The Air Force Officer’s Guide: Discipline and Dependability

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve taken a few more nuggets of wisdom from the 1951 publication of, “The Air Force Officer’s Guide.”  In the first two posts we looked at the attributes of conscience, leadership and unselfishness.

This week we continue on with discipline and dependability.  Stalwarts of the United States military in general, these two qualities enable military leaders to execute individual directives in support of national defense objectives.  Discipline is the ability to have self-control and execute under the hardest of circumstances.  Dependability is born of discipline and enables orders to be given with an unwritten guarantee that they will be followed, no questions.

Each of these are an everyday part of military life, but can be easily transferred to leadership in the private sector as well.  A good leader instills the values of his or her organization in the hearts of followers.  And the following are values that every organization can benefit from.

Discipline. In order to develop discipline within his organization, the leader must set the example of discipline.  Since the unit he commands is only a part of a larger organization, the leader must execute objectives or missions which reach him as orders from his own superior officers.  The United States Air Force is disciplined.  And no force which is undisciplined is worth a nickel of the taxpayer’s dollar.  The unhappy recollections of Bladensburg* and Bull Run** illustrate the point.  It would be worse than useless for it would constitute a public menace in itself.  The tradition of discipline is as deeply ingrained into the mind and heart of the successful officer as the tradition of leadership.

Dependability. When a proper officer receives a mission he attacks it determining to accomplish the end directed.  Failure to accomplish missions is the most condemning weakness an officer can dispaly.  Therefore the tradition of dependability grows as the experience of an officer expands.  He extends it to all things, great and small.  His word is taken for granted.  His written reports or statements are accepted at their face value.  He is a man to be trusted and depended upon to do his topmost best in the discharge of his responsibilities.

*Battle of Bladensburg – a battle fought during the War of 1812. The defeat of the American forces there allowed the British to capture and burn Washington, D.C. – wikipedia

**Bull Run – First major land battle of the Civil War where Union soldiers were eventually routed and forced to retreat. – wikipedia

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