CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Hello.
Interviewer: Good afternoon, Chief, how are you? I wanted to start off today with just saying, I appreciate you being part of this project. I know it’s been a while since we’ve talked.
I know a few years ago we worked together in the Air Force Sergeants Association. And since then, I’ve started working on a graduate program of study a master’s project, and I really appreciate your time today.
In doing this, I just had a few things I wanted to run over with you, did you have anything you wanted to say or?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: No, just glad to be able to help. Always a pleasure.
Interviewer: So, if you don’t have any questions Chief, I’ll just go right back to the interview questions.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Sure. Let’s do it.
Interviewer: Did you get the interview questions ahead of time?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Yes, I’m looking at them right now.
Interviewer: Okay, great. I did. My advisor did say throwing a couple like impromptu ones, so I do have two questions that weren’t listed on there just to give you the heads up that I’ll kind of just throw in there for a little bit in there. I’m just going to start out with the first one, it’s: What does leadership mean to you?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Well, golly, outside of using a canned definition of leadership, for me, leadership has always been being able to influence folks follow you to complete a job or to follow you to do/complete a mission.
Hopefully as a good leader you know they’re going to follow you for all the right reasons, but people also follow bad leaders for the wrong reasons as well. So anyway it’s that ability to influence folks to get them to do what you need them to do; that is really what leadership is.
Interviewer: No great, thank you.
Okay, so I’ll just move right on to the next question is: Through these leadership roles, what valuable knowledge and skills have you learned as a leader that you could say, you could educate others with?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Well, you know, this is something that we continue to evolve in as leaders and that’s just understanding that everybody has a different perspective of everything and individual backgrounds.
You know when I moved to the state of Maine, I grew up in California, and after spending 28 years in the Air Force, and being around the world, and then coming to Maine and learning that, here in Maine people’s values are a little different than in other parts of the country and other parts of the world, so learning those things, and being able to adjust as a leader, is one of the skills I probably learned the most over the years.
I’ve gotten better over the years listening. I’ve always been a good listener, but you know listening and taking what people have to say to heart and just still letting people be involved in the process are skills that I’ve relied on.
Interviewer: You could easily relate to other people and then that’s an important skill to have. People are still learning it today.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Oh yeah.
Interviewer: Yup, yup. I’m, many people are. Yup, it is hard to do that when you like to be the one talking. Which I find myself doing that.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Yes, as long as you never forget that there is always something new to learn. Yup.
Interviewer: Absolutely, there is always. Yup. When, when did you realize that you wanted to be a leader in your organization?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Well, you know, I mean, gosh, as far back as I can recall I’ve been in positions in the military where I was working alone so I had a lot of responsibility as a leader, even though I wasn’t technically a leader. So, I’ve always aspired to be in leadership positions.
You know I think really the biggest event in my life that really solidified that desire for me was, many many years ago when I was stationed in Spain. I worked for a supervisor who was one of the worst leaders I’ve ever known. But this leader taught me a lot of lessons, a lot of valuable lessons of how not to be a leader, and really at that point in my life, I told myself, when I’m in a leadership position, I’m not going to be like this person; these are the things that I need to avoid.
So, being a chief in the Air Force and specifically a First Sergeant, I was in leadership positions for the last 20 years of my Air Force career.
It just seemed natural for me to want to continue in that role here in Maine with the Air Force Sergeants Association and other private organizations. Also, working with Paralyzed Veterans of American, running a service office for them for a little while, and Air Force JROTC, as an instructor and then again running the Child and Youth Program for the Maine National Guard. All those things were good fits for me, it just seemed natural.
Interviewer: Great. Thank you. Yup. How, has your knowledge and experience helped you. How did it help you lead others in the state of Maine?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Well you know, just taking everything you’ve learned over the years, and having spent 20 years of my career overseas, I got to work with foreign nationals directly. I got to supervise, work with, and lead foreign nationals from many, many other countries, and that was huge! As Americans, we do things so much differently than other countries in so many different ways. So, to be able to adjust and to recognize and understand and to be able to adapt to the way things are done and to know what motivated my employees in Spain; what motivated them was completely different than my employees in Italy, and my employees in Germany. I had to adjust to find new ways to get them to do the job.
So, you know that experience was huge, and then just being in a high paced, fast paced environment in the military with deployments and stuff like that. You can’t put a price on the value of that as far as learning new skills. You have to understand that you’re learning it and you’re absorbing it, and applying it when you need to apply it and adjusting when you need to.
Interviewer: No, that’s great. You know that explains a lot and gives some great details about what you know what you need to do you know being able to adjust is a big thing being able to adjust at the right time is the most important then but also realizing it, when you need to do it and catching it.
Now that’s a great point. Thanks, thanks for sharing that.
I’ve been in many different positions and try to exhibit that as well, but I really am.
That’s, that’s a good point.
Question number six is: What are the most effective leadership skills that you applied while leading others in your organization? And what is something that you are aware of while leading others.
I know you just stated that a little bit but it’s kind of some experiences that are, or stuff that you did that helped not naming other people but stuff that worked well for you in different types of situations.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Well, you know I as I alluded to, I always considered myself a pretty good listener, so I think what I’ve done best to get people involved and motivated in an organization, is to listen and to solicit input from them. You then take that input and actually put it into play if you can. I always like to keep everybody involved in all my processes because it’s important in order to get buy in from people.
And so, I’ve always found that skill as a leader to be able to listen effectively is probably your greatest ally, because you know, if you let the folks that you’re leading participate in the planning and the execution and bring their ideas in, it’s so much easier to get them to get that buy in that a leader needs in order to complete the mission or whatever it is you’re, trying to do.
I’ve always tried to focus on bringing people together and taking the diverse opinions and diverse experiences that people have, and trying to build a cohesive team, through listening and communication.
Not just hearing, as well as listening, but listening and assigning that meaning and actually taking what they say to heart, and utilizing it if you can.
Interviewer: No that’s good. I like that, thank you for sharing that. It states directly to military life and what you’re doing in the military and how you’re working with others.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: I found working in, I hate to use the term civilian community, but you know that’s what we do. Working in civilian jobs where folks in leadership positions, just didn’t seem to have some of those skills that we’ve learned over the years in the military, and it’s kind of unfortunate, but these skills are something that could easily translate well to the civilian workforce as well.
Interviewer: Question, and that goes right into question number seven. Do you believe that leadership styles and skill sets are beneficial? If so, how would you go about applying them within an organization while leading a group of people? Are there any experiences that you have that you’d like to share?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Yeah, well, you know, to me that’s always been kind of subjective. I guess I’ve used all the different types of leadership styles; there has always been a time and a place.
I’ve had to be a directive leader, but I like to think that I try to bring all of them together and utilize what I need to use at a time that I need to use it.
I guess I was always more of a participative type of leader versus authoritarian but there were times when you have to be authoritarian, especially in the military.
I think that’s all part of that communication I talked about and getting to know your people. Really, that’s the key! Getting to know your people, knowing what motivates them, and knowing what their personal goals are in an organization.
For example, if you’re a manager at McDonald’s and you’ve got six people working for you, and you find out from one of the folks that that they are just happy flipping burgers; “I really don’t want to do anything else I just want to flip burgers, that’s all I want to do.” But you know what, there’s nothing wrong with that.
This person is content and happy and that’s all they want to do is flip burgers. A leader, I will focus on one of the other employees to mold them and groom them to move up to another position.
That’s true even in the military. You’ve probably worked with folks that may not be interested in being an NCO and having the responsibilities of an NCO. They just want to do the job right.
So, as a leader you have to know your people. I’ve had some really amazing leaders over the years, but one of my commanders in Okinawa, Colonel Smiley had an amazing skill. We had 1500 people in the organization. It was huge, the Air Force’s largest Civil Engineer Group.
He knew everybody in that organization. When we’d walk around the unit, he could go up to a person and he’d remember that person’s wife’s name if they have a spouse, if they had children, their dog, what their favorite sport was, what their hobbies where. He remembered all those things and you know that was the greatest leadership trait that I have ever seen, and I’ve met others who were like that as well.
But you know what people really appreciated was that he took the time to learn about them and know a little bit about them. And by him doing that, it was easier for him to find ways to keep them motivated and those are the kinds of things that I would try to model as I went through my career.
I can never remember everybody’s name, everybody’s hobbies, and stuff like that, but I sure made an effort to try and, I think those are skills that you have to develop, they don’t necessarily teach that in leadership training. Those are things that you have to see in action and they should teach stuff like that. But it can’t be forced it has got to be something that you have to recognize how important is to get the support, buy in, and the followership from those you’re trying to lead.
So, that may not have answered the question, but to me those are important styles, leadership styles, and one of the important skills that I think a good leader has to have.
Interviewer: I think it answered the question right on with leadership styles and skill sets. Followership is another big thing that you need to have but along with being able to do what you need to do at the right time.
That was a good example. I appreciate your time with me sharing your experiences. I know you’ve been in the Air Force, and you’ve been also in a public leadership positions. I think just leads right into the next question it says: What leadership traits would you apply while leading others in your organization? We’ve talked a little bit about leadership styles and skill sets but, are there any traits that you would apply while leading others in your organization?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Oh, gosh. Well, I mean, honesty, integrity, you know, I’ve always, regardless of the fact that it was one of the Air Force core values, integrity has always been huge to me inside and out of the military. To always be honest with people and expect honesty back in whatever form that may be.
Integrity with honesty. Honesty to me is the most important trait that a leader can have, because if you can’t trust your leader then you’re not going to be a very good leader, if you can’t be trusted and you can’t be counted on to be honest with people.
Interviewer: So, no, that’s great, just to kind of give you a little, little info I’ve so far had a few others say that same exact thing with trust, honesty and exactly what you said with integrity. Everything seems to be a common trait so far with what everybody is saying with followership and leading others.
I appreciate your time again, going into question number nine: Has there been a leader that has inspired you to be where you are today?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Oh gosh, I have had some amazing leaders in my career. You know, I, well I mean I could give you a long list of amazing leaders and they’ve all had an equally strong impact on where I am today. I guess the one that I would focus on specifically is General Barbara Branon. I was her First Sergeant in Italy. She was the commander of the Medical Group there at Aviano Air Base, and honestly, it was at a point in my career when I had just made Senior, and I was actually thinking about retiring.
And I was just kind of getting a little burned out, I guess. I went to change units and I went to work for General Branon, and she kind of helped revive my faith in everything, and she helped me kind of rekindle my Air Force career so to speak. I was only with her for about a year and a half and then I got transferred to Kadena, but she was an amazing leader, and ended up being one of the first female General nurses in the Air Force Medical Corps. She wasn’t the first female General but, she was the first female General who was a nurse, in that role.
And I believe she retired with three stars, but I mean we’re still in touch, but she had the greatest impact on me and just how she treated people and how she led the organization, and how she made people think and she made people use critical thinking skills that they all had to make decisions.
She got them to get that buy in like I kind of talked about earlier, through their own ideas and suggestions, and she was just great, with people with supporting others ideas, just an amazing leader.
And again, I could give you plenty of other examples, but General Branon was and still is, you know, just a top-notch person, and was a great leader.
Interviewer: No, that’s great. I like that the buy in, you know, that’s a good example of what it is.
Sounds like you worked for a great leader in your section, sounds like you’ve had many that you’ve looked up to, I appreciate your time with the sharing those experiences right here so it’s stuff that I can learn from and maybe share some of this information to others, with this to.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: You know, I picked General Branon over General Goldfein who I worked with at Aviano as well, you know our last Air Force Chief of Staff. He was an amazing leader as well. But, General Branon, I don’t know, there was just something special about her.
Interviewer: Wow, nice. Well, that’s great. Yup.
Well, you have to tell her that you interviewed, and you spoke about her. Question number 11 as the next one, it kind of leads right into it, because you’ve kind of talked right about question number 10.
What developed your relationship with this leader and how has it impacted in developing your leadership skills and abilities?
You kind of touched based on a little bit of it; but is there anything else you’d like to add with that?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: When I was working for her obviously as her First Sergeant, I had my leadership responsibility over the orderly room and indirectly responsible for the 800 people in the organization.
She was my boss, and she was really everybody else’s boss. So, unless you own the company and you’re the CEO and you don’t report to anybody, although even CEOs sometimes report to some kind of board or something, you have to be willing to look and listen to others. You have to be willing to watch others, and be willing to constantly learn new techniques and not think that you’re untouchable.
So, you know, even though I was a leader in my own right, it’s just so important to be able to look at other leaders around you.
For me, probably my greatest asset was my ability to be able to get out and spend time with the men and women of the organizations. To be able to be visible and to really listen and engage with people in their own workspace in their own environment, you can’t put a value on that as a leader.
And I think I’ve mentioned that already, a couple of times. So, I guess that advice to any leader in Maine or anywhere else would be to make the time to get to know and to engage with your folks and to listen and to keep your finger on the pulse of an organization. Don’t get yourself pigeonholed up in an office sitting behind a desk and thinking you have all the answers, when you possibly don’t. Does that make sense?
Interviewer: Absolutely. It makes sense.
Not everybody knows everything. I think it hits it right on because it’s nice to know to work with many, many different people I think that diverse environment of working with people and getting to know your people more, and who, is around you is a big thing.
It’s a lot easier said than done, but it’s absolutely, definitely what many people continually work on every day.
No, that’s a great point. Thank you.
It leads right into kind of leads right into our next question that we have here. It says, have you. This is not listed on the sheet, but is: Have you inspired others, while leading them in your organization? And how did you recognize this? And what did you do to continue to inspire them further after you recognized that you did impact them?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: People who would come into my office who were coming in for, you know, when you go see your First Sergeant it’s not always for a pleasantry, necessarily, but I always tried, regardless of what the situation was, and we had some pretty serious incidents and some, you know, some pretty serious criminals over the years in my organizations. Regardless, even in those situations I always tried to leave folks with, you know, a sense of encouragement.
I think, through encouragement, you must praise people, letting them know that they’re doing a good job, letting them know when they’re not doing a good job, but giving them tools. Then turning around giving them the tools that they need to do a better job.
You know, not making sure that your people don’t fear coming to you or somebody in their supervisor leadership chain to identify issues or concerns.
To always strive to be the best that they can be. And, you know, whatever it is they’re doing. You know before I became a First Sergeant, I was a Program Manager, and I had several other program managers working for me. When they come into the unit, first thing I’d sit down with them one-on-one and I would tell them that I wanted them to be the best program manager that we have. I wish that of everybody, all the others, sitting in other desks in our office, I want all of them to be the best program manager they can be.
And, to let them know that I’m there to help them become the best program manager, but I’m there for all of them.
So, I, as a leader I think it’s so, so important to make sure that people know, that they’re appreciated in an organization. And I think that pays more difference in dividends than anything you can possibly do as a leader, because when people never see you and never hear from you never get that pat on the back, and I don’t care if you hear people say “oh I don’t need to be thanked, I don’t need a certificate, I don’t need somebody to tell me I’m doing a good job,” baloney!
Everybody needs to know that they’re doing a good job at some point. You don’t grind, grind, grind and not want somebody to tell you.
Damn. You’re doing a great job. Keep it up.
Simple as that. Sometimes that’s all it takes. So, I guess for me that’s that would be the answer, just making sure that people know that they truly are appreciated.
Interviewer: That’s a good point you know that I’m.
If they know that they’re appreciated they know that they are, you have made a mark with them and you’ve inspired them, which is what they are wondering. Question number 12. Do you have any advice on how to best lead others, moving forward into the 21st century?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Well, um, you know, gosh, I guess I’ve been out of the loop for about a year now. I haven’t really done much of anything as far as leading.
However, especially leaders who are staying in the workforce longer, I’m 63, I’m retired now, but there are plenty of others who are my age and older, who are still out there in the workforce, so leaders need to be tech savvy, they need to understand and know the differences in the generations. In other words, you can never stop learning as a leader, you must figure out what makes them tick, because you know what a 20 to 25-year-old needs is a lot different than what a 45-year-old needs, just based on their life experiences and their culture they’ve been brought up in.
It’s a constant process, right?
Interviewer: It is.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: So, you know, that doesn’t mean trying to speak their lingo or understand every emoji that’s out there and all those other things it’s more just understanding that there are differences and be willing to learn and constantly finding out what the latest trends are, legal things change all the time for leaders and societal norms, and all this stuff that’s going on.
So, to me that’s probably one of the biggest challenges for a leader in the 21st century. We thought things changed fast in our generation but things seem to be changing faster now. Every time you turn around there’s something new going on that you must be aware of, or be careful about. It’s a crazy, crazy world going on right now. So, you know I think leaders just must be a little bit quicker on their feet and a lot more adapted to all the things that are going on.
Interviewer: Oh, that is so true. There have been many changes going on especially over this past year, with COVID-19.
We just recently got the vaccine, a little bit off topic but yeah there’s absolutely many changes going on and that’s those are some great points of what to be aware of moving forward.
I’m going to leave you with one last question, and I know that you’ve worked in Maine, but you’re currently now not in Maine, but did you: Would you have any recommendations for future leaders of Maine?
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: You know Maine is a unique state and I say that because it’s true, especially for leaders.
There aren’t as many traditional leaderships jobs available in the state of Maine. There just are not. The competition’s greater for those jobs.
And there are a lot of challenges in the state of Maine. Weather is a big challenge.
I had to commute every day from China to Brewer, to teach at Brewer High. It was 54 miles and, you know, it might be sunny in China and snowing up in Bangor/Brewer, so whether could have an impact on your organization and your workers.
I guess I would just say that Maine can be a really challenging place to, work and live.
Look at all the industries that have left Maine over the years all the mills are closing shoe factories, it’s a slower recovery in Maine.
So, people who are looking for six figure leadership jobs, it’s tough. They’re tough to find, they really are.
And so, I don’t know if that really answers your question.
Interviewer: Yeah, absolutely weather is a huge thing in Maine because it affects the workday, and it affects everything around you to being ready. And being ready is a big thing all the time and being aware of what’s going on around you helps you be ready as a leader.
It’s just, anything that you recommend as a leader moving forward. So, I guess that’s it if you don’t have anything else? I think that’s it Chief.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Good.
Interviewer: Steve, I don’t know, I didn’t. I’ve never been on a first name basis. I know we’ve said Steve and we’ve said Chief, but I know you’re retired Chief.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: I appreciate that I’m okay with Steve as well.
Interviewer: Okay that’s great. Steve, I really appreciate your time and I’m glad that I could interview you today, and I will share the link with you as soon as it comes in.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: Great. Alright Erika, well, congratulations and continue to do a great job.
Interviewer: I appreciate that. I will share the work with you. Thank you for your time, Steve.
CMSgt (ret) Steven Hughes: My pleasure, definitely my pleasure. Great talking to you, great seeing you, I look forward to seeing what you got.
Interviewer: Great, I look forward to getting it done.