As Veterans Day approaches, I ordinarily take this time to reflect on my military service, its influence on my life journey and where I am today. This will be my second Veterans Day since separating from the Air Force and my first Veterans Day at DEQ. Although I often measure periods of my life by milestones and patterns of cause-and-effect, the influence of effective leadership is a recurring theme in nearly all aspects of my personal and professional life.
A small memento, a challenge coin given to me by the 92nd Force Support Squadron Commander before I left Fairchild Airforce Base for my next assignment, sits on the edge of my office windowsill and helps to remind me of the magnitude of good leadership. Our squadron motto, “sustaining the best,” is printed above our squadron shield, defining the servant leader mindset and the importance of empowering others.
The distinguishing skill taught to all Air Force officers is leadership. From the earliest days of training, our instructors drilled leadership and its many characteristics as foundational competencies in the positions we would hold throughout our military careers. Our job titles – pilot, logistics officer, aircraft maintainer, force support officer, etc. – were secondary to the responsibility of leading airmen. This principle of leadership is ubiquitous across all military branches, like a short, tapered haircut or an extra cover kept in the car. However, despite the standards of leadership trained early on in an officer’s career, I was shocked to discover that the mechanisms and support to refine effective leadership were practically nonexistent after training was completed. After nearly six years of active duty, I was left wondered where had all the good leaders gone.
I separated from the Air Force on June 28, 2022. After five years, nine months and 29 days of active duty, coupled with two years of inactive reserve training, I decided it was time to close that chapter of my life and pursue the career and lifestyle I most desired in the place I so desperately wanted to call home. This decision marked the first significant choice I made for myself since commissioning in May 2016. Since separating from active duty, I have experienced a holistic rewilding of the self. I invested my professional skills and interests into a career field that brought me joy. I found my role at DEQ, an organization full of caring, conscientious and mission-driven people. And I committed the remaining daily hours to my community, friends and family.
This re-naturalization of my life was only possible by the servant leaders I met along the way, in and out of the military.
I first encountered servant leadership in the military when I met with my first squadron commander, Lt. Col. Gravitt (Maj. Gravitt at the time). Sitting outside his office ten minutes before our scheduled meeting, I nervously ran through an abridged version of my background and resume while simultaneously checking all the pockets on my ABUs to ensure there were no loose buttons or cables. Lt. Col. Gravitt invited me into his office and asked me to sit in one of the leather chairs across from his desk. After a summary of my personal history, my undergrad major and hobbies outside of work, Lt. Col. Gravitt asked about my career aspirations. Based entirely on the indoctrination of the service-before-self narrative, I replied that, although I wasn’t sure what the future held, I was eager to commit to a life in the uniform.
After a short pause, Lt. Col. Gravitt smiled and asked again, modifying his questions to focus on what I was most interested in and clarifying that it didn’t have to be a role that existed in the military.
I was shocked. Was I allowed to say that, while a 20-year career in the military may be right for some, it did not appeal to me? Could I be both committed to a life of service-before-self and thinking about what was best for my life? If I revealed this to my commander, would he doubt my commitment and would that consequently jeopardize future career opportunities?
Lt. Col. Gravitt continued that, as my leader, he was most interested in championing my needs so that I was empowered to lead my airmen to the best of my ability. That was the first time I learned about the difference between mission first, people always and people first, mission always philosophy; my commander was a leader of the latter category.
“Sustaining the best” is more than just a motto on a challenge coin; it is a correlation between the supporting individual and the individual performing the mission to the best of their ability. Supporting others as if they are the best and most qualified in their roles enables leaders to unlock the full potential of their own competency as well as that of others. Servant leadership is foundational at DEQ, guiding the agency’s management practices, its teamwork and our engagement with Oregon communities.
People first, mission always philosophy is a core element of servant leadership and a characteristic shared with many leaders at DEQ. While most of the leaders I’ve encountered in my professional and personal life have lacked this philosophy and consequently disempowered their team members, my experience working with various leaders across DEQ has consistently demonstrated that servant leadership is our organizational default and most valuable cultural component. This has been true with leaders such as Lauren Wirtis, Laura Gleim, Sara Slater, Shannon Davis and Leah Feldon, all of who have empowered me as a DEQ public affairs specialist.
The servant leadership mindset flows into my DEQ team members as well. From the communications team to the regional air, land and water quality programs, DEQ members exemplify a service to one another rarely seen in other organizations and industries, especially the military. During my first month at DEQ, I was cognizant of the enthusiasm and care I felt from my DEQ teammates, questioning their motives. It occurred to me that the strong, servant leaders at DEQ had a profound effect on the organization, motivating others to emulate those qualities.
Moreover, this servant leadership directly transfers to the communities and industries DEQ works with. In my 11 months at DEQ, my work has enabled me to collaborate across multiple departments when developing meaningful engagement strategies for communities relative to DEQ initiatives across the state. The servant leadership philosophy that flows down to DEQ team members simultaneously empowers us to explore how our agency can better serve the communities impacted by environmental regulation. This is especially true when considering and implementing environmental justice, paying close attention to how DEQ is empowering meaningful engagement in all Oregonians.
While I did not keep many mementos from my military days, I am grateful to have kept my commander’s challenge coin. It reminds me of the value servant leadership has had in my life and to recognize it in others.
By Antony Vorobyov, Public Affairs Specialist, DEQ Eastern Region