AIR UNIVERSITY

AIR FORCE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

On the Leadership Journey

30 Conversations about Leading 

Yourself and Others

JosÉ A. LugoSantiago

Air University Press

Air Force Research Institute

Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
Project Editor

Oreste Johnson

Dr. Ernest Allan Rockwell

Copy Editors

Sandi Davis

Cover Art, Book Design, and Illustrations

L. Susan Fair

Composition and Prepress Production

Michele D. Harrell

Print Preparation and Distribution

Diane Clark

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: LugoSantiago, José A., 1971- author. | Air 

University (U.S.). Air Force Research Institute, issuing body.

Title: On the leadership journey : 30 conversations 

about leading yourself and others / José A. LugoSantiago.

Other titles: 30 conversations about leading yourself 

and others | Thirty conversations about leading 

yourself and others

Description: First edition. | Maxwell Air Force Base, 

Alabama : Air University Press, Air Force Research 

Institute, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016040811 | ISBN 

9781585662678

Subjects: LCSH: Leadership—United States. | United 

States. Air Force—Anecdotes. | Conduct of life. | 

Decision making.

Classification: LCC HM1261 .L84 2016 | DDC 

355.3/3041—dc23 | SUDOC D 301.26/6:L 46/2

LC record available at

https://lccn.loc.gov/2016040811

Published by Air University Press in October 2016

Disclaimer

Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed 

or implied within are solely those of the authors and do 

not necessarily represent the official policy or position of 

the organizations with which they are associated or the 

views of the Air Force Research Institute, Air University, 

United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or any 

other US government agency. This publication is cleared 

for public release and unlimited distribution.

AIR FORCE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

AIR UNIVERSITY PRESS

Director and Publisher

Dale L. Hayden, PhD

Editor in Chief

Oreste M. Johnson

Managing Editor

Dr. Ernest Allan Rockwell

Design and Production Manager

Cheryl King 

Air University Press 

600 Chennault Circle, Bldg. 1405 

Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6010 

afri.aupress@us.af.mil

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http://afri.au.af.mil/

AFRI

Air Force Research Institute
iii

Chief LugoSantiago has succeeded in authoring a great book on leadership that is also 

an easy read. In order to do so, he pulled from not only his life lessons but also his vast 

experience as one of the most senior enlisted personnel in the United States Air Force. 

By presenting his leadership perspective in a free-flowing, conversational tone, he has 

made this writing very digestible for all readers. The authenticity of these critical leadership lessons is readily apparent to even the most inexperienced leader. This book provides an insightful toolkit from which leaders of all levels can benefit.”

—Gen Janet C. Wolfenbarger, USAF, retired

v

Contents

About the Author vii

Acknowledgments viii

Introduction ix

Part 1: Preparing for Your Leadership Journey

 1 The Campfire 3

 2 Rituals and Instinct 5

 3 Inner Civil War, Moment of Truth, and Fork 

in the Road 7

 4 My Green Notebook: Learning to Be a Leader 11

 5 That Impresses Me 13

 6 Becoming Strong 15

 7 Stay in One Place 19

 8 Painting Again 21

Part 2: Creating and Inspiring Leadership 

on Your Journey

 9 Raise the Bar!—Reflections 27

10 Troops Talk: Three Actions of Leaders 31

11 Being Extraordinary 33

12 Thinking Styles 35

13 Are Those Steel-Toed? 39

14 I Like Them with a Smile 41

15 “I Have a Dream!” Or Maybe I Don’t Have One 43
vi

Part 3: Making Decisions on Your Leadership Journey

16 Self-fulfilling Prophecy . . . The Power of Expectations 47

17 The Job Interview 51

18 This or That 53

19 Watch the Autoresponse 55

20 Thinking Too Much? 59

21 Do the Trick: Troubleshoot before Attempting Repair 61

22 What’s Really Important? 65

Part 4: Dealing with Teamwork on your 

Leadership Journey

23 Can You Teach Me? 69

24 E-mail Warrior? 71

25 My Lego Robot 75

26 The Ground Crew 77

27 Helping Each Other 79

28 Leading Generations, Part 1 83

29 Leading Generations, Part 2 89

30 Building a Space Station 93
vii

About the Author

José A. LugoSantiago holds over 25 years of leadership experience 

and formal education in several leadership disciplines. He currently 

serves as a command chief master sergeant at the highest levels of 

command in the United States Air Force. As such, the he acts as the 

senior executive leadership consultant, manager, trainer, and human 

capital analyst overseeing, managing, and developing a workforce of 

over 24,000 people. In short, he wakes up and labors every day to 

develop the engine that makes every endeavor successful: people!

He is also an avid writer and speaker on the topics of leadership, 

organizational behavior, and motivation. His blog, José LugoSantiago 

– Craft Your Journey (http://www.joselugosantiago.com), followed by 

thousands, features a weekly, provides a fresh perspective on everyday leadership.

The work in this book represents his “boots-on-the-ground” 

framework of leadership study and philosophy. Although tightly woven in timeless leadership tenets, this is not about leadership acquired 

in the quietness of a classroom.

What you see in his writing and leadership talks is proven ground 

in response to questions thousands are asking about leading themselves and others. Regardless of your background—civilian, military, 

community organizer, or business leader—consider this book your 

personal leadership coach.

ix

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the many people who have encouraged me to put 

these thoughts on paper. Although I have delivered much of this material in my speeches and as I circulate among the troops, no one can 

deny the power of the written word. It can be shared for ages.

The aim in my work, speeches, and interactions with everyone I 

meet has always been to make people better—to see them achieve 

higher success. The special people I acknowledge in the following 

sentences practice and profess the same calling as mine. They make 

people better, and they empower others to achieve higher success.

These special people joined me as partners to further deliver a product that can be used by leaders to grow leaders, and by aspiring leaders 

to grow themselves, and for great leaders to transform their organizations, their workplaces, their families, and their lives. Thank you to all 

of you for reading the drafts, suggesting changes, and for checking on 

my progress. All of you are an inspiration to me and the world.

Thanks go to my wife, son, and parents, who were sounding boards 

during the writing process; Maj Gen Sharon Dunbar, a bright and 

inspiring leader who knows how to unlock the doors of imagination; 

and author CMSgt Bob Vásquez, retired, a powerful motivator, my 

mentor for decades, and the “editor-in-chief ” of this work; CMSgt 

Patrick Wilson, who has been an inspirational leader to me and many 

others; CSM Donald Freeman, a warrior-leader who epitomizes “circulating among the troops”; TSgt Brad Gurley, my executive assistant 

and an amazing warrior; and author and executive leadership coach 

Mrs. Pamela Corbett, whose wisdom has been a guiding light. All of 

them have taken time out of their busy lives to read drafts and give 

me feedback. This book is the product of a team effort.

Let us now dedicate this book to all of those who want to serve, 

and as they serve with fervor, become the great leaders we all aspire 

to emulate.

xi

Introduction

In early January 2014, I was putting the final touches on this book. 

My laptop was open, and I was doing some fact-checking. Then, I 

became curious and asked myself, “If I type ‘leadership books’ in this 

search engine, how many hits will I get?”

I went ahead and typed the words “leadership books.” The computer’s thinking circle came up in the middle of the screen and started 

turning. Then, the response to my query came up: 504,000,000 results 

in 0.22 seconds. Wow! I knew the number was high, but that high—

504 million?!

There are countless titles out there. Why then would I go on a long 

journey to write this book? It’s simple. I want you to be, not just a 

good leader, but a great one! I want to enrich your life, so you can in 

turn enrich the lives of others. Imagine if all of us develop this aptitude and act with this purpose—our world will turn into a dwelling 

of blessings.

A second reason, perhaps the most unique and noticeable as you 

read this book, is the framework of leadership from which this book 

is written. As I was perusing through the titles and authors of the 

most popular books, remarkably, the great majority of those leadership books were written from the quietness of the classroom and the 

halls of theory. Seldom were those books discussing leadership principles from the “gladiator’s” perspective.

Wait a minute! Since when did leadership turn into a spectator event? 

And since when did the spectator become the expert in the fight? As 

Pres. Theodore Roosevelt said in his speech “Citizenship in a Republic,” 

delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France, on 23 April, 1910:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong 

man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The 

credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by 

dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who spends himself in a 

worthy cause; . . . and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring 

greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who 

neither know victory nor defeat.

The framework and point of view, as you and I have a conversation 

in this book about leading yourself and others, come from decades of 

my own experience studying, leading, transforming, and mentoring 

thousands and from success in building leaders and organizations. This 

is an eyeball-to-eyeball leadership perspective in the arena. Although 
xii

well-researched and enmeshed with philosophy, this book is about 

turning a practical experience into a leadership transformational experience. And none of this transformational experience comes from 

the quietness of the classroom or the halls of theory. This has been 

developed and proven in the “arena.”

These conversations are a collection of my thoughts in response to 

the questions many ask about leading themselves and others. The 

conversations in this book are divided into four sections. We start 

with you (preparing yourself through the cultivation of character and 

spirit). In the second part, we move into developing influence, so you 

can create leadership. The third part will help you understand the 

dynamics of decision making. Lastly, we’ll discuss the most important part of your day as a leader: dealing with teamwork.

I am very excited about our leadership journey; consider me your 

personal leadership coach!

Lugo
Part 1

Preparing for Your Leadership Journey

The leadership conversations in these chapters aim at helping discover and develop the leader within you. Before you try to lead others, develop the leadership power to lead yourself. The first person 

you lead is you. Therefore, we must start leadership with the most 

important person: You!

The daily application of the concepts embedded in our conversations aim at making you strong to lead. We’ll begin by developing 

leadership power: character and spirit. Let’s talk!

Chapter 1

The Campfire

When your fire is lit, you bring joy to life and help others 

find their way back to the camp.

One early, cold, and sunny Saturday morning, I went with my 

son on his first Boy Scout camping trip. He was very excited. I was 

too. Growing up in Puerto Rico, I remember how much fun these 

outings were.

Although I did not campout in the “wild” when I was a kid, camping was still an adventure, a fun adventure. When we had carnivals on 

the island, we used the whole week to camp out right at the beach. My 

abuela (grandmother) made some “nutritive” and really delicious 

food, and we ran all over the beach. We danced all night while the 

adults enjoyed themselves.

During Saturday night’s Boy Scout camping trip with my son, I 

observed some of the same things. The den leader and the other 

adults built the campfire. The kids ran around and played. The adults 

enjoyed themselves. And we even had a time to recognize the achievements of our young ones around the campfire.

One thing I found curious was the campfire. It was around the 

campfire that the kids entertained themselves. It was around the 

campfire that we had our recognition ceremony. The campfire—it 

was the campfire that made me remember.

I found the attraction interesting. The campfire had this sort of magical connecting power. Just like the sun attracts and keeps the planets in 

orbit, we kept being drawn to this sort of unexplained power.

I have read many stories about how the campfire was not only the 

center of inspiration, where rituals would happen in many ancient 

tribes, but also a beacon of light for hunters who were searching for 

the way back to camp in the middle of the night.

For me, that campfire also represented my way back. You know 

what I mean? Well, it was certainly a way back to memories of the 

past. I could see myself as a child. It caused me to ask a question. Have 

I forgotten how nice it is to be silly sometimes? I should never forget 

to have some fun—to just enjoy the moment. Life is a gift.
4 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

Thinking about a “way back,” good leaders must find their way 

back—returning to their core values, to what’s important, and to what 

makes them spark! The campfire must always be lit in a leader’s heart. 

As I saw the flames dance and change in color, I searched for my way 

back, thinking and talking to myself about the importance of keeping 

my fire lit.

The den leader asked the boys as he was building the campfire, 

“What do you need to build this fire?” The kids shouted many answers. 

The den leader said, “You need three things: air, fuel, and heat.”

I thought the den leader’s question was a very good one for leaders 

(moms, dads, military or civilian leader—whoever and whatever you 

do): What keeps your fire lit? Find your way back. Think through 

those things that made you spark. Return to those dreams, aspirations, and feelings of goodness.

When your fire is lit, you become like the sun. The planets dance 

all around you, and you bring such joy to those around you. Stoke the 

fire. Help yourself and those who are lost find their way back to the 

camp where you can all be safe.
Chapter 2

Rituals and Instinct

You can reach into the unseen by what you do today. 

Never neglect those crucial moments of solo repetition 

and rehearsals. They are the key to your future success.

While on a plane trip, I picked up the airline’s magazine from the 

back of the seat in front of me. One of the pages listed the best martial 

arts movies ever produced. After reading the reviews, I decided to jot 

down the list. Well, upon returning from my business trip, I took the 

opportunity to watch one of those movies.

The movie was based on the actual life of Ip Man, a humble man 

skilled in the martial art of Wing Chun. His story was compelling—

one of courage but also one of dedication. His dedication to a daily 

ritual of practice, focus, and finding purpose made him strong and 

gave him the power to defeat adversaries and conquer, with great 

triumph, his own fears.

I thought about the qualities that made Ip Man successful. The 

key was a ritual of rigorous practice: hand-fighting techniques practiced over and over again. When the moment came to fight, he just 

had to apply the techniques. But, after so much practice, those were 

now instinct.

So I thought for a moment about my observation and how this applies to me. What technique do I need to master so I can be successful? Do I have a ritual of practice that allows me to convert technique 

into instinct?

During my leadership talks, I’m often asked, “How can I get better 

at ____?” They’re looking for a quick, easy answer. Some people use 

the Internet to find the latest recipe. Many look for the best thing to 

buy, thinking this can produce the success they’re looking for. Instead, I suggest success (winning) occurs within oneself; what you do 

in your solo time is the defining factor. It’s about how you develop 

personal rituals and how disciplined you are in executing them. Here 

are some keys to help you in this endeavor:

•  Get up early. Getting up early allows you the opportunity to 

plan your day. It also enables you to put things into perspective 

early in the morning, when you’re fresh and rested. Note: You 
6 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

will be tempted to look at e-mail when you get up. Don’t do that 

yet. Beware of the dangers of e-mail. (See Chapter 24, “E-mail 

Warrior?” for a useful conversation on e-mail.)

•  Drink water. Your body needs to stay hydrated for proper functioning. That includes proper functioning of your internal organs but also your mind and muscles.

•  Figure out what’s important. While you’re fresh (as you got up 

early), decide on what is important. Review your goals. Make a 

list and align your tasks with it as much as you can, so you can 

execute your priorities during the day.

•  Move. Get some exercise early in the morning. Exercise can be a 

spiritual journey, not only will you exercise your body but also 

your mind.

•  Train your skill. Take 15–20 minutes to improve a skill. For example, if public speaking is one area you want to improve, use 

this time to deliver an impromptu talk on a topic of your choice 

and then evaluate your performance. Or if your interest is martial arts, then do your forms. If it’s drawing, then take the time to 

draw. You choose.

Take the time to analyze your performance. Decide which are the 

areas needing improvement. Work them into a ritual. Get used to a 

ritual. Practice your technique. And turn your technique into instinct!
Chapter 3

Inner Civil War, Moment of Truth, and Fork 

in the Road

Moments in our life’s journey transport us to three places. 

What we do in them molds who we are and want to be.

Can you remember a time where you faced a difficult situation? 

Maybe it was not a difficult situation, but perhaps it was all about acting on a personal conviction. Did you hesitate? If you did, why?

A rich life is about choosing wisely. We all make life-changing 

choices every day when confronted with difficult or easy situations. 

Specifically, every situation you confront will transport you to three 

places: the “inner civil war,” the “moment of truth,” and the “fork in 

the road.” Understanding these three places will help you achieve balance, discover who you are, and who you want to be. Let’s explore 

these places through a personal example.

Inner Civil War

While serving on a deployment, the installation commander 

charged senior noncommissioned officers with fixing a grave problem with appearance standards. (Have you ever been in a place where 

you thought everyone, and I mean everyone, forgot about standards? 

That’s how I felt in this particular place.) I remember making so many 

corrections, I could not walk two feet without having to stop someone for something. By the way, with many of these corrections some 

folks would look at me like I was an extraterrestrial—how could that 

be?! One Saturday night I decided I was tired of making corrections 

and the pain of the confrontation process.

On a Sunday morning I got up and went to pick up my laundry. An 

Airman was standing in line inside the facility with his sunglasses on 

and in physical training (PT) gear. My inner civil war began.

I went through a series of questions in my head: “What should I 

do? Should I confront this person?” I really did not want to. Remember, I was tired! But inside of me was this giant telling me to act. I 

knew it was the right thing to do. After several minutes in line, the 

giant in me won the inner civil war. I confronted the person and told 
8 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

him to take his sunglasses off. The person stared at me very seriously 

and, without saying a word, slowly took them off.

The Moment of Truth

Although the above example was a simple one, it reflects several 

things. First, we all go through the struggle of finding balance in our 

lives. In the Air Force, we call this balance Integrity. Integrity is about 

striking a balance between what we know is right and actually doing 

it! Achieving integrity gives us peace, as we conquer our inner civil 

wars. The example also reflects one more thing: moments of truth.

Those moments become self-discoveries. I discovered, for example, that living a life of freedom was more important to me than being 

popular. In that moment, I also discovered that I would not give up 

doing the right thing for the sake of someone else’s comfort. I further 

discovered I had moral fiber and a giant lived within me.

What kind of fiber are you made of? We exercise our will every day 

in small and large things, but if we cannot discipline ourselves to do 

the right thing in small things, how will we tackle the large things? 

We simply will not.

What you do during those moments of truth is important. Notice 

what you do. Do you postpone tough decisions? Do you seek advice 

within you, and once you find the truth, do you act on it?

The Fork in the Road

Let me say that the fork in the road is a metaphor. This is the place 

in decision making where you can decide to go the easy way for the 

sake of becoming popular or the tough way, risking becoming unpopular but certainly making a contribution and doing the right 

thing.

In a speech to Air War College students at Maxwell Air Force Base, 

Alabama, in April of 2008, then secretary of defense Robert M. Gates 

offered the example of USAF colonel John Boyd to illustrate this place 

called fork in the road.1

The colonel overcame a “large measure of bureaucratic resistance 

and institutional hostility” to revolutionize principles of maneuver 

warfare. Breaking through the status quo is never an easy feat for 

leaders. As Colonel Boyd saw it, everyone faces a fork in the road at 
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 9

one point or another and must decide which way to go: to “be somebody” or “do something.”

Those who choose to be somebody will make compromises and 

turn their back on friends and those closest to them in order to get 

ahead. On the other hand, others will choose to do something, sticking their necks out for what is right and recognizing that their actions 

may not gain favor in the eyes of many.

This fork in the road is your last chance in every easy or difficult 

situation. Whatever path you take, remember that there are personal 

and social (team) consequences.

If an inspection needs completion and you skip it to be popular 

with your coworkers (the easy way in the fork), then the mission has 

been compromised. If you are tough when you need to be tough (the 

unpopular way on the fork), then you may end up saving a life now or 

in the future.

Explore these three places. Conquer your inner civil war by exercising integrity. In the moment of truth, discover who you are and 

who you want to become. And when you find yourself at the fork in 

the road, exercise your will to do the right thing. You owe it to yourself and those who look up to you!

Notes

1. Donna Gates, “Gates Urges Unconventional Thinkers to Address Unconventional Challenges,” American Forces Press Service, 29 April 2008, accessed 20 December 

2013, http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49636.

Chapter 4

My Green Notebook: Learning to Be a Leader

Leadership is never about the critic. It’s all about the 

learning, the reflection, and the action!

As a young Airman, I always had something to say. When I saw a 

noncommissioned officer (NCO) doing something that was not aligned 

with my notion of perfection, I was quick to talk with the person.

As you can imagine, I would find myself in several “wall-to-wall” 

counselings for my “audacity.” Sometimes, I just did not have the 

whole story. Other times, I was immature and needed a clear lesson 

to understand why. Here is one lesson I will never forget.

During a cold summer, 20 years ago in Germany, I uttered these 

words: “Sergeant Jones, I need to speak to the Chief.” The Chief was a 

chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the United States 

Air Force. By public law, only 1 percent of the total Air Force enlisted 

force can attain that rank.

The particular Chief in question led troops with a stern look and 

commanding presence. When the Chief spoke, the spoken word miraculously turned into task accomplishment. Lots of power and authority were conferred to him given his years of faithful service, feats 

in battle, and total military demeanor. You did not speak to the Chief 

unless spoken to.

Sergeant Jones inquired as to the reason I needed to see the Chief. 

I told Sergeant Jones I was not satisfied with his leadership, so I 

needed to talk with someone else. After Sergeant Jones set me straight 

for my audacity, he arranged an interview with the Chief.

In my unit, I was fortunate to have a chief who was known for his “unconventional warfare” in mentoring young troops. So I prepared myself.

The night before my interview, I got a haircut, starched and ironed 

my uniform, and polished my boots until I could see myself in them. 

Then, I rehearsed my speech.

Morning came quickly. I looked sharp and showed up on time. 

While sitting outside the Chief ’s door, I said a little prayer, hoping 

this would not end in another “one-on-one” counseling session, just 

like the one I had with Sergeant Jones.
12 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

I knocked once, as I was taught during Basic Training and entered 

when told to do so. I stopped at the end of a long table. He was on the 

opposite side. The Chief looked at me with his usual inspection eye. 

He could not find fault, so he allowed me to speak.

I spoke to him about my view of leadership and how several of our 

NCOs were not meeting the standard. He said nothing but looked 

like he was listening. He reached into a drawer, pulled out a green, 

hard-covered government notebook, and threw it on the table.

He said, “Pick up that notebook.” I did. Then he continued, “This 

is what I want you to do. [Long pause] Every time you see an NCO 

doing something you believe does not fit the conduct of a leader, I 

want you to write it down. Once you have written all over that notebook, and I want more than half of that book filled, you come back 

and talk to me. You’re dismissed.”

I was puzzled and confused, thinking he did not listen to my complaints. But I was determined. I kept that notebook and kept my eyes 

opened to every opportunity. My notebook was almost full, so I asked 

Sergeant Jones for a new appointment with the Chief.

The Chief looked at the book. I think he was impressed. He perused the notebook and asked me questions when he could not understand my handwriting. Then he spoke.

“Lugo, this is what you’re going to do. You’re gonna keep that notebook with you. When you become a Staff Sergeant, you’re gonna read 

that book so you don’t make the same mistakes. Then one day, you 

will be Technical Sergeant. You’re gonna read that notebook again, 

and you will remember not to make the same mistakes.” Then, he 

thanked me for the homework and dismissed me.

He never told me what he was going to do. Things changed in the 

unit, but I am not sure if that was the result of my feedback. He never 

told me.

Two years ago, I found that notebook as I was unpacking boxes. I 

perused it and remembered the words of that Chief: “One day you 

will be . . . remember . . .”

Leadership is about understanding why we do things, learning 

from others’ mistakes, and ensuring we do not repeat those same 

mistakes. More than being a critic, it’s about doing something for the 

mission, for your people, and for your country.
Chapter 5

That Impresses Me

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not 

enough; we must do.

—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The prowess of the leader does not reside in what he or she knows 

but in what he or she can do for you, for me, and for the team.

I meet with a variety of groups often throughout the month. That 

time is precious for discussing broad leadership themes, from operations and change management to leadership development to “what’s 

on your mind” topics.

About a year ago, I remember meeting for lunch with a group of 

first-term Airmen (junior enlisted who are in their first six years of 

service). The gatherings are always the highlight of my week, and 

they are full of leadership lessons for me. With decades of experience 

studying and practicing leadership, an outside observer would think 

my previous statement makes no sense. Well, it does.

Leadership is an interesting phenomenon. It’s not a thing or a person. It’s always a relationship between two or more people. Yes, of 

course, your position in an organization may enhance your ability to 

lead (or give you positional power), but it really does not make you 

a leader.

Leadership occurs when two people agree to assume specific roles. 

One is seen and accepted as a leader. The other assumes the role of a 

follower. Then, both enter in a relationship bonded by an expectation 

to fulfill some kind of “psychological contract” with one another.

What makes a person the leader to us? I believe it’s the human connection, admiring a set of qualities we end up wanting to emulate 

because they inspire us and lift us up.

When I started my conversation with our young leaders, I asked 

them to tell me what they thought. By the way, I did not tell them we 

were going to talk about leadership. I just asked them to introduce 

themselves, tell me about two goals, and talk to me about what impresses them. You would love their answers. I thought they were full 

of wisdom. Here are a few.
14 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

“What impresses me is seeing people who are passionate about 

their work. Those people who give everything they’ve got and make 

others feel good. You see it in their smile and their work.” (Passion)

“I am impressed by people who can make corrections of others 

with tact and professionalism. I think one has to be strong to make 

corrections when someone is doing something wrong. Doing the 

right thing is being strong.” (Integrity)

“What impresses me is one who follows and knows the procedures. I can trust a person like that. And I admire a person that is 

dedicated.” (Competence)

“The strength of an athlete impresses me. It’s being strong, to try 

real hard to outlast the competition, to have the stamina, to win.” 

(Endurance)

“When you have a supervisor that helps you [that impresses me]. I 

had a supervisor who became my sponsor. He mentored me, taught 

me about the Air Force, even off duty he would help me. He moved to 

Incirlik, [Air Base in Turkey], but he still checks on me to see how I 

am progressing in the Air Force.” (Compassion and Caring)

So what’s our takeaway? Nowhere in their comments did they once 

mention position or status. Simply put, if we aspire to be great leaders 

one day, we must do two things. First, we must continue listening to 

those we lead. Secondly, we’d better begin to emulate those characteristics our young leaders expect from their most senior leaders: passion, integrity, competence, endurance, compassion, and caring.
Chapter 6

Becoming Strong

Like a rubber band that stretches but then returns to its 

original shape, being strong is about building and rebuilding oneself.

I’ve met many people in my life, from all walks of life and many 

countries, some of whom have made the mistake of misinterpreting 

what being strong is all about.

Not so long ago, I met one of those people: a leader who wanted to 

give an appearance of strength and toughness to those who surrounded him. Everything he did was designed to portray that aura. 

For example, if you needed to see him, he would ask you to go to his 

office and wait. In speaking, he was impolite. Often he would brag 

about his impoliteness. I believe that was his way of justifying his erroneous ways. When questioned, he would caveat his comments 

with, “I am a straight shooter. You want answers, I give you answers—

you get what you get with me.”

What that leader failed to realize is that strength is internal. He 

also failed to realize that the seeds of impoliteness and rudeness carry 

within them the roots of self-destruction. I watched how, slowly, he 

began to be isolated; no one wanted to deal with him. The great majority of people despised him. Everything he asked was met with just 

enough energy to produce compliance at best. But really, nothing extraordinary happened in that unit while that leader was there. When 

it was time for his departure, the people of that unit celebrated.

My point is that physical stature, eyes like an eagle, bold speaking, 

or an “in-your-face” approach to conflict resolution—none of these 

things define strength nor make a person strong. Truth be told, the 

strongest people I have met tend to be the most humble and loving.

History gives us examples of real strength. Take the legacy of Dr. 

Jigoro Kano, the father of Judo and a philosopher. He believed the 

most effective way to win over an opponent was not by using brute 

strength (one’s own physical strength) but by redirecting the opponent’s force and strength against himself.

We are all acquainted with others who possess real strength. Their 

stories lift us, inspire us, and make us want to emulate them: for ex-
16 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

ample, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King. 

Because they were strong (not physically strong but morally and spiritually strong), they changed the world. We need strong people to do 

good things in this world. Nature, our own and the one surrounding 

us, consistently shows us how we can become strong.

Right outside my window, for example, I can see the most beautiful tree. It’s an oak tree. This tree is strong and provides my family 

with shade when we’re outside. Other animals and birds live on this 

tree. I can tell there is a lot of happiness around this tree. The squirrels 

and other animals play on it every day, and the birds constantly sing 

from its branches. This tree did not just grow from one year to the 

next. It has struggled throughout its existence to be what it is now: a 

beautiful tree! As Napoleon Hill is often quoted, “The strongest oak 

in the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the 

scorching sun.”

Becoming strong comes from our preparation for life. This comes 

from the solo work we do in the solitude of our minds. (Remember 

our discussion in the chapter on rituals and instinct?) Strength develops from the resilience we build when we face adversity—through 

the act of faith and through the inspiration that emerges when we 

collaborate with others. These things develop the stamina we need to 

endure the extra miles of our lives. Let’s break those down a little 

more.

On Building Resiliency

“Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”1 This scripture is telling us that we need to learn to let go. When we let go, we 

can begin to move in a new direction in our lives. Forgive and then 

move on. The quicker you begin to move in a new direction, the 

quicker you’ll begin to enjoy a beautiful life. It’s natural to feel angry 

at times, but not being able to overcome that emotion will deplete 

your strength and damage your relationship with others. Forgiving, 

letting go, and moving on will renew your energy and make you 

stronger. That’s resiliency: being able, through deliberate personal action, to renew oneself and move on.
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 17

Resiliency is also about reaching out. Reaching out requires taking 

risks. The risk I talk about is overcoming self-doubts—to feel accepted or to feel rejected. Reaching out also requires assessing yourself and others. This means learning and acknowledging the strengths 

and weaknesses in yourself and others. And in doing this, you learn 

to form strong bonds with people whose strengths can complement 

your weaknesses. As you become stronger inside, you then become 

stronger on the outside. This is resiliency and it leads to a more comfortable life.

On Facing Adversity

Don’t be afraid of the struggle that comes from facing adversity. Be 

afraid of not struggling. Struggle in your journey is necessary. It will 

make you stronger, more resilient, and better able to overcome obstacles in your future.

On Developing Faith

Here’s good advice from philosopher and emperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius (161–180 CE): “Everything you’re trying to reach by taking the long way around, you could have right now, this moment. If 

you’d stop thwarting your own attempts. If you’d only let go of the 

past, entrust the future to Providence, and guide the present toward 

reverence and justice.”2

Being strong is about building and rebuilding oneself. It’s about 

developing emotional and mental toughness to deal with others and 

our environment. It’s also about being physically fit—about finding 

purpose in our relationships. And, it is about thriving in the midst of 

adversity!

Notes

1. Ephesians 4:26.

2. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, trans. Gregory Hays (New York: Modern Library, 2002), 161.

Chapter 7

Stay in One Place

Don’t let your mind wander. Focus your energy. It will 

improve your leadership and relationships with others.

As I write these words, we approach that time of the year where 

people begin to think about their New Year’s resolutions. Many people come back from the holidays thinking about doing things differently (resolutions). That’s good. We should always strive to do better 

and live better.

I stopped making New Year’s resolutions. I begin my year with 

New Year’s commitments! And one of those commitments is to “stay 

in one place” at a time. Do you know what I mean?

Last year I changed duty stations. My agenda was pretty aggressive: lots of things to accomplish, many places to be, many people to 

meet. Several times I caught myself trying shortcuts: keeping a grip 

on my smartphone while in meetings, while talking with someone, or 

while being with my family. Of course, I can multitask, right? If you 

would ask me about the net effect of my behavior, I would say there 

were two effects: misinterpretation of my intent and decreased trust.

There were times when texting someone on my smartphone while 

also providing direction to the team resulted in misunderstanding of 

my intent and thereby more work. At home, it was no better. Maybe 

you can relate? All of the sudden, I was diving into a conversation 

with my wife about why we moved an event to the following weekend. The response arrived quickly: “I told you last week, and you said 

‘yes go ahead,’ while you were using the phone.” Well, I guess I wasn’t 

listening. Have too many of those incidents and your credibility as a 

leader is destroyed!

There is no such thing as single-handedly multitasking. The brain 

processes commands one at a time—very fast, but one at a time. The 

most advanced computer—yes, I am a computer geek—processes 

tasks one at a time, distributing taskings among processors and often 

stealing time from a set of actions to give to another, switching back 

and forth until tasks are completed. It’s a law of nature, do one thing 

at a time.
20 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

If you want to increase your influence, I invite you to join me in this 

commitment: stay in one place. This means enjoying the moment right 

now, focusing on what is in front of you right now. Bad things can happen when you violate this principle. Let me give you some examples.

When you are driving consider not using your phone at all. A study 

performed in 2013 by the American Automobile Association revealed 

there is little difference between the driving safety risks of hands-free 

versus handheld cell phones.1

 And if that is not enough, a headline in 

the Washington Post back in January 2010 reported that 28 percent of 

all accidents in the United States involved talking or texting.2

If you eat or chat face-to-face with someone, consider keeping 

electronic devices off the dinner table. Numerous studies have shown 

how cell phones can hurt our close relationships. For example, in 

counseling young couples, I have seen how a cell phone became the 

center of relationship discord. The problem stemmed from the fact 

that one of the parties couldn’t let go of the phone. Even at the dinner 

table, when everyone could catch up with one another and enjoy each 

other’s company, the phone was present and actively being focused 

on. Although this particular example highlights phones, the same applies to your tablets, e-readers, game systems, and so forth.

If you tend to let your mind wander while talking to others, consider focusing your energy on understanding and replying, thereby 

focusing on the person (or subject) in the present. This will improve 

your relationships and others’ trust in you.

Make the commitment; stay in one place. You will improve your 

relationships and will gain the trust and admiration of all of those 

around you. You will become the great leader others want to be and 

want to follow!

Notes

1. Christopher Hart, Hearing on Improving the Effectiveness of the Federal Surface 

Transportation Safety Grants Programs (Washington, DC: National Transportation 

Safety Board, 2014), 6.

2. Ashley Halsey III, “28 Percent of Accidents Involve Talking, Texting on Cellphones,” Washington Post, 13 January 2010, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn

/content/article/2010/01/12/AR2010011202218.html.
Chapter 8

Painting Again

If you invest your time admiring your past successes, how 

can you move on and seize the future?

Several months ago I read a story about a young Greek artist 

named Timanthes of Kythnos (ca. 406 BCE).1

 The story reminded me 

of the dangers of living trapped in past victories: admiring past victories and not moving on. David Cottrell narrates part of the story in 

his book The Next Level: Leading beyond the Status Quo. The story 

takes place more than 2,000 years ago, when Timanthes studied under a much respected teacher. After several years of practicing and 

honing his skills, Timanthes finished a most beautiful painting. He 

loved this artwork so much that he spent days staring at it. No longer 

was Timanthes painting. One day he came back to admire his painting and found it tarnished with paint. Devastated from the misfortune, Timanthes ran to his teacher.

His teacher admitted to destroying the picture and told Timanthes 

that the beautiful picture was retarding his progress. His teacher told 

him, “I did it for your own good. Start again and see if you can do 

better.” Timanthes then went on to produce Sacrifice of Iphigenia, regarded as one of the finest paintings of antiquity.2

This story reminds me of the times when great people who, because they spend their time admiring previous success, can no longer 

move forward. Their failure may be due to apathy toward change or 

just plain fear and insecurity about the future.

A sign that you’ve been “admiring the painting” too long can be 

seen in thoughts like these:

“That’s not going to work. Five years ago I tried that and . . .”

“I don’t see any issues with what I’m doing right now. I think this 

is perfectly fine.”

Or how about this one? “I’ve been in this ____ (fill the blank with 

company, unit, etc.) for the past 10 years; we’ve never had issues. . . . 

Don’t see why I have to change this now.”

If you have been doing the same over and over again, it’s time to 

reexamine what you’re doing. It’s time to see if you need to pick up 

the brush and begin painting again.
22 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

The environment around you is not static. Why should you then 

stay static? Pres. Abraham Lincoln said it best: “Still the question recurs ‘can we do better?’ The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate 

to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and 

we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think 

anew, and act anew.”3

Your next painting will be better than this one. Begin redefining 

and improving yourself. Begin by taking the following steps this 

week. Don’t wait for a better opportunity “later on”:

1. Become a learner. Using change to produce your life’s most 

awesome masterpieces requires that you get acquainted with 

different kinds of knowledge. When approached with an issue, 

learn all you can about it and research its peripheral ties. Question your beliefs about where you are—especially if you feel 

comfortable.

2. Know about, and begin practicing, these five basic disciplines 

of well-being:

•  Physical. A healthy warrior is said to be invincible. Don’t 

lose sight of your health. Exercise daily. Plan to give yourself 

30 minutes a day. That’s really not too much.

•  Mental. Seek education. Education gives you cultural insight and self-awareness. Take a few minutes a day (either in 

the morning or afternoon) to read and meditate.

•  Spiritual. Connect with your creator. Develop your faith. 

Spiritual fitness is also part of developing a strong person. 

This connection will rejuvenate you when things in your life 

get tough.

•  Fiscal. Get your finances in order and posture yourself for 

future financial freedom.

•  Social. Learn about people and connect with them. Form 

your own circle(s). Begin with your own social interests and 

slowly expand. Make time to build close relationships, and 

schedule actions in your calendar: make a call, send a note, 

and so forth.

These steps should help you develop the power to step up to challenges, however big they may appear. In essence, not only will you 
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 23

admire your previous painting, but you will have the impetus to continue developing several other masterpieces.

Notes

1. H. Fullenwider, “‘The Sacrifice of Iphigenia’ in French and German Art Criticism, 1755–1757,” Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 52 (1989): 539, http://www.jstor.

org/stable/1482469.

2. David Cottrell and Alice Adams, “Set Your Goal: Stretch Objectives,” in The 

Next Level: Leading beyond the Status Quo (Dallas, TX: CornerStone Leadership Institute, 2006), 35.

3. Library of Congress, “Journal of the Senate of the United States of America,” 

in A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and 

Debates, 1774–1875, 55 (1 December 1862): 22, http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/

query/D?hlaw:1:./temp/~ammem_1gdy::.

Part 2

Creating and Inspiring Leadership 

on Your Journey

The leadership conversations in these chapters are the cornerstone 

of becoming a leader whose influence makes others want to follow.

A leader has internal power. Remember, power comes from having character and spirit. (That was the focus of our previous conversations.)

But most importantly, the leader has influence, and he or she employs influence as his or her art. This quality distinguishes the leader.

Leadership is the art of influencing and directing people to accomplish a mission or objective.

Developing your influence through your actions will help you create leadership and inspire others to action. That’s the focus of this 

section.

Let’s talk!

Chapter 9

Raise the Bar!—Reflections

Commit to excellence. This is the way to improve yourself 

and others.

A very important and enjoyable part of my week is spending time 

conversing with people. My aim is to touch people’s hearts and minds, 

see how they’re doing in setting and meeting standards, and get feedback so we can reflect.

Headlines in newspapers and events across our communities are 

examples of the need to engage in meaningful conversations. Most of 

the time, it’s not the positive that is highlighted in the news, hence the 

paramount importance of meaningful conversations with yourself 

and others. Those conversations, which later turn into reflections, 

help us raise the bar and stay committed to the life we deserve—the 

good life! Here are some reflections to help us raise and meet our 

leadership bar.

On 27 February 1860, presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln 

delivered an address at the newly established Cooper Union for the 

Advancement of Science and Art, an institution of higher education 

founded in Brooklyn, New York, by industrialist Peter Cooper. In 

that speech, Lincoln uttered, “Let us have faith that right makes 

might, and in that faith, let us to the end dare to do our duty as we 

understand it.”1

Have you ever wondered why Greg or Sara ended up being busted 

for driving under the influence, doing poorly at work, or living a life 

of risks that led to an accident? You may have thought, “I can’t believe 

he or she did that!” Forgetting who one disappoints can lead a person 

to making wrong decisions. Likewise, thinking about those who want 

to see you succeed (the “fan club”) can keep your actions aligned with 

the good deeds that meet or exceed the expectations of a better you.

So the question is, “How can I help myself, my family, my people, 

and others make good decisions?” It all starts with you. Commit 

yourself to doing right. Doing right “makes might” (gives you power), 

and that power—combined with faith—gives birth to excellence.

Lincoln’s quote, although it speaks about achieving power through 

doing right, encapsulates the secret for achieving excellence. Excellence 

is, first, the product of believing: faith. Excellence is also the product of 
28 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

a strong will in action—right makes might! Excellence is, finally, the 

product of integrity—doing our duty, even when unpopular.

And as we do right, we do right with conviction. Thus, our power 

increases and our influence also increases twofold. Soon, everything 

we touch and do transforms into the beautiful picture we had in 

mind. That’s the magic of doing right, of having faith that it works 

while doing it—the excellent life is born! As British philosopher 

James Allen posited, “Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes 

creative force: he who knows this is ready to become something 

higher and stronger than a mere bundle of wavering thoughts and 

fluctuating sensations.”2

Someone once told me, “Watch what you’re thinking.” There is 

great wisdom in those words. In essence, and as the quote from James 

Allen alludes, we become our thoughts. Our thoughts are embedded 

commands, and we give ourselves these commands throughout the 

day. When we say, “I can’t do ____.” Then we command our beings to 

achieve that level of performance. We have just limited our achievement by setting the bar too low.

We can change this dialogue with “I can be ___” or “I can 

achieve____” or “I can become ___.” So what’s the effect? The effect of 

committing ourselves to a new dialogue is a new way of thinking about 

what we can achieve. This new thinking produces great energy that 

leads to personal achievements and, therefore, a better quality of life.

If we want our lives to become rich and full of purpose, what do we 

need to do? We need to commit ourselves to our fan club and ourselves. We also need to commit ourselves to doing right in this world 

with the conviction that this thing we are seeking will become reality. 

Additionally, the dialogue we have with ourselves must be different. 

It must be uplifting and explicit about achieving the impossible.

Part of your internal dialogue should include your own life motto. 

If you don’t have one, get one. The motto below is a good one. One of 

my students gave me this quote in early 2001. He was a great fan of 

the Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi. This is another 

powerful thought. I have made it my own compass and way of living. 

Lombardi is oft quoted as saying, “Unless you put everything you 

have into your pursuits, what is life worth? The quality of a man’s life 

is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence.”

Commitment to excellence raises the bar, and it makes for a life 

worth living!
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 29

Notes

1. Abraham Lincoln, “Cooper Union Address,” Abraham Lincoln Online (website), http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/cooper.htm.

2. James Allen, As a Man Thinketh, Kindle ed. (Seattle, WA: Amazon Digital Services, 2012), 37–38.

Chapter 10

Troops Talk: Three Actions of Leaders

Despite what we may think, nobody really cares about 

what you say until those you lead see what you can do.

—Patrick L. Wilson, Chief Master Sergeant, USAF

Often, I ask audiences, “What is a good leader?” From the youngest troop to the oldest, responses tend to be very similar. Questions 

about leadership (and the subsequent responses) are important. They 

help us understand what we ought to be. Sometimes what we fail to 

realize is that creating or becoming “the leader” is a daily process.

This is true in our own personal lives, as well as in our professional 

lives. We must constantly exercise certain leadership actions until 

they become part of our nature. Then we become the influential leaders we want to be and others aspire to emulate.

Well, I asked over 300 of my troops what actions make them follow 

a person as a leader. Here’s what they said:

•  Integrity. This is defined in many ways, but I’ll keep it within the 

context of the follower. This is the best framework to understand 

what you should continuously do to become a leader. In their 

own words, “Do what you say you were going to do. Live in accordance with a set of values, and keep your promises.” Many 

years ago I knew a chief master sergeant who was very wise and 

used to advise leaders, “Your actions speak so loud that I can’t 

hear what you’re saying.” Integrity is the alignment of word and 

action.

•  Go the extra mile. This means you are energy driven to get 

things done and, more importantly, to set an example of excellence. I asked the troops to explain go the extra mile for me. “My 

leader, for example, goes above and beyond what needs to be 

done.” During the discussion, I affirmed understanding and 

asked for further explanation. “Well, I mean that this person not 

only barks orders, but also mentors me when I am having difficulty getting a task done.” Going the extra mile also means 

thinking beyond the task, for example, thinking about actions, 

reactions, assumptions, and consequences.
32 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

•  Caring. With this one, I responded to the troops, “Ah, the infamous ‘C’ word: caring. And why is this important anyway? If I 

need you to take the hill, do you want me to be touchy-feely with 

you? We need to get things done. . . . I need you to go for it. You 

need a hug too?!” After the laughter, one of my warriors said, 

“Chief, I will take the hill. I just need to know you care about me. 

Then, I’ll take the hill and some more.”

That’s powerful! The truth is that they will do what we ask of them, 

but if they know we care, their actions extend to loyalty (going the 

extra mile for us). Loyalty produces followers. A leader without followers is just one more person with great ambitions.

“Ok, warriors, one more question.” I had to ask one more. “So what 

actions does a leader take to demonstrate caring?” I got many responses from them. Here are a few: knowing kids and spouses names, 

celebrating birthdays, talking face-to-face instead of using e-mail for 

everything, and—another big one—listening! This is what I call “high 

touch” and not necessarily high tech.

In short, all three of these “actions” that the troops felt were so 

important are inward characteristics. They are born by way of developing character. Practice integrity, going the extra mile, and caring, 

not by talking about them, but by doing every day—that’s how you’ll 

develop into the great leader you want to be!
Chapter 11

Being Extraordinary

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is 

that little extra.

—Jimmy Johnson

What is extraordinary? On an early March morning, my son and I 

braved the elements to accomplish the great feat of cleaning and rearranging the garage. It was a mess! As a matter of fact, when I told my 

eight-year-old son that our project for the day was to clean the garage, he told me, “Uhmmm . . . no thanks . . . I’m going to clean up my 

room.” Wow! He was going to do that willingly––without the constant reminders from mom or dad?! Well, I used some persuasion, 

and suddenly I had an enthusiastic recruit.

As our mission was coming to an end, I found a round table to put 

upstairs. “Son, you take the legs of the table, and I’ll take the tabletop.” 

He replied with, “Ok, Dad.” We carried the pieces from the garage to 

the house. Once inside, I said, “Son, I’m going back to the garage to 

get a few things. I’ll leave the tabletop here, and you can carry the 

other parts upstairs.” He acknowledged the instructions, and soon 

after, I left the house.

I came back 30 minutes later. I could not find the tabletop. So I 

asked my wife, “Where’s the tabletop?” It was upstairs, and the table 

was completely assembled. I was so surprised. With great pride, I 

praised my son: “GREAT JOB!”

“Son . . . do you know what’s the difference between ordinary and 

extraordinary?!”

He responded, “Dad, it’s that thing at the beginning . . . the extra.”

“YES! Very good! That’s it! It’s the extra. Son, you are extraordinary!” I exclaimed.

Kids get it. Adults have to think about it a bit more. I know I do, 

and you probably need to also. Am I extraordinary? Am I giving a 

little extra? Or am I just doing what is required of me?

Successful people profess, perform, and give extra. There is no success in just doing enough. We do not win championships by just running on the track. We win when we give the extra effort.
34 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

The athlete understands the power of effort. He or she knows the 

pain of defeat and the joy of victory. The athlete knows success comes 

through giving his or her last effort in the final moments of the fight, 

even after all reserves appear to be exhausted. As boxing great Muhammad Ali once said, “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses––behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long 

before I dance before those lights.”

The truth is that you cannot settle for less than what you can give. 

Sometimes you don’t know how close you are to achieving success 

until you press some more. Don’t give in to comfort. Set the bar high 

for achievement. (Think about our previous conversation, “Raise the 

Bar!—Reflections.”)

I’ve seen leaders become complacent and begin to live on autopilot. That’s when they lose the extra that once made them achievers. 

Later they can’t understand why they lost the “fight.”

So what can you do to avoid what I just described and become 

extraordinary? Here are some of the “commandments” by which the 

extraordinary live:

•  Set high standards for yourself and your organization. And don’t

apologize for having high standards.

•  Be prepared to go the long haul.

•  Communicate expectations and listen to feedback.

•  Work as a team. Don’t push people but enlist them as equal partners in achieving success.

•  If the work done doesn’t meet your expectations, don’t accept it.

•  Be patient, be a role model, and be a teacher.

•  Praise and celebrate.

Achieving success is the product of the extra. Go the extra mile. 

Give the extra effort. The fight is won every time you expend your last 

effort—your last strength. Yes, you can achieve beyond the ordinary 

if you become extraordinary!
Chapter 12

Thinking Styles

Calibrate your internal compass, watch not only what 

you think but also how you think!

In early 2013 I saw the need to work not only on maximizing my 

physical strength but also maximizing my mental power. I needed to 

improve how I approached situations mentally; I needed to change 

my “thinking style.”

Several times I caught myself thinking how this or that task was 

full of lengthy steps, only to be swept away in a litany of reasons why 

this or that needed to be postponed for a better opportunity. Ok, I’ll 

give you a simple personal example. Taxes! This is a recurring movie, 

one I’ve lived every year. One would think that as a process-oriented 

person, I would have already devised some kind of natural sequence 

to get this onerous task done. Well, not really.

Maybe you can relate? All of us have pockets of similar areas in our 

lives. However, we can’t let procrastinatory behavior defeat our forward movement. The power of now is much more awesome in momentum than the potential generated by postponing action to tomorrow or a week from now. You need a spark of energy (physical and 

mental power) to get started, and the rest is all momentum.

The secret to maximizing physical strength and mental power is to 

change our thinking. Finding the energy to get things done effortlessly is more a function of our thoughts than a function of our physical ability or environment. As philosopher James Allen stated, 

“Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force: he who 

knows this is ready to become something higher and stronger than a 

mere bundle of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations.”1

 The 

fact is that controlling what and how you think builds a stronger 

leader within you. This empowerment also helps you achieve goals 

and, most certainly, overcome the environment.

A colleague and good friend, SgtMaj Craig Cressman, US Marine 

Corps, calls this phenomenon “mind over matter.” As we were talking 

about thinking styles and their place in personal leadership, he said 

to me, “There are many stories of poor to rich, weak to strong, and 

military heroic examples . . . but the cornerstone in many of these 
36 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

stories, outside luck, is thought.”2 Having led Marines during several 

combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, including being responsible 

for overseeing operations over a battlespace the size of New York City 

while in Afghanistan, he knows well what thought can do.

“The will to survive, endure, achieve more than we are, start with 

our own thoughts. Successful thoughts lead to successful acts. Your 

mind can defeat or propel you beyond physical and/or expected limitations.

“I was forced to face my fears with confidence, and things I initially thought impossible became possible. Every day, we are all faced 

with challenges. From childhood to adulthood, our thoughts shape 

the interpretation and perception of these challenges. But then we 

have to (and we can) make a choice: to dwell on the past or shape our 

personal reality.” This mind-over-matter way of thinking empowers 

you to become a resilient leader able to adapt and overcome.

In February 2013 I had the privilege of talking with Pamela Corbett, author, neurolinguistic programming master practitioner, and 

leadership coach, about how I, as a leader, could sharpen my behavioral responses to situations with which I was being confronted. She, 

too, pointed out the power of changing thinking styles. She pointed 

out the following:

Any human experience can be described in terms of its 3 elements: internal 

thoughts, internal feelings, and external behavior. For example, as you read 

this, you likely are processing the content, hopefully with interest. “My, this 

sure is interesting!” That would be your thought which leads to a feeling, 

maybe curiosity. This feeling then leads to your reading more (a behavior). If, 

on the other hand, you thought, “This may be interesting, but I’ve got to get 

my taxes done,” that thought might produce a feeling of worry, impatience, 

responsibility or something else. Such feelings might compel you to put this 

reading away and move on (behavior) to your taxes. Just an example.

As in any system, if you change one element in a system, it will impact the 

other two. So, for example, if you want to change a behavior, change either 

your thoughts or your feelings. Hint: changing your thoughts is easier.3

Pamela has decades of experience doing executive coaching and 

practical research, so advice like this is wise, full of insight, and, 

therefore, golden. I often think about her words, and I watch for opportunities to practice what she preached. If I want to change how I 

feel or how I react to a situation, changing how I think about the situation helps me realize and take advantage of opportunities in my environment.
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 37

This is so universal, that no matter what your role is as a leader 

(chief executive officer or mailroom sorter, sergeant or general, mom 

or dad, manager or employee), all of us can improve our capacity to 

do good for ourselves and those around us. Begin examining how 

you think. Make improvements and continue to develop yourself 

physically and mentally!

Notes

1. James Allen, As a Man Thinketh: The Path of Prosperity (New York: Sterling 

Publishers, 2012), 37–38.

2. SgtMaj Craig D. Cressman (United States Marine Corps), interview by the 

author, 5 May 2014.

3. Pamela Corbett (Neuro-linguistic programming master practitioner, executive coach and leadership development expert), interview by the author, 21 February 

2013.

Chapter 13

Are Those Steel-Toed?

You will never get the whole picture from a report, e-mail, 

or phone conversation. Looking at men and women in the 

eye will give you a good sense of your team and how they 

are performing.

—Donald J. Freeman, Command Sergeant Major, USA

In our roles as leaders, we are charged with developing and caring 

for people. This is no soft philosophy, believe me! Some confuse this 

and think it’s about going along, getting along, or making everyone 

feel cozy. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Developing and taking care of people is about taking one’s responsibility seriously and correcting the little things. We know our people 

can handle the tough and big tasks, but it’s in how our people handle 

the smallest of things that we know whether we have developed a 

winning team. Do you remember our last conversation? I see some 

application of that conversation here too, and it is worth remembering: the extra separates the ordinary from the extraordinary.

I remember one of those care-for-people leaders. It has been 21 

years since I met him, but I still remember my old flight chief. He was 

not the most charismatic leader, but he certainly was extraordinary. 

Of course, I didn’t think of him that way back then!

Every morning our flight chief was in his office at least one hour 

before all of us young Airmen showed up to work. By the time we arrived, he had read through the aircraft maintenance logs, sample inspected the toolboxes, and walked the shop to evaluate the job done 

the night before. And if that was not enough, he had already taken 

time to get briefed by the night supervisor about everything that had 

happened while he was away. He was totally aware of mission priorities. Under his leadership, it was not rare to be lined up in some sort 

of open-ranks formation weekly. I remember one of those mornings, 

“EVERYONE in the front lab. . . . GET READY for inspection!” So 

there we were—lined up and being inspected. He would ask each one 

of us (all 95), “Are those steel-toed boots?” He would check our eyes 

to see where we had been the night before. That inspection time was 
40 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

his time to look at you, ask about your family, and ask you about the 

job assignment for the day.

It sounds odd that almost every week he would ask if we were 

wearing steel-toed boots, but for him, it was important to leave no 

doubt. One week I was wearing new boots. He leaned over and 

pressed the front of my boot with his finger just to confirm. You see 

the steel-toed boot question is about safety, the safety of the troops 

when accomplishing industrial work in the shop or on the flight-line, 

and the chief ’s insistence on such little things kept us performing at 

the highest of standards—mishap free! I believe we could not have 

done it any other way. There were temptations, but discipline in the 

little things kept us from attempting to cross the line in big things.

These are old lessons I take with me every day; the little things 

matter! Am I prepared to begin my daily duties? Do I look at my 

troops often? Are they ready with the equipment needed to accomplish their jobs? If I don’t walk around and face them, how will I know 

the answer to these questions?

Boots were made for walking. Get out of your office, look at your 

troops, look at their boots, and if in doubt, always ask, “Are those 

steel-toed?”
Chapter 14

I Like Them with a Smile

Here’s something little that makes a whole world of difference!

A few years ago, we went on a family vacation with my mother-inlaw and her husband. We visited Bavaria, Germany, and it was beautiful: the mountains, the valleys, the traditionally constructed houses—

just magical!

Well, for this minivacation, we did as we normally do when we 

travel across Europe: we stayed in a small gausthaus (guest house). 

When morning came, we went downstairs to eat breakfast. That day, 

the breakfast salon was packed with guests. Nevertheless, we found a 

nice area to sit where we could see the mountains, covered by the 

typical Black Forest trees.

We noticed the waitress was having a busy day—running from 

table to table trying to satisfy all of her guests’ requests. Finally, the 

waitress came to our table. She greeted us with a very polite but private tone, “Guten tag, was moechte sie zum trinken?” (Good morning, what would you like to drink?)

We all ordered coffee, juice, and tea. She came back with the drinks 

and quickly got to business. As she was taking our orders, curtly replying at times with clarifications, she got to my mother-in-law’s husband and asked him how he liked his breakfast eggs. In his Dutch 

accent, he replied in German with the most sincere request, “I like 

them with a smile!”

The waitress quickly realized her behavior and erupted in laughter. 

We all looked at each other and also laughed. That day, and for the 

rest of the vacation, she was most wonderful. We always greeted her 

with a smile, and she reciprocated. I thought we gained a friend.

Can you remember times where a smile has turned things around? 

It seems like a simple thing, but it truly makes a world of difference 

when interacting with the people around us.

Leaders need to be concerned with “simple things” like a smile. 

Why? Because the leader’s mood and behavior shape the environment where people work. Years of experience leading organizations 

and advising leaders in organizational behavior and climate have 

taught me these simple lessons:
42 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

•  Toxic leadership behavior produces a toxic work environment.

For example, rude behavior on the part of the leader plants the 

seed that produces rudeness and negativity in work endeavor on 

the part of employees.

•  Toxic work environments deplete the “motivational oxygen” in

great people, creating underachievers and clock watchers in an 

organization.

•  An upbeat and inspirational leader produces environments

where employees accept challenges and accomplish work with a 

forward-looking attitude.

Of course, a smile affects the external environment, but rest assured it affects your internal, human environment also. Much research has been done on smiling and its ability to help you become a 

more resilient person and even cure diseases. Here is an example 

from the Federal Occupational Health Agency of the Department of 

Health and Human Services: “Smiling can alter your brain chemistry, 

reduce your stress, and make you happier. . . . Smiling alters your 

body’s chemistry by increasing the amount of endorphin and serotonin that are available to your body. Numerous studies have found 

that these two neuro-chemicals can help with those bodily changes 

that you experience as a good mood: body relaxes, heart rate lowers, 

blood pressure lowers, breath becomes steady, feelings of stress ease, 

[and] mood lifts.”1

So there you have it. If you want to make a big difference in the 

environment that surrounds you and to your own internal being, part 

of that recipe isn’t very costly. Just smile. And practice often by greeting every person you meet with a sincere smile!

Notes

1. Federal Occupational Health, “A Winning Smile,” Let’s Talk, no. 1 (2014): 

http://www.foh.hhs.gov/eapnews/consortium/smile.html.
Chapter 15

“I Have a Dream!” Or Maybe I Don’t Have One

Sometimes the gift you share becomes the powerful force 

that awakens the dream in someone else’s journey.

Last year I picked up Martin Luther King Jr.’s autobiography and 

reread it. Here’s something that captivated my thoughts as I was diving into his writings. This passage is from his well-known “I Have a 

Dream” speech: “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to 

you today, my friends—so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”1

 Powerful words, don’t you 

think? One cannot help but understand that there is a call to action in 

those words.

Let me translate that passage into today’s lingo: “Stop thinking 

about how bad you have it. Don’t spend any more time telling yourself how terrible this situation is for you. Let me tell you, although 

things can at times be bad, I will not lose sight of my dream. I will 

achieve it! I have power!”

But what if you don’t have a dream? I didn’t. Some people look at 

me and say I am successful, but how can that be without a goal or a 

dream? This is a misconception in leadership. We have been taught 

that great leaders were the products of pursuing a magnanimous 

dream. This isn’t true in all circumstances. My level of success, for 

example, although a product of my effort, was, in great measure, the 

powerful effect of someone sharing their dream of me.

Let me get right to the point. If you want to be a great leader, you 

need to help others realize their true potential. Otherwise, people 

may go their entire lives and never realize what they can become. The 

people you are charged with leading (at work or at home) will become average at best. Taking people from average to great requires 

awakening or sharing a dream. Let me use my own life to illustrate 

my point.

I was born on the island of Puerto Rico. While living there, my life 

was not filled with huge dreams. I spent my time doing what others do: 

going to school, hanging out with friends, and doing other things teenagers do. Although my parents gave me a strong Christian foundation, 
44 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

I didn’t have a sense of aspiration. Years after I joined the Air Force, I 

met an amazing warrior, and my life took a sharp positive turn.

That warrior was a well-known person, very respected in the Air 

Force community we were living in. I was pretty much invisible in 

that world. Nevertheless, that person took time to sit down with me 

and get me to read. Yes, read! He taught me the power of connecting 

with great minds. He also taught me the power of habits.

Habits are a powerful force. That’s because we become what we 

regularly do. If you want to be excellent, then you must do excellent 

work, excellent deeds, and so forth. That behavior will mold you into 

what you want to become.

On that journey of vast reading, understanding the power of habits and forming new habits, I developed a sense of purpose in my life. 

And I started connecting with those around me. Those around me 

began to be transformed by the spark ignited within me. All of a sudden, I had a dream.

The interesting part of the dream is that it was awakened in me. I 

can almost say that I became this warrior’s dream. He was developing 

the warrior in me. I did not know it at first, but the dream happened.

Why is that important anyway? In a world where people “wallow 

in the valley of despair,” where the hope of a dream is long forgotten 

or believed to be unachievable, we can be the turning point.

My invitation to you is to develop your own potential and then work 

with others to awaken their purpose and to live a dream. Better yet, 

share and live a dream—that’s how you create and inspire leadership!

Notes

1. Quoted in Christine Barbour and Matthew J. Streb, ed., Clued in to Politics: A 

Critical Reader in American Government (Los Angeles, CA: CQ Press, 2014), 65.
Part 3

Making Decisions on Your 

Leadership Journey

A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great 

hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.

—Wayne Gretzky

Leaders make decisions every day. But great leaders make purposeful decisions. This means great leaders’ decision making is vision-driven!

The discussions in this section will help you understand the dynamics of vision-driven decision making. These discussions will also 

help you understand why, and how, great leaders can shape positive 

outcomes through vision-driven decision making.

Ultimately, you will get good at decision making through actual 

practice “in the arena” of life, and later through reflection. Let’s chat!

Chapter 16

Self-fulfilling Prophecy . . . The Power of 

Expectations

You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan 

to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.

—Zig Ziglar

While driving from a social function, my wife and I started talking 

about our son’s education and performance. Specifically, we thought 

about our set of expectations: Are we being too tough? Are our own 

expectations as parents adequate? Are we expecting too much at his 

early age?

Years of study and actual practice in leadership and resiliency have 

opened my eyes to see what expectations do for children and adults. 

The truth is that the exercise of reasonable expectations produces the 

same results in children and adults alike. Expectations create selffulfilling prophecies.

This concept of self-fulfilling prophecy is nothing new. It comes 

from what it is known as the Pygmalion effect, named after the Greek 

legend of a highly skilled sculptor who lived on the island of Cyprus. 

As the story goes, Pygmalion carved out of ivory the most beautiful 

statue of a maiden. He would stare at her beauty to the point of falling 

in love. One night, during the festival of Venus, he prayed. The goddess Venus heard his prayer. When Pygmalion returned home, he 

touched the statue; she felt warm, like a living being. Doubting his 

senses, he kissed her. The story says that the maiden’s face bloomed 

like a waking rose and her hair shone like gold. She had awakened—

stepped off her pedestal and fell in the arms of her creator. Pygmalion’s dream had come true!1

Nowadays, we use this story to talk about how our expectations can 

produce the results we so desire. One famous illustration of this effect 

is portrayed in the research of Dr. Robert Rosenthal, who studied the 

effect of teacher’s expectations and its effects on children. If you took 

a psychology class in college, you probably studied this well-known 

1968 research. In short, teachers who thought their students were highly 

intelligent produced students who achieved higher levels of learning. 

Teachers who thought of students as underachievers produced students 
48 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

with lower-learning achievements. I have seen this in action several 

times. It’s true: self-fulfilling prophesies occur.

Here’s a mini war story to prove the point. Back in 2001, I stormed 

the streets of Lackland Air Force Base as a new military training instructor (MTI), otherwise known as a drill sergeant. In four years, I 

trained thousands of recruits in many flights and sections. (A flight is 

the smallest-type organization in the Air Force. In basic training, 

each flight is composed of 60–65 recruits. A section is composed of at 

least five flights.) Among the many flights, Flight 712 is, for me, the 

classic example of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

When I took over that flight, it was known as one of the worst performers. The previous MTIs (three of them) would remind the recruits every day about how terrible they were. I had fellow MTIs who 

would assure me those recruits were some of the worst they’d seen 

and wished me good luck on my new challenge.

On my first day with those recruits, I told them about the reputation they’d built for themselves. And I also told them, “Enough of that 

talk! It’s time for change. You’ll live to your fullest potential. I believe 

it’s in you, and it’s my job to awaken it.” I really cared about those recruits. My own attitude toward them—beginning with my total belief 

they could rise above their condition—drove me to accept nothing 

but excellence from them. Trust me; it wasn’t easy. But we trained 

hard, and I reassured them when they needed it. At other times, well, 

they ended up doing a good amount of push-ups. Those recruits began to believe in themselves and began to ace inspections. Their 

marching became a scene to watch (chins up, shoulders squared, and 

steady in the cadence—developing presence as a team), to the point 

that when they marched, other recruits got out of their way. The recruits of Flight 712 got a taste of success “forged in pain and tempered 

in honor.” There was no way back now. Their last march together was 

on the parade field during graduation day. They honored themselves 

by marching during the basic military graduation parade demeritfree, an almost incredible feat.

I still keep Flight 712’s picture hung on the wall in my office to remind me of the power of expectations. You have to believe in the 

power of people—awakening their true nature—then pour yourself 

into serving them by pushing their performance level higher and 

higher because you know they can succeed.

We see the same effect in the sports arena. Coaches who set high 

expectations for their athletes win. Research conducted after the 2008 
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 49

Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, studied factors contributing to successful performance from both the coach and athlete’s 

perspectives. In his research, Bo Hanson, four-time Olympian and 

coaching consultant, highlighted athletes’ comments like this one: 

“With my coach, we knew exactly what I needed, physically, technically, mentally—our motto was ‘Execute excellence.’ ”2

 The coach’s 

own expectation modified his or her behavior and shaped the relationship the coach had with the athletes. Hanson also noted, “The 

coach’s coaching style varied from being able to be dominant when 

required, to steady with a questioning, listening approach and twoway communication, to influencing with encouragement and praise.”3

In turn, the above behaviors created strong relationships where athletes felt valued, unique, and important.

After reading and meditating over these thoughts and studies, I 

felt much better about setting high expectations. Simply put, I should 

not be concerned that my expectations may be too high; my concern 

for me, my family, and those I lead should be that I do not set low 

expectations. After all, people will give you what you expect. Expect 

low performance and you will get low performance. Expect high results and you will get high results. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. And it 

all starts with you!

Notes

1. Josephine Preston Peabody, “Pygmalion and Galatea,” in Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew (Boston, MA: Houghton, Mifflin, 1897), 68–70.

2. Bo Hanson, “Success of Coach Athlete Relationships” (Canadian Olympic 

Study. Athlete Assessments, n.d. Web. 31 Dec. 2013. http://www.athleteassessments.

com/articles/success_of_coach_athlete_relationships.html.

3. Ibid.

Chapter 17

The Job Interview

When it comes time to make a decision, do not be misled 

by “expert” advice; do your own analysis too.

As I was growing up, my dad would talk to me about analysis. He 

would caution me about accepting the word of experts without the 

proper use of my own analysis. Here’s the funny tale he used to make 

the point.

Once upon a time, three gentlemen—a mathematician, a physicist, 

and an accountant—applied for a high-paying job. Each of them prepared, and the day came for the interview. Each was to be called individually and asked the same questions.

The interviewer met the first candidate, a scholarly mathematician 

with an impressive resume. So after a litany of questions, the interviewer said, “Mr. Mathematician, I am so impressed. You are obviously 

skilled and very personable. Thank you for accepting this interview. 

But, you know, I must ask one last question.”

The mathematician said, “Yes, please feel free to ask anything you 

want. What’s your question?”

The interviewer said, “Well, I would like you to tell me how much 

is one plus one?”

The mathematician made a thinking face, and after a few moments 

said, “Do you have a board?”

“Of course!” said the interviewer. The interviewer made it available, and quickly the mathematician wrote all over the board quadratic formulas, differential equations, and even simple algebra. After 

30 minutes of scribing and explaining, the mathematician said, “Sir, 

the answer is 2.”

“Wow! Thank you, Mr. Mathematician. We hope to let you know 

about our hiring decision soon.” And so the mathematician left, and 

the physicist was rushed into the room.

“Mr. Physicist,” said the interviewer, “thank you for accepting our 

interview. What an impressive resume.” And so they went, as in the 

first case, with the litany of questions and into the last question.

The interviewer asked: “Mr. Physicist, could you please tell me 

how much is one plus one?”
52 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

“Certainly, I can” said Mr. Physicist, and he continued, “Do you 

have a board so I may be able to explain?”

The board was made available, and the physicist was able to demonstrate how elements of heaven and earth combined their forces to 

produce effects that were quantifiable. The quantifiable laws of nature 

were irrefutable, and since they could be counted in chunks of units, 

therefore, he concluded, “As you can clearly see, the result of one plus 

one is two.”

The interviewer was now truly impressed. He had never seen an 

explanation like that one. He dismissed the physicist and also told 

him, “Wow, impressive! Thank you, Mr. Physicist. We hope to let you 

know about our hiring decision soon.”

And so the last candidate was summoned into the room. Finally, 

the accountant got the interview he was so hopeful for. The interviewer and the accountant went through the same list of questions 

and then the last question:

“Mr. Accountant, here we come to the final question of our interview, could you please tell me how much is one plus one?”

The accountant stood up. He took a pencil and scribbled in a little 

piece of paper he pulled out of his shirt pocket. He sat down, looked 

at the ceiling, tapped the eraser on the table a few times, and asked, 

“How much do you want one plus one to be?”

The moral of the story?

Surround yourself with experts and motivated people, but when it 

comes time to make the decision, do not forget to make your own 

analysis of the situation and then take action after considering all of 

the information available.

This will prevent you from being swayed by numbers that at times 

do not reflect the true reality. As a leader in whatever setting you are 

in (mom, dad, coach, military, civilian—you name it), remember we 

have developed innate instincts. Trust them. Use them!
Chapter 18

This or That

Lee’s army and not Richmond, is your sure objective point.

—Abraham Lincoln

The above quote was President Lincoln’s response to Union general 

Joseph Hooker, who got word in June 1863 that Confederate general 

Robert E. Lee’s entire army was heading north. General Hooker recommended attacking the Confederate capital instead of engaging his enemy, and the president promptly reminded him about the real priority.1

Leaders find themselves in predicaments like this every day. Our 

world offers us plenty of opportunities to lose focus and divide our 

effort. Our environment constantly pushes us to “this or that.” And 

once you’re looking at this or that, you will feel tempted to achieve 

both (this and that) or take the path of least resistance. Well, what can 

I say? Life is not clear-cut, but we have to find the way.

If the leader (and feel free to substitute others for the word leader—

father, mother, general, sergeant, and so forth) is not clear about 

where to go and what needs to be done, how confused do you think 

the troops (and feel free to substitute children, team members, friend, 

employees, and such) will be? Overall, how effective will everyone be 

in seizing clear victories?

An old proverb offers the lesson, “If you chase two rabbits, both 

will escape.”

There will always be this-or-that choices, but the leader needs to be 

clear on what needs to be accomplished. Clarity and simplicity help 

us narrow the focus. The clearer your focus is, the sharper you will be.

First, decide what you want and need to do—not as simple as we 

may sometimes think. The best way to decide is to wake up early and 

set time aside (when your mind is rested) to determine your priorities. Remember to narrow your focus when pressed with too many 

alternatives. Regardless of what you’re trying to accomplish, the rule 

is this: keep it simple!

The second part of this advice requires clear messaging. Convey 

your meaning and instructions clearly to those who are charged with 

executing. Here are some examples of clear and unclear messaging.
54 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

•  Clear:Airman, tomorrow, Wednesday, at 1000, at the base theater,

we will have Commander’s Call. You will be there in uniform.

•  Unclear: Airman, tomorrow, Wednesday, at 1000, at the base

theater, we will have a Commander’s Call. Try your utmost to 

be there.

There is a huge difference between these two statements. In the first 

statement, only one choice exists: “Airman, be there!” In the second 

statement, the Airman has the choice. He or she can claim to have 

tried but to have been prevented from attending by other priorities.

Although this example is ultrasimple, leaders constantly fail here. 

If you have a dream, define it for yourself. Then, lead those who are to 

execute it. Lead your warriors by communicating clearly; commit 

them fully to the task. Don’t give them choices: this or that will only 

make you chase two rabbits—both will escape.

And on your objective (“Lee’s army”), seize the opportunity! Don’t 

give yourself up to this or that.

Notes

1. Carol Reardon and Tom Vossler, The Gettysburg Campaign: June–July 1863

(Washington, DC: Center of Military History, United States Army, 2013), 12, http://

permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo37413/CMH_Pub_75-10.pdf.
Chapter 19

Watch the Autoresponse

Instead of telling yourself why you can’t do something, 

think about all the reasons why you can!

In late February 2012, I was in a ceremony commemorating 32 

newly selected chief master sergeants. The event was great—largely 

because of the dedication of the committee members.

I thought for a moment about not only that event but also others I 

have led or attended. Those events always turn into majestic works of 

art because the people involved could say, “Yes, it can be done!”

What we tell ourselves and how we approach possibilities shape 

our attitude, our greatest source of ability. Our attitude makes the difference between getting things done and complaining about why life 

did not give us this or that. I assure you, the road begins with watching your “autoresponses.” Some who have worked under my leadership may have complained to others that I won’t hear the word “No.” 

I beg to differ. What certainly drains my emotional energy is having 

people around me whose autoresponse to everything is “No, we can’t 

do that,” or the usual, “We’ve tried that before,” or how about the, 

“Well, no one has ever done that.”

My typical response is, “So what?! Let’s be the first ones to go out 

there and make it happen.” Instead of worrying about the many reasons why we shouldn’t or can’t do something, let’s begin thinking 

about all of the reasons why something should or could be done. As 

psychologist William James stated, “The greatest discovery of my 

generation is that humans can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind.”

Let’s think about the amazing possibilities for goodness that can be 

born from doing something that is worthwhile. If the project is difficult, thinking through the reasons we should do it will give us 

strength. Surely the way will be revealed. The comedian Bill Cosby 

once quipped, “Anyone can dabble, but once you’ve made that commitment, your blood has that particular thing in it, and it’s very hard 

for people to stop you.” 

Here’s something many people thought impossible, until it was 

done: breaking the sound barrier. Man began dreaming about super-
56 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

sonic jets from the onset of flying. As airplanes began to advance, the 

dream of flying at supersonic speeds came within reach. Nevertheless, many challenges associated with supersonic flying emerged. One 

of those challenges had to deal with the number of obstacles an aircraft experienced once it got to a certain speed (about 767 mph). 

Once at that particular speed, it got kind of “stuck”; it could no longer 

accelerate. That point was later termed the sound barrier. Could 

manned aircraft really break through that barrier? Another associated challenge was to discover whether a man could or could not endure flight at speeds faster than the speed of sound. All of those challenges and related effects implied that a physical wall existed that 

could not be overcome.

Experiments with artillery canons, as early as the seventeenth century, were early discoveries of the speed of sound. Counting from the 

initial flash to the moment men would hear the sound of the canons, 

men understood sound traveled in waves through the air. These experiments gave way to Isaac Newton’s first measurement of the speed 

of sound in 1687. It was clear that canon-propelled objects could travel 

faster than the speed of sound, but could a man do the same? The 

question was clearly answered when Capt Chuck Yeager, USAF, broke 

the sound barrier. The date was 14 October 1947. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration describes that historic moment:

Entering this unknown regime [the speed of Mach 0.85], Yeager momentarily 

shut down two of the four rocket chambers, and carefully tested the controls 

of the X-1 as the Mach meter in the cockpit registered 0.95 and increased still. 

Small invisible shockwaves danced back and forth over the top surface of the 

wings. At an altitude of 40,000 feet, the X-1 finally started to level off, and 

Yeager fired one of the two shutdown rocket chambers. The Mach meter 

moved smoothly through 0.98, 0.99, to 1.02. Here, the meter hesitated then 

jumped to 1.06. . . . At this moment, Chuck Yeager became the first pilot to fly 

faster than the speed of sound.1

Speaking of flying, how about flying without fuel? Pushing through 

the supposed engineering boundaries, a team of experts gave way to 

their grand vision. In December 2009, they built a solar-powered 

plane. Not long after the plane was built, it set a record as the first 

solar-powered plane to fly nonstop for 24 hours. And that team continues to fly around the world without fuel.2

And here is another act people thought could not be done: running the mile in less than four minutes. For years, many athletes had 

tried and failed to run a mile in less than four minutes. Gunder Hagg 
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 57

of Sweden, for example, established the world record in 1945, finishing the one mile in 4 minutes and 1.3 seconds.3

 Many thought running below the four-minute mark was still physically impossible.

On 6 May 1954, 25-year-old medical student Roger Bannister 

proved to the world this physical impossibility myth was wrong. In 

Oxford, England, he established a new record: 3 minutes and 59.4 

seconds. This record continued to be challenged throughout the 

years, with the latest being at 3 minutes and 43.13 seconds, by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1999.4

These are just a few examples of what can happen when you challenge your thinking and use proper reasoning. When you’re confronted with a tough situation, watch your autoresponse. Instead of 

telling yourself why you can’t do something, think about all the reasons you can and should do it. Then, believe, commit yourself, and 

lead others.

Notes

1. John D. Anderson, “Research in Supersonic Flight and the Breaking of the 

Sound Barrier,” in From Engineering Science to Big Science: The NACA and NASA 

Collier Trophy Research Project Winners, edited by Pamela Etter Mack (Washington, 

DC: NASA, 1998), http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4219/Chapter3.html.

2. Melody Kramer, “Solar Impulse’s U.S. Mission Ends This Weekend,” National 

Geographic, 6 July 2013, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130706

-solar-impulse-energy-flying-plane-new-york-dc/.

3. Encyclopedia Britannica s.v. “Gunder Hägg (Swedish Athlete),” 2016, http://

www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/251531/Gunder-Hagg.

4. “First Four-Minute Mile,” History.com (website), 2010, http://www.history

.com/this-day-in-history/first-four-minute-mile.

Chapter 20

Thinking Too Much?

Too much or too little info? Don’t be paralyzed by analysis. Strike a balance and make a decision.

I got a new smartphone in early 2012. It was a much improved version over what I had—I’ll leave it at that! The capability new smartphones offer is just incredible. As I was reading the news, listening to 

music, and later reading my favorite book on my new device, I asked 

myself, “Why didn’t I do this before?”

Looking back over the past year and a half before I bought that new 

phone, I can see exactly why the delay happened. Every time I set out 

to buy a new phone, my wife and I would get information about new 

telephone plans, new features, and so forth. And so, with analyses of all 

the new data and available options, we wouldn’t move to action.

This phenomenon happens in all aspects of our lives and in business too. You know what I mean? Let me give you an example. In an 

important meeting, leaders discuss big decisions about organizational changes. One of the team leaders speaks on work currently 

being done. On the other side of the table, another leader is surprised 

about the disclosure and replies, “I thought we were passed that already. What are we waiting for?”

All of us are familiar with similar scenarios. Many business scholars call that “analysis paralysis.” Although I don’t want to offer useless 

clichés, I do want to warn you about the dangers of too much thinking and too much analysis.

Worrying about having enough information is, nowadays, a miniscule part of the problem. The truth is you need to be concerned with 

having too much information. Let me give you a quick example.

A study conducted in 2008 (that’s almost eight years from the 

printing of this book) approximated the amount of information consumed by Americans at 3.6 zettabytes daily, about 34 gigabytes for an 

average person per day!1

 Ok, so what’s a zettabyte? A zettabyte is 10 to 

the 21st power bytes. If that does not paint the picture, go ahead and 

take a piece of paper, write a “1,” and then add 21 zeroes behind it. If 

that does not paint the picture, consider that most computers’ hard 
60 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

drive storage today is measured in gigabytes. The next measure is 

Terabyte, then, Petabyte, Exabyte, and finally Zettabyte.

The amount of information available is just enormous. Analysis 

paralysis is very similar. Too much thinking, either by analyzing too 

much or not making a decision because enough data is not enough, 

leaves you with unaccomplished work. Let me point out that a good 

level of thinking is important, and many times, too little thinking is 

irresponsible. The key is to strike a balance; focus on what you want 

to accomplish and when it needs to be done.

In short, be results oriented. Establish goals for yourself and your 

organization. Then decide when those things should be accomplished. As you go through the process, begin collecting information 

so that you can make intelligent decisions as your timeline allows. 

Employ the advice of your experts in the effort.

On information gathering, set limits for the length of collection. 

Also set standards about the quality of sources from which the information will be drawn.

Next, begin the analysis, and use your instincts to navigate through 

the options. Make the decision, and move on. Will everything go as 

planned? Not always. But don’t use that as an excuse to delay action.

Here’s a great way to overcome blockades that impede forward 

movement from nature itself, water. Water is fluid and always finds a 

way. Water going downstream doesn’t stop. When water meets an object, water embraces it. Water develops tremendous momentum as it 

flows, and when it meets a blockade, water either goes around, goes 

over, or goes through the object, or it removes the blockade. This is a 

great analogy on what to do when one meets obstacles along the way. 

As water keeps moving, so our thinking and decision making must 

also do the same.

Remember, don’t get paralyzed by analysis. Keep in mind that the 

best medicine against fear, disappointment, or lack of progress is to 

take action. Think it through, overcome obstacles, and act expediently!

Notes

1. Roger E. Bohn and James E. Short, How Much Information? 2009 Report on 

American Consumers. (LaJolla: Global National Institute of Standards & Technology 

| Information Industry Center, University of California–San Diego, 2010), http://

hmi.uscd.edu/howmuchinfo.php.
Chapter 21

Do the Trick: Troubleshoot before 

Attempting Repair

The temptation to jump right into a fix is always attractive. Resist it!

Effective personal or organizational leadership is process-oriented. 

When making decisions, I suggest you also be process-oriented. Do 

the trick!

I actually want to say TRC. So from here on out, I will write TRC, 

but I want you to read it as “trick.” Are you with me? Good! Let’s continue our journey.

TRC stands for troubleshoot, repair, and calibrate. I have been in 

this TRC business for a long time. My journey started in the Air Force 

Metrology and Calibration Program as a Precision Measurement 

Equipment Laboratory (PMEL) technician.

Although I don’t currently calibrate as a technician, I still find myself calibrating in different organizations and my own personal life. 

My journey has taught me that leaders who use the TRC process are 

effective. Those who do not end up crushing their organizations. Let 

me explain. But first you need to have some background information.

A PMEL technician troubleshoots, repairs, and calibrates. He or 

she ensures the accuracy and reliability of weapon systems and any 

other system or tool used to make quantitative measurements.

Calibration is about comparing an object or thing to a standard 

and ensuring repeatable measurement accuracy in the process. PMEL 

technicians certify that a piece of equipment has been tested and that it 

demonstrates measureable, reliable functioning against precise criteria. 

There is a process for that. And as I walk you through that process, 

please think about how it applies to you as a leader.

We can draw many analogies from this process, so think of them as 

we go along. For example, a customer can be anyone who is asking for 

services from you: son, daughter, subordinate, another organization, 

and so forth. Equipment can be a process or person. The malfunction 

can be anything described as an opportunity for improvement or 

problem to be solved.
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Here is a “bird’s eye view” of the process. Customers bring equipment to the PMEL for calibration. If the equipment is functioning 

properly, we calibrate it. Other times, customers notice (or we would 

notice) malfunctions or that the equipment was just broken. Restoring the equipment to operational capability requires a TRC approach. 

Find the root cause of the problem before attempting a repair.

Let me note here that this process must be done in the right order. 

Before going straight into the repair, we troubleshoot. Troubleshooting helps you avoid costly redos. I remember repairing components 

with a singular cost of over $24,000. Imagine how expensive it would 

be to fix something quickly (for the sake of time or lack of patience) 

only to find out the problem was something else?

In our leadership roles, we deal with people and systems. As self, 

mother, father, CEO, sergeant, officer, and so forth, there is no telling 

how much more expensive attempting to make course corrections 

would be without understanding why a person, organization, or system needs fixing.

The point here is to find the root cause of the problem before attempting a repair. Listen, research, and ask the right questions; be 

curious. Once you’ve done that, sit and think about possible courses 

of action.

Repairs Are Not Done Arbitrarily; They Must 

Conform to Some Blueprint

Once the reason for the malfunction is found, the equipment is 

ready for repair. The manuals will tell us how the equipment is designed, and that will dictate the best approach to use. When attempting a repair, the intent is to have a clear, intended purpose in mind 

and understand how the thing is built. Have a clear vision of how 

your organization or system should work. Then apply the right 

method. Use tact when appropriate; involve key players—care for all. 

The right attitude will help you find a way.

Your Work Is Not Done until You Calibrate and Certify

Repaired equipment is now ready for testing. How? Calibrate! You 

compare performance output against a standard. After testing specific 
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 63

outputs, we certify whether or not the equipment is fully capable. If it 

is not, we make adjustments until the outputs meet desired results.

The goal is to understand how you are measuring up to the success 

you deserve. As we look at all of our life’s activities, if all the systems 

are in place and operational, then it is time to calibrate. Compare your 

results against your vision. If you’re not hitting the mark, make adjustments by aligning personnel, processes, and activities to achieve the 

desired results. Move appropriate resources and time appropriately.

This TRC process works! In whatever you do, think about when 

and how you can use TRCs. Are there activities you can apply this to? 

Of course! Give it a try. Use TRC to craft your journey.

Chapter 22

What’s Really Important?

There is no way everything is highly important. Break 

through the fog! Otherwise, nothing will get done.

Sometimes we’re busy, and other times we tell ourselves we’re busy. 

Then, we meet with friends and we talk about who’s busier. “Man, I’ve 

been so busy.” “Me too—busier! Look, I was doing this and then that, 

plus I had to ____.” (Get ready for the “Who’s Really Busy” game 

show!) We all have been guilty of that type of behavior at one point or 

another. The problem is that we completely lose focus of what’s important. We’re out of control!

I bet if we stopped people around the community and asked, “Tell 

me, what’s really important to you? And what do you think will be important in your future?” people will go blank more often than not. And 

for those who are quick to respond, if we followed up with another 

question, “So how much time do you spend on this thing you mentioned as important?” most of the time, the person would merely stare, 

unable to comprehend or even realize the misalignment of priorities.

For some people, like me, who “keep going and going” all day like 

the Energizer Bunny, we are in danger. We may be living a life of deception, thinking we are achieving, producing results. And who 

knows? This may be true, but the danger stems from trying to do so 

much that we can no longer recognize what’s urgent, what’s important, 

what’s trivial, and what’s waste. Remember, this is similar to finding 

ourselves out of control. So stop for a second. As I have said elsewhere, 

“Ask yourself, ‘What are the activities that will produce the most bang 

for the investment in time and resources?’ Work on those first!”1

Staying busy is a good thing. But staying busy doing the right 

things is much better! Time management? Forget it! You cannot 

manage time. You only have 24 hours in a day. You can’t produce another hour.

In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr. Stephen R. 

Covey makes a good point about great people and great leaders. Great 

people, great leaders, practice the habit of “first things first.”2

 In short, 

they break through the fog and chaos by giving their lives clarity. 

How? Great leaders make clear what’s important to them and their 
66 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

organizations. Then they analyze each of the activities they’re doing 

and decide, based on clear priorities, what will be done first.

One key ingredient, as Dr. Covey puts it, is to be able to decipher 

between what’s important and what appears to be important. Then do 

the important first and say no to the unimportant. Sometimes what 

appears to be urgent is not important. But when one creates the habit 

of responding to urgency without an analysis of the task’s contribution to a worthy objective, one begins to veer out of control.

The product of “urgency reaction” is the complaint about not having enough time. Even more dangerous is the possibility that the truly 

important will not get done, or when done, quality will suffer.

So what’s really important? One way to answer that question is to 

ask yourself, “If I had a month left to live, on what activities would I 

concentrate? What would be the things I would circle on a piece of 

paper as my legacy?”

Another way to answer the question is to ask yourself, “Do I have 

a motto for life?” My motto is, “I live by the 5 Fs” (Faith, Family, Fitness, Flag, and Friends). Then, I evaluate if I have done anything in 

the month in relation to each of the Fs.

Whatever you decide to use, just do it. Decide what is important to 

you in your specific area of responsibility, then break through the fog and 

give your situation clarity. Adopt a motto for life and live by it. Be GREAT!

Notes

1. Jose A. Lugo Santiago, “Pareto Eyeglasses—Learning to See,” Jose LugoSantiago—

Craft Your Journey! (blog), 24 March 2014, http://www.joselugosantiago.com/lead

-inspire/pareto-eyeglasses-learning-to-see.

2. Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic (New York: Free Press, 2004).
Part 4

Dealing with Teamwork on your 

Leadership Journey

I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do 

know: the only ones among you who will be really happy 

are those who have sought and found how to serve.

—Albert Schweitzer

If you can’t produce teamwork, you’re not a leader. We can spend 

days talking about the education you have, the people you supervise, 

and the position you hold. Still, you will not convince me. The very 

nature of leadership demands that your relationship with people and 

your influence becomes a powerful force that propels and inspires 

them to action.

Leaders accomplish work through the employment of teams. 

Therefore, if you want to be a great leader, you must learn to serve 

and work within, and with, teams.

These conversations are reflections on team performance. I’ve 

worked, formed, led, and continue to lead a diverse set of teams in 

diverse settings. This is all “battle” tested. Let’s talk!

Chapter 23

Can You Teach Me?

If we expect our children to be learners, we, too, should 

expect ourselves to be learners.

Have you ever met a person who knew it all? All of us, at one point 

or another, may have felt we’ve met one of those people. And we 

might have said, “I hope I don’t turn out that way!” Let me assure you 

I am not talking about dismissing personal convictions or the assertion that each of us has gifts developed over a lifetime. I am talking 

about attitude. Let me dive into a short example.

You have an important task to accomplish. You call a meeting and 

put the team in a room to discuss the task. The discussion begins, and 

the team members start brainstorming ideas. As they discuss, you 

start picking at every brainstormed idea—you’re not supposed to do 

that! Remember, it’s a brainstorming session! Anyway, you tell your 

team, “When I ____.” Followed by, “Last year, I ____.” Then another, 

“When I served on the commission for _____.” Again, this may be 

necessary, but when you assume an attitude where there is no room 

for learning or trying something new because you’ve seen it all, then 

everyone loses.

As leaders, we have to be conscious of how our expertise can hinder the performance of teams. We must also acknowledge that we 

truly don’t know it all. Our expertise needs to be refreshed. Therefore, 

we must be constant learners. As Benjamin Franklin opined, “Being 

ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”

Regardless of the leadership role (mom, dad, organizational leader, 

sports coach, and so forth), everyone has an important need to continue 

developing. It’s important that you acknowledge your gifts and offer 

your expertise. And as you do that, be prepared to learn and refresh.

Here are some helpful hints:

•  Listen. It may sound cliché, but here is a powerful thought: 

“That’s why we have two ears and one mouth—to listen twice as 

much as we speak.” There is a lot of wisdom in that. Listen to 

what is said without judgment. Reflect. If you really want to test 

your understanding, repeat to the person you’re listening to 
70 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

what you just heard. Have the person make the necessary corrections so that you know the message was received as intended. 

No, it’s not easy. But if you make it a habit, you’ll greatly improve your relationship with team members.

•  Question your assertions. We don’t always have the entire story. 

Mesh your experience with what you’re hearing and begin to 

ask yourself, “Where are my knowledge gaps?”

•  Be flexible. Overcome your own biases and be ready to learn. If 

you want to be effective in helping those around you and truly 

make meaningful changes in your life, you cannot be too prideful. Our own successes sometimes get in the way. If you have 

been successful doing X, then it’s hard to accept that doing Y 

can make you more successful. Temper everything with good 

judgment and be ready to change if needed.

•  Read. You should maintain a yearly reading plan. Read about 

two or three books about your areas of expertise. Then, read 

one or two books about something else. For example, if you always read leadership books, pick up a science fiction book for 

your next read.

Leaders are lifelong learners. Learning will keep your mind and 

body healthy. Learning will spark innovation and energy. Do it. In improving your learning ability, always ask, “So what can I learn today?”
Chapter 24

E-mail Warrior?

E-mail needs to be managed or it will cost you. Use it with 

artistic strategy.

I am not trying to wage a war against e-mail, but certain behaviors 

in aspiring leaders trouble me. Although I applaud the usefulness of 

e-mail as a superb tool, in my leader’s mind, e-mail is not communication. E-mail, of course, plays a crucial part in the communication 

loop, though. My worry and my thought in this conversation stem from 

my observations about “e-mail leadership.” Do you know what I mean?

Let me give you some examples. I build and work with teams to 

accomplish countless projects. Some projects are long term; others 

are short term. The good majority of these projects require people to 

come together, discuss issues, and brainstorm solutions. Ultimately, 

those teams must execute for success. So in meetings with those 

teams, I find myself checking on projects’ progress and assessing 

team effectiveness. Not so long ago, we were zeroing in on a project. I 

asked several questions.

Me: “Is Agency-X involved in this project?”

Answer: “Yes, we have communicated with the agency and got a 

response.”

Me: “What do you mean with ‘communicated,’ because I have not 

heard or seen anything from that organization?”

Answer: “Well, we sent them an e-mail, and Mrs. Jones from 

Agency-X said she was going to work that for us.”

Me: “E-mail? If you’re not getting results, did you actually pick up 

the phone or walk, drive, or bike to that organization to see if they’re 

still there?”

And on other occasions where we were trying to promote projects—

and the response was less than stellar—I heard answers similar to this 

one: “Well, we’ve sent lots of e-mails and have advertised in the ____ 

but we’re not getting the response.”

Throughout my career, I have seen the reliance on e-mail develop 

to the point of self-deception. We begin to believe e-mail is the injection that will cure inaction. And in so believing, we sail away from 
72 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

the basic principal that human contact produces magic! Human contact makes the miracles happen—we just can’t forget that.

All of us, as leaders, need to approach e-mail leadership with great 

caution. E-mail has a huge price tag associated with it. Let me give 

you an example of what I mean.

Concerned about productivity in my organization, I went on a 

search for answers. (I blame this sense of curiosity on my lean/six 

sigma black-belt instincts!) So I decided to dive deeper into the issue 

of e-mail. Senior corporate executives get a lot of e-mail. As a matter 

of fact, in 2011 national statistics showed that corporate executives 

sent and received about 105 e-mails per day.1

 I am one of those statistics, with a count of about 120 e-mails a day.

Here’s a quick glance of what I found in my organization. In 2012 

we had about 18,000 users, sending about 350,000 e-mails per day. 

When I took into consideration the average number of e-mails we 

sent per day, time in typing, minimum salary wages, and multiplied 

that by the months in a year, the amount of resources invested were 

in the billions of dollars.

Another statistic not always fully explored is the cost in processing 

e-mails. As we all know, employees have to sort through them, read 

them, think through the answers, and then type the answers. Did I 

mention follow-up on those e-mails? Consider that many times those 

e-mails become the source of misunderstanding and conflict among 

departments. Then, as leaders, we all have to spend time dealing with 

those situations. When I estimated the cost of those actions in my 

organization, the cost was close to a quarter of a billion dollars. These 

were all conservative estimates.

Now, factor that cost into your budget at a time when resources 

have dried out. You probably can’t afford it. The point here is that email needs to be managed, or it will cost you.

In the project dialogue with my team (presented at the beginning 

of this conversation), I knew e-mail was costing me resources: wait 

time, extra labor from follow-up actions, misinterpretations of sender 

and receiver meaning, conflict resolution between parties in an email conversation, and more!

My expectation for team members became simple: they were to 

become foot soldiers and face the people they were charged with 

leading. My expectation was for them to call those organizations who 

were stakeholders, show the importance of their contribution, and 

then close the loop with e-mail.
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 73

E-mail is best when used with artistic strategy. If we want results in 

our endeavors, whatever that might be, let us first discover the magic 

that exists in the people-to-people relations.

Get out of the office or home and visit the person with whom you 

need to do business. Use the phone. Then, send an e-mail to close the 

loop. And then thank the person for his or her precious time! Human 

contact makes miracles happen.

Notes

1. Sara Radicati, ed., and Quoc Hoang, Email Statistics Report, 2011–2015 (Palo 

Alto, CA: Radicati Group, May 2011), 3, http://www.radicati.com/?p=7261.

Chapter 25

My Lego Robot

The most important single ingredient in the formula of 

success is knowing how to get along with people.

—Pres. Theodore Roosevelt

On a Friday night, I sat down with my young son before he went to 

bed. I asked him to talk to me about the good and the not so good 

things in his day.

He told me, “Well, we had our Lego robot class today.”

Excitedly, I asked him, “Wow, that’s great, son! So how did it go?!”

My son responded without excitement, “Uhmm—not so good.”

“Why son, what went wrong?” I asked.

“Papa, the other kids and I could not decide on the parts. We could 

not stop arguing. Our team definitely did not do a good job.”

“And then, what happened, son?” I prompted him, so I could get 

the rest of the story.

He went on, “Well, the teacher came back, took our design, disassembled it, and built something else for us to finish next week. None 

of us like that robot.”

I looked at him, took a deep breath, and immediately thought 

about how similar this situation is to our adult world. You know what 

I mean?

Many times we have teammates with great ideas. Other times, we 

have some amazing ideas. And we are charged with accomplishing a 

project, but the ultimate miracle—the birth of something magnificent, like building that robot—does not come to fruition because 

members on the team (even ourselves) can’t let go of their own individual thinking and open their minds to something new.

And then, someone else takes over the project, and from that point 

forward it’s dictatorial leadership. We don’t like it, but truth be told, 

we put ourselves in that position. Our inability to get along, to put 

aside differences, and to see the insights in differing points of view 

lead us to ruin. In our leadership roles, we cannot abide situations 

like the one just described.
76 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

Easier said than done, I know! What can we do? When I talked 

with my young son about his situation, I asked for some suggestions 

about how he could help the situation in the future. I pondered his 

thoughts and my experiences in solving conflicts to move projects 

forward. Here are some thoughts on getting along, to help us in difficult moments:

•  Love your people. Every person on your team is valuable. It’s 

important to acknowledge their capacities. Understand that 

cognitive diversity adds a serious dimensional lead to organizational performance.

•  Focus on the task. Explain to your team what is to be accomplished. Trust me, this is not always self-evident. As you focus 

on the task, watch the team dynamics.

•  Shape the environment. Allow everyone to embrace an attitude 

of “greater good.” Shaping the environment will require you to 

be an effective communicator. Speak with passion and purpose. 

Everything that is done on that project should focus on that 

greater good, the ultimate purpose, which is greater than any 

single person. It’s about making a miracle happen. And that requires everyone’s selfless service.

•  Be strong, be and think positive, and be persistent. All of us 

need to watch our interactions. Does our behavior invite or divide? Make the corrections. When you don’t believe you’re the 

cause of the friction, be proactive and be the person to reach 

out to amend the situation when needed. This, in fact, is the 

true sign of a strong and resilient person. Resilient people are 

able to reach to others. They also understand that behind each 

mountain, beautiful valleys exist, awaiting discovery. That’s why 

strong and resilient people don’t give up.

In dealing with diverse sets of teams, cultures, and personalities, 

I’ve found these four steps on getting along form the right formula for 

success. Add them to your repertoire. As you facilitate team performance, you will improve your team’s power to finish whatever Lego 

robot project comes their way!
Chapter 26

The Ground Crew

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.

—Jack Welch

In early October 2013, I visited the Smithsonian’s National Air and 

Space Museum in Washington DC. It’s impressive! Did you know the 

museum holds the world’s largest and most-significant collection of 

aviation and space artifacts? Its collections incorporate the entire history of human flight.

As you enter the foyer, in the main entrance of the museum, one 

can see a prominent display of aircraft and rockets hanging from the 

ceiling and even an astronaut representing our journey into space. 

We’ve come so far as a human race in such a short aviation history.

As I observed all of the machinery and displays, I felt quiet in my 

thoughts. I was transported for a brief moment to Ramstein Air Base, 

Germany, where I served in the early 1990s and then again in the 

early 2000s. I led over 400 very motivated Airmen, responsible for the 

maintenance of aircraft.

The time came when one of our aircraft needed to be readied for 

an important mission. The selected aircraft went through an extensive inspection. It was first washed. Then, the maintenance crews disassembled sections of the aircraft, engines, and parts of the fuselage 

and then put the plane together again. When all was done, it was a 

beautiful fully mission-capable air machine.

We then made a phone call to announce to our next command 

echelon that the aircraft was ready for the general to fly. I lined up the 

maintenance crews on the flight line and waited. The general arrived. 

I called the formation to attention and saluted.

“Good morning, Sir! The aircraft is ready for your inspection and 

flight.” The general saluted, patted me on the shoulder, and greeted 

everyone. One of my youngest crew chiefs walked around the aircraft 

with the general.
78 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

The general taxied the aircraft down the flight line and took off 

into the air. While flying, he circled back to where we were formed 

up. He saluted us and continued the flight.

We were there waiting for him when he landed. So I asked him, 

“Sir, do you always circle back? I hear you do that almost every time.”

He said, “Yes I do. That’s my way to say thank you for the privilege 

of flying. You see, without your young Airmen, we would not be able 

to fly.”

I considered those words very wise back then, and they’re still 

true today. If you are a leader in your organization, you’re the pilot 

in this example. The organization is your aircraft, and people accomplishing the daily tasks of the mission (entrusted to you) are the the 

ground crews.

One should never underestimate the importance of a world-class 

“ground crew.” I am talking about appreciating people who are committed to the organization and high standards and who go the extra 

mile when needed. Their work allows us the privilege of flying.

You, the leader, are responsible to the next echelon but also to the 

ground crew. Imagine what would happen if your ground crew lacked 

the tools to do their jobs? And if you’ve made sure the tools are available, imagine if you’ve not spent time ensuring “disciplined maintenance” is a natural culture in your organization? Can you then fly? 

And if you’re flying, will the aircraft stay together in flight?

Many times, leaders get caught up in the “business” of the day. 

Days go by without leaders circling back to see how the ground crews 

are doing. Break that cycle!

Start by modeling the energy, attitude, and commitment you want 

to see in your ground crew. Communicate clearly, both verbally and 

in writing, expectations of conduct and performance. Evaluate crew 

performance. Hold the line on standards. Give feedback and get directly involved to close knowledge and empowerment gaps.

And don’t forget to publicly show your confidence in your crew. 

Circle back as you’re flying in your daily affairs, and thank your 

ground crew for the privilege of flying!
Chapter 27

Helping Each Other

The scarcity mentality ruins us. Stop thinking poor 

thoughts and begin thinking abundantly. Then, we will 

find abundance.

On the first week of March 2013, millions of Americans were glued 

to newscasts, awaiting resolution on the big question of sequestration. Here is one of the headlines that morning from NBC News: 

“Frustration Aimed at Washington over Sequester: The Sequester 

Likely Won’t Be the Doomsday Scenario Some Predicted, as the Cuts 

Will Kick in Gradually, but There Is Public Frustration at Washington 

for Not Doing More, Sooner.”

Any one of us could look at that situation and begin to unravel it 

with myriad conclusions, assertions, and thoughts. I don’t want to 

dive into any of them. I just want to look at the situation and bring it 

to our own leadership experience in dealing with teams and families 

and in accomplishing what’s important.

Bringing that situation—the deadlock and lack of progress on issues 

that created public frustration—to our own unique leadership settings 

in our workplaces, we have to ask ourselves several questions:

•  With so much self-interest among workplace participants, how

can I help build a sense of unity and teamwork?

•  How can I help someone else accomplish their goals, while at the

same time gaining another person’s commitment to help me accomplish my goals? and

•  Can I facilitate people and/or organizations focusing their external and internal interests on the greater good?

Those questions suggest there is a place where everyone can win. 

And my leadership experience tells me such a place exists. That place 

is a point of balance and high performance: the fulcrum. On either 

side of the fulcrum, there is a combination of lose-lose and lose-win 

thinking. No one really wins if we, as leaders, operate on either side 

of the fulcrum because either you or your team members may be 
80 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

distracted by the possibility that someone can lose. Great leaders 

must strive to bring everyone to think about fulcrum balance.

Achieving fulcrum balance can be done. We just have to change 

how we think. We need to begin thinking win-win and then get ready 

for the tough road ahead. This necessitates emotional toughness and 

intelligence. One has to turn problems into opportunities.

When you see conflict in your environment, how is it resolved? 

Does one person win, and the other one lose? I bet the reason, in many 

instances, for the deadlock and lack of progress on issues (just like the 

situation in the headlines) is because we cannot let go of a mentality 

that promotes scarcity (someone wins and another one loses).

Let go of scarcity thoughts. If you are the leader of a team or family 

and think poor thoughts, you will have a poor team or family. The 

contrary is also true. If you have thoughts of abundance, you will end 

up with abundance in your team and/or family. As civil rights leader

Edgar Daniel Nixon opined, “Your spark can become a flame and 

change everything.”

Creating abundance starts with several actions. First, watch your 

thoughts. Go into every situation understanding that a “let’s help 

each other” mind-set is an overwhelming source of energy that most 

likely can yield positive results for everyone. Express that vision, and 

let everyone see and feel the beauty of crafting a vision where everyone wins.

Leaders who can inspire a common sentiment (a win-win, abundance mentality) reach higher and push the team higher in accomplishments. Those leaders can inspire others because they stop focusing on 

what they want and begin focusing on what others need. Importantly, 

leaders inspire others because their focus is external. The focus is outward. This type of leadership creates abundance.

A second important action in creating abundance deals with your 

biases. Be aware of your biases: they drive your behaviors. Your 

thoughts and actions should build an atmosphere where everyone 

wants to help each other.

In a conversation with executive coach Pamela Corbett, she mentioned to me something I thought was profound in dealing with biases, emotions, and behaviors: 

How you interpret an experience, or the value that you attach to it, 

is what shapes your reaction. Different people can have the same experience but report very different emotional reactions. What varies is 

the person and how they interpret the experience. So when confronted 
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 81

with an awkward experience, you need to ask yourself, how else can I 

look at it? Change your perspective, and you change how you feel.1

Lastly, in creating an abundance, win-win mind-set, forget who 

takes the credit. Your aim is to build partnerships and achieve richness for everyone. Who gets credit for the success doesn’t matter.

Imagine how much more the team could achieve if no one on the 

team cares about who gets the credit! In the end, if everyone comes 

together thinking win-win and abundance for all, your team will 

achieve results that never seemed possible.

Remember, the best way to help each other is to throw away the 

scarcity mentality and welcome a mentality of abundance. Abundant 

thoughts lead to abundant team performance.

Notes

1. Pamela Corbett, neurolinguistic programming master practitioner, executive 

coach, and leadership development expert, telephone interview by author, 14 February 2013.

Chapter 28

Leading Generations, Part 1

Today’s workforce is the most diverse in American history. 

What a blessing! Leaders, now more than ever, must employ leadership art to motivate and inspire.

Today is one of the most interesting times of all ages. It’s perhaps 

one of the most challenging times also. The big challenge comes in 

making decisions that produce strong collaboration among all the 

members of a very diverse workforce. Keep in mind that the aim of 

the leader, while he or she leads that diverse workforce, is to facilitate 

high performance and build an enjoyable work environment that 

nurtures the growth of the organization and its people. That’s not an 

easy feat!

So there you are, in a meeting, trying to figure out the best quality 

of life initiatives for your workforce. Your bias toward a younger generation may make you assume they need expensive gadgets to get the 

job done or to communicate better. Your own bias may make you 

decide on the “best” expenditure—only to later find out the buy was 

a waste and not well received by a good part of your workforce.

The same goes when you lead older employees. You may think 

they want this or that because of your management studies or because your own parents behaved that way. You may risk instituting 

workplace rewards that are appealing to you but are meaningless to 

older workers.

Leaders have many reasons to be concerned about providing good 

leadership to this workforce. Many scholars speak about this workforce as the most diverse we’ve ever had. Many of us are aware of 

these facts, but when it comes down to the actual awareness during 

the day’s leadership journey, many of us forget how these differences 

in generations affect our decisions and behaviors.

Leading without the awareness of generational differences creates 

leadership self-deceptive boxes. The leader may think he or she is 

making all the right decisions but can’t comprehend why the people 

in the work center continue to be unhappy and/or don’t get along. I 

have seen that frustration in leaders many times.
84 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

The first step in avoiding self-deceptive boxes is awareness. What 

generations are we dealing with and “who” are they? I have pondered 

this question. I have studied the generational changes and have talked 

about this topic in leadership talks. Every time, my research in this 

area points me to new discoveries. In short, the volume of information is huge.

Here is a surface look at this complex universe to give you foundational knowledge and empower your awareness as you deal with the 

generational diversity of teams. Although four generations exist, the 

last three generations are by far the most prevalent in today’s workforce, and those will be the focus of our discussion. The four generations are the Silents, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millenials. 

Let’s talk about the last three briefly:

•  Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964). This generation experienced significant life-changing events that shaped its 

values system. The American Management Association named 

key events that led to the shaping of boomers’ values system. 

For example, the boomers experienced social revolution of the 

1960s, the Vietnam War, the assassination of prominent leaders 

(Pres. John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and others), 

saw the first landing on the moon, and were assimilated into the 

workforce during a period of high inflation that lasted nearly 

two decades between 1965 and 1982. The role of television 

played a substantial role in their society. Some scholars also labeled this generation the “workaholics” because they were 

driven, optimistic, highly competitive micromanagers, irritated 

by lazy employees, declaring a higher priority for work over 

personal life. With regard to work, boomers lived by the credo 

of “don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today.”1

•  Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980). This generation 

grew up with both parents in the workforce or in households 

where parents were divorced. As a result, this generation became 

more independent at a younger age. Experts say Xers experienced social insecurity and a lack of solid traditions.2

 Members 

of this generation disliked the attitude of their parents and grew 

up skeptical of the loyalty parents had to their employers who 

kept parents out of balance with the needs of families. For this 

reason, Xers grew up seeing the need for relationships and families as much a priority as the needs of employers. Generation X 
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 85

created a different philosophy of living: the work-life balance.3

Preceding generations labeled Generation X as one that complained too much and was cynical and unmotivated. Others 

termed Xers as the “slacker” generation for its insistence on making life-balance more important than the work-centric life of 

other generations.4

 Xers naturally question authority figures and 

believe in gaining skills they can take to other institutions.5

 Such 

behavior has made this generation technically stronger and more 

independent than prior generations. Interestingly, this generation entered the workforce competing with the Baby Boomers.

•  Millennials or Generation Ys (born after 1980). This is perhaps the most misunderstood generation in the workplace for 

leaders today. Millennials’ core beliefs are shaped by substantial 

change. This generation has seen more life-changing events 

early in their lives than all the other preceding generations: the 

fall of the Berlin Wall, integration of MTV in their lives, high 

school shootings, frequent natural disasters, and terrorist attacks.6

 Some call this generation, the “Internet” generation. 

Growing in an environment where the Internet has made global 

reach possible and where global terrorist threats have increased, 

this generation is the first one deemed as global-centric. They 

are also considered among the most resilient in navigating 

change and most appreciative of diversity and inclusion. They 

are also the most educated generation of workers we have in the 

workplace right now.7

By now, you have a good understanding of who these generations 

are. Let’s talk about what’s important to them:

•  Baby Boomers. Of course, this generation feels they’ve worked 

very hard and have put in the long hours, so rewards for them 

derive from their status: money, title, seniority, the corner office, 

and any other indicators that would let anyone know their standing among others.8

 They want to be known as experts and feel 

their years of experience and knowledge should be valued and 

rewarded.9

 Working important projects that would cause societal change is also motivating to them. One recent change in the 

priorities of this generation is the gradual shift from the value of 

money to the value of time, especially as they get older.10
86 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

•  Generation X. This generation saw their parents tangled in the 

corporate web with little time for anything else. Freedom and 

flexibility for the Xers is the ultimate reward, as they strive to 

achieve work-life balance.11 At work, they prefer immediate 

feedback as a form of knowing how well their doing. As a matter 

of fact, Lancaster & Stillman explained that in multiple surveys 

90 percent of Xers responded they wanted feedback immediately or within a few days after completing a project.12 They feel 

the work world is filled with uncertainty, so rewards come from 

those things that can be portable like building new skill sets 

they can take with them wherever they go.13 Even their attitude 

toward retirement compensation is one of “best if I can take it 

with me.” According to the American Management Association, this generation was the first one to prepare for retirement 

without Social Security.14

•  Millennials or Generation Ys. This generation works well in 

teams and seeks collaboration.15 Millennials are also considered 

results oriented and demonstrate tremendous performance endurance under pressure.16 In their professional careers, millennials expect to change jobs often, so tangible and intangible rewards 

are important to them. Some examples of tangible rewards include tickets to events and discounts at retail stores—things 

they can cash in now and brag to their friends about later. Being 

able to participate in decision making, having bosses who relate 

to them, working in teams, and being engaged in work that has 

meaning are important intangible rewards.17 They are good at 

multitasking but expect clear direction, without micromanaging. 

Achieving work-life balance is also important for millennials. If 

they cannot get the work-life flexibility they want in the workplace, they’ll seek somewhere else where they can get it.18

As you will be leading these generations, hopefully, this conversation helps you think about yourself and others in your work environment. Let me caveat the end of this part of our conversation with a 

caution. Although it may be easy to stereotype, don’t. Use this conversation only as a point of reference to understand how social change 

has shaped the generations with which you work. Remember, having 

these generations present in your work center makes your workforce 

diverse, and that is truly a blessing.
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 87

Take a break from reading. Let it sink in. Don’t proceed to our next 

conversation until tomorrow. We’ll then continue the second part of 

this conversation. See you then!

Notes

1. Ian N. Bradford and Patrick T. Hester, Analysis of Generation Y Workforce Motivation Using Multi-attribute Utility Theory (Fort Belvoir, VA: Defense Acquisition 

University, 2011), 65–72.

2. Ibid., 65.

3. “The Clash of the Generations,” US Department of Labor Women’s Bureau ENews, 13 August 2008, http://www.dol.gov/wb/media/newsletter/e-news15artl-02

.htm.

4. Geoffrey Paulin and Brian Riordon, “Making It on Their Own: The Baby 

Boom Meets Generation X,” Monthly Labor Review, February 1998, 10–21, http://

www.bls.gov/mlr/1998/02/art2full.pdf.

5. American Management Association, “Leading the Four Generations at Work,” 

11 June 2014, http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/Leading-the-Four-Generations

-at-Work.aspx.

6. Bradford and Hester, Analysis of Generation Y Workforce, 67.

7. American Management Association, “Leading the Four Generations.”

8. Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman, “From a Gold Clock to Founder’s 

Stock: Rewarding the Generations,” in When Generations Collide: Who They Are, 

Why They Clash, How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work (New York: HarperCollins, 2009), 82.

9. “The Clash of the Generations.”

10. Lancaster and Stillman, “From a Gold Clock to Founder’s Stock,” 87.

11. Ibid., 82.

12. Ibid., 224.

13. “The Clash of the Generations.”

14. American Management Association, “Leading the Four Generations.”

15. Ibid.

16. Bradford and Hester, Analysis of Generation Y Workforce, 67.

17. Lancaster and Stillman, “From a Gold Clock to Founder’s Stock,” 82.

18. “The Clash of the Generations.”

Chapter 29

Leading Generations, Part 2

You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place 

to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case.

—Ken Kasey

Welcome back! In the last conversation, we focused on understanding the three prevalent generations in our workplace. Specifically, we discussed who they are, how they are different from each 

other, and what they value most.

Since we are now armed with that understanding, we are ready to 

dive into the second part of the conversation: how do we lead in this 

multigenerational environment and avoid self-deception? Every 

leader, regardless of the leadership setting (parent, supervisor, CEO, 

world leader, or so forth), should be concerned with the answer to 

this question.

Has this ever happened to you as a leader? You delivered clear 

project objectives and the way forward. Then, you called a meeting to 

check progress and found out the team went “column-half-left” on 

the project. They veered off from your direction. You may have taken 

a deep breath and told yourself, “This is not what I asked for!”

In your mind you had this magnificent picture, and of course, it 

was articulated perfectly, right? Well, somehow it got fuzzy in translation. That happens often in multigenerational teams. That’s because 

the world looks different to each of the team members.

We all have experiences, backgrounds, and upbringings that are 

different. And all of those differences are compounded by decades of 

past world events, which can instill in us strong emotional labels that 

influence how we experience the world in the present. It’s no wonder 

that each of the generations perceives our message in a different way.

When leading multigenerational teams, leaders must multicommunicate. Our message has to hit the hearts of our people through 

every word, through every written piece of correspondence, and 

most importantly, through every action.
90 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

Take proactive steps to avoid self-deception and improve communication, acceptance, and synergistic relationships across your multigenerational workforce. Here are a few of those steps.

Take a look at yourself first. Where do you fall in the generational 

continuum? This is important because people communicate based on 

their generational backgrounds. This awareness will help you better 

estimate your own biases and communication patterns and will point 

you to areas where you have to make adjustments or simply provide 

more emphasis. Greg Hammill of Fairleigh Dickinson University illustrates this point:

When a Boomer says to another Boomer, “We need to get the report done,” it 

is generally interpreted by the Boomer as an order[;] it must be done and done 

now. However, when a Boomer says to an Xer, “This needs to be done,” the Xer 

hears an observation, not a command, and may or may not do it immediately.1

One must admit, this scenario is possible in any work center and 

drives supervisors to think the young man or woman does not care.

Secondly, take a look at how you organize work and your expectations about how work should be accomplished. Many supervisors 

spend inordinate amounts of time dictating how work should be 

done. Sometimes, that is necessary; many times, it is not. The overuse 

of that method destroys creativity and makes people unhappy, especially Xers and millennials who seek flexibility and freedom to get 

their jobs done. A better approach is to let the experts work the details, and you, as the leader, spend most of your time articulating 

clear intent statements.

On this last point, let me emphasize, that as a leader in the organization, you should focus on the results employees must produce 

rather than on how they get it done. Invest in articulating a clear result, the purpose, the resources available, and clear timelines for 

whatever “mission” you’re entrusting to your team. Don’t violate this 

principle. Otherwise, your people will stop taking the initiative to improve organizational processes. Worse, it may kill their creativity. 

They will just sit around and wait for the next set of orders. In essence, think thoroughly and articulate the end result.

Third, “toss the routines.” Arrange and design work activities to be 

exciting. This process begins with making the work-task meaningful 

by explaining how the task contributes to a defined purpose, even if 

the task is not too fancy. This has to be clear from the onset of dele-
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 91

gating the assignment. This is powerful stuff! Let me give you a quick 

example of what I mean.

One April afternoon I remember leaving work late and seeing a young Airman sweeping, by broom, a huge parking lot. I stopped the Airman and asked 

him, “Young man, why are you doing this by broom?” Pointing to his parked 

sweeper-truck, I continued asking, “Don’t you want to use that?!”

He then answered, “Chief, the sweeper is too big, and I can’t get these corners 

[with it]. I can only get them by using this big broom.”

I was impressed! This was a huge parking lot, and the young Airman had already been working several hours. He could have cut corners, and who would 

have known?

So then I asked two other big questions, “Why are you putting so much effort 

into it? What’s the real reason?”

He said, “Chief, my boss told me some important people are coming to this 

building tomorrow, so I want to make sure all is tidy around here.”

I quickly asked, “Who’s visiting?” He really did not know. Little did he realize 

some of the most powerful people in the Department of Defense were going 

to be visiting. But he knew one thing: his job was critical to an important mission, and slacking on it would have resulted in a bad first impression.

Another noteworthy item in making work activities exciting is 

proper managing and control of meetings. Meetings can drain the 

energy out of people and consume the little time you have left. In 

much research, experts conclude that millennials and Xers dislike the 

formality of regular meetings, especially when there’s nothing to discuss. Some meetings are important. Limit meetings for when there’s 

a real need.

Lastly, another step leaders can take in managing a multigenerational workforce is to provide a good cross-flow of communication. 

In my experience, a good mentorship program where older employees teach (or learn from) younger ones and vice-versa across a diverse 

set of tasks, can be a critical part of cross-flow communication, facilitating team integration.

The above actions are, of course, not all inclusive, but it’s a solid 

start. These actions will help you keep the workforce engaged, integrated, growing, and learning.

The rest is about you as a leader. Take a sincere interest in your 

people. When friction occurs, be prompt to respond to those needs; 
92 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

facilitate problem solving and conflict resolution. Notice I did not say 

you will be the one solving the problem. Let the team members do it. 

Your role on the team is to facilitate problem solving. Use the talents 

of this amazing multigenerational workforce. We’re truly blessed to 

be beneficiaries of this kind of diversity!

Notes

1. Greg Hammill, “Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees,” FDU 

Magazine, Spring 2005, http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations

.htm.
Chapter 30

Building a Space Station

Leadership + Teamwork = The International Space Station. If it was possible in space, imagine what can be possible here on earth!

In 2013 I had the opportunity to visit Space Center Houston. One 

cannot help but be speechless when observing how far we’ve come as 

a human race. Take, for example, the International Space Station. The 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) speaks of 

the space station as the greatest human and technological achievement.1

 How was it accomplished? Take a few moments to think about 

the complexities involved in that achievement.

First, it is an international partnership of space agencies. The principals come from the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.2

 Each of those countries has its own hardware, logistics, research, 

funding streams, social complexities, languages—I think you catch 

my drift.

Secondly, the “elements [of the space station] launched from different countries and continents are not mated together until they 

reach orbit, and some elements that have been launched later in the 

assembly sequence were not yet built when the first elements were 

placed in orbit.”29 That is truly a mission impossible made possible. 

That’s inspiring—a true testament to how the impossible can also be 

possible here on earth.

Leaders struggle with building what sometimes seems like the International Space Station here on earth. We, as leaders, put people 

together from all walks of life, who have their own internal languages, 

biases, agendas, and so forth. Getting work accomplished or building 

something never before attempted can be difficult. If you find yourself in that environment, here are some tips I’ve found to be effective 

in accomplishing impossibilities:

•  Build a team. If you have a special project, you may be able to 

select people. Select those who live life with passion. Pick a variety of people with varied skills—diversity wins! One of those 

skills should be mediation. I call those people bridge builders. 
94 │ LUGOSANTIAGO

Team members, especially in the beginning stages (forming 

and storming stages), tend to pull in different directions. Your 

bridge builder will help navigate the team through difficult 

times.

•  Explain the task. It is not always obvious, so don’t take it for 

granted. In my experience, I have found that explaining the task is 

all about communicating your vision, the resources available, and 

what you do not want to see. This quote from Maj Gen Stephen 

Goldfein, USAF, is one of my favorite explanations of this point; 

its application is relevant to all leaders, regardless of leadership 

setting: “In the end, commanders do only two things—provide 

the vision and set the environment. Almost everything you do 

for the organization falls into one of these two categories. You 

will be tempted to focus elsewhere. If you do, it is likely you are 

performing someone else’s job.”3

•  Define clear roles. Anytime team members are confused on 

who is who or who does what, the team is bound to have difficulties. Personality clashes will emerge and effort will be wasted 

through duplication if roles and responsibilities are unclear.

•  Follow-up. Adopt regularly scheduled meetings with your 

team. Structure meetings to see accomplished work. Make sure 

to have a recorder and a timekeeper, so you can dedicate yourself to content. When everyone leaves, all should be clear about 

deliverables, action items, and follow-ups. Don’t forget to thank 

and recognize those who overcame obstacles and produced 

quality work.

•  Celebrate. Throughout the life cycle of the team, it’s important 

to cultivate healthy relationships. One way to do this is to have 

social gatherings at key intervals—no agendas, just getting together. Schedule these gatherings early, so everyone can attend. 

Informal social gatherings do great things toward helping team 

members develop commitment to one another.

The rest is about being optimistic and expecting the best while 

monitoring outcomes. Sometimes we do not have a choice on the 

work that must be done, but we always have the opportunity to 

change how we feel about what we must do. 

As the Cub Scout motto articulates “Do Your Best!” Do your best 

and expect the best. If the task is difficult—whatever the assigned task 
ON THE LEADERSHIP JOURNEY │ 95

might be—don’t worry. You too can build the space station. If it was possible in space with multination partners; it is also possible here on earth!

Notes

1. Brian Dunbar and Mark Garcia, ed., “International Cooperation,” National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration (web site), 21 August 2015, http://www.nasa

.gov/mission_pages/station/cooperation/index.html.

2. Brian Dunbar and Mark Garcia, ed., “International Partners and Participants,” 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (web site), 21 August 2015, http://

www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/partners.html.

3. Quoted in David L. Goldfein, Sharing Success—Owning Failure: Preparing to 

Command in the Twenty-First Century Air Force (Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University 

Press, 2001), 23, http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au/goldfein.pdf.