROTC) program as well as the Detachment Commander for Det 1 B Co 2/149 GSAB. He flies the CH 97-Delta (Chinook) and oversees the daily activities of his men and 6 aircrafts worth 32 Million apiece. Two of his deployments have been to Iraq and one state side.

Money for school as well as a desire to travel sparked his interest in the Army. He enlisted as active duty in 1994 as an interpreter/translator. In 2000 he went Reserves and served as Platoon Sergeant for an Electronic Warfare platoon. From there he attended school at the University of Oklahoma and the ROTC program. When he graduated he earned a commission as an Aviation commission in the Oklahoma National Guard.

It’s inspiring to know that my leader in the field went through the same program that I am trying to complete. The things that influenced 1Lt Files to pick his career field was the opportunity to do something different, fly, and that he wanted to be paid as the leader he knew he already was.

He would recommend this field for anyone who has capabilities of a leader. If you have leadership abilities ROTC can strengthen them.

Leaders as active NCO’s have influenced his career most because they inspired him to stay in the service and were role models that lead by example. They displayed skills that came to 1Lt Files naturally while holding his greatest role as a PT SG, such as getting to know your team at a personal level and tailoring to meet their needs.

The hardest quality of leadership to develop in his eyes is motivation; being the first person there and the last to leave, while taking no days off. The fact that people rely on him helps to keep his motivation high. When I asked him what motivated him his answer was selfless- making others happy. He keeps his motivation strong by thinking pleasant thoughts and keeping when situations are rough.

He feels that the top quality a leader needs to posses is integrity- doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

Leadership by Roudolph Giulinai has been the most helpful book in his career and he recommends it to all. His favorite book series is The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Career at OU

If I could do anything at The University of Oklahoma, I'd love to teach either the Strategies for Success courses or design a a series of courses focusing on motivation, dedication,attitude, purpose, and life strategies. There would be classes on how to use a planner, get involved in organizations, discover your area of interest, planning,and problem solving for a start. Our reading list would be jam packed with inspiring stories of individuals and organizations who are bursting with motivation and optimism. I love to empower others! This school has given me so many tools for many people and programs that I have taken and run with, and I'd like to pass that on to students who are struggling and looking for a leg up. Another thing Id like to do is establish either an on campus day care or a daycare exchange. Not only would and on campus daycare draw more non traditional students to our school but it would provide parents with peace of mind and ease their separation anxiety. Ideally the daycare would carry nontraditional hours which would give parents an opportunity to participate in extra curricular activities which often have early morning or late night meetings or practices.

Attitude

Attitudes are infectious and can either hinder or prime you communication or with your team members. Your attitude precedes you, your words, and your actions. They determine the mood and sometimes the success of your mission. In my life, one person’s attitude has influenced me the most for the best although her attitude is for the worst. My mother walks around in life with her head down mumbling ‘woe is me’. Growing up my mother was never happy and tried to inflict my misery onto others and I have been determined to be the opposite. She feels that everyone owes her something; she has made herself a miserable, neurotic, dangerously negative person. It inspired me to self motivated and dream big because I was in charge of my own life and direction. The sad part is my mother passed this negativity on to my younger sister who embraced it and is now inflicting the same attitude to her daughter. Our attitudes are our most important assets because not only do they give off our first impression but they represent us as a whole, our outlook, dedication, and reliability. People with good attitudes have constructive habits such as promptness, hard working, dedication, selflessness, positivity. The better an impression you have on people the better your chances of obtaining your goal whether it be a job or a friendship. People will remember you by our disposition; you can’t assume you won’t run into some one again, you never know what organizations they are in or how much weight they pull. Your attitude can affect a wide range of thins from your health to your self esteem. Give yourself the give of positivity with a positive attitude!

problem vs challange

We meet the inspiring Dr. Becky Barker the director of Leadership Development and Volunteerism on Thursday morning. We took the problem of not being able to walk directly to our destination and turned it into a problem solving challenge! Not only was it supper fun but I learned that rules and directions are keys to success. Knowing the history of an organization is important, that being a leader involves listening to your team, mistakes happen, and not to let the frustration fog your mind. I have a problem with being overweight which I have turned into a challange on many levels. Attending pt 5 mornings a week at 6 am is a challange because I live an hour away and the exercises are hard. I have to train my body and be accountable for my actions. During the day i have to eat right, stay motivated and hydrate. Improvement is a challenge that requires planning, goals, deadlines, and evaluations. Wednesday is my second PT test of the semester and I will have the opportunity to see how far I've come.

mason's motivating baby kisses explained

Motivation is realizing you’re not perfect but still striving to be. It’s getting back on track after falling to temptation of that delicious cup cake, and the brownie, and the chocolate bar. Learning is taking opinions with a grain of salt. Showing up when I know something is going to be extraneous, and making it up on my own time when I fail to show up. Getting the most out of every moment means taking a million slobbery mason kisses to running until I cry. Everyone has their own obstacles and barriers, its how you react to them that make you the person you, forming your character and leadership skill. One person in one family can impact a nation, it’s infectious. Choices are tough there just aren’t enough hours in the day but you have to make it happen, take that moment and run with it. I’m extremely thankful to my family for being behind me and supporting me, they keep motivated and accountable. I’m even thankful for my mother who wants me to fail, her life is my motivation to finish school and commission in the military because I want to give my son the best environment possible. I lose a lot of time with him and catch a lot of grief over misinterpreted facts, people thinking my aunt and uncle raise my son. They do, but so do I. It takes a family to raise a child, and I could not have picked a better environment for him, they would give the world for him. Due to the fact I have to work so hard to get on the same page I excel in academics. I don’t take the fact that I’m in school for granted because I’ve worked so hard to get here and sacrificed so much emotionally. I try not to think about how much I’m away from my son during the day because it’s going to be better for us in the log run. Also, I rationalize it by the fact most parents work all day which puts them in the same shoes. The difference is I’m not working a dead end job, I’m investing in my human capital and teaching my son valuable lesions in life. I’m going to be the army’s success story (they just don’t know it yet). I have simultaneously learned to stop sweating small mistakes or when I miss the mark and how to improve my scores in several realms. Being self motivates is hard! Motivation is the one thing I can never give up or lose sight of! I have many goals, dreams, and aspirations and so many obstacles; I am the only person who can overcome them. I have been given the tools and now the success is on my shoulders. Hard work, participation, support, and laughter will be key ingredients. I’m going to succeed in all that I do even if I have to jump on and off that dang box every day until I’m not afraid I’m going to fall, even if I have to do a billion sit ups and pushups to work those muscles. It’s going to happen, but I have to be the one to take it all the way. I’ve been working on it putting in twice as much effort as most people but it’s still not enough, so we move to phase II more effort and self endurance. This is my semester to get my ducks in a row and form great habits, it’s going to happen!