“You will march with a sense of urgency and take your right hand and use my guardrail while walking down three stairs. You will then form up in a single file line with someone by each of your shoulders. You will stand with the heels of your feet together and making a 45 degree angle spread out and and elbows and hands pinned to the sides of your leg on the crease of your pants. You will also have your hands formed like you’re grabbing a roll of quarters. Understand?!?!? GO NOW! MOVE!”
This was March 7, 2001 for me. It was the day that I crossed into the United States Air Force. I was a young 18 year old kid who had a unsuccessful go at college for a semester and decided I didn’t want to be homeless for the remainder of my life, so I decided to join the military. Basic Military Training, or BMT as the Air Force calls it is “a challenging experience both mentally and physically but will ultimately transform you from humble recruit to confident Airman with the skills and confidence you need to excel as a member of the U.S. Air Force.” (Air Force, 2016)
When you initially are indoctrinated into BMT at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for 8.5 weeks, you will be paired up with Military Training Instructors or MTI’s. These are the Non-Commissioned Officers or Senior Non-Commissioned Officers that will break you down initially and build you back up into an Airman. When you first step off their bus, like I did almost 15 years ago, and for the first few weeks, they will use the Directive Approach (Hersey, 1985) as depicted below.
The Directive Approach is one that is highly directive, which means they’re yelling at you and telling you exactly what they want you to do, and low supportive behavior, which mean they don’t want you do or think anything other than what they’re telling you to do. Obviously one wouldn’t want to be yelled at and told what to do forever, so as BMT progresses the MTI’s slowly transition to more of a Coaching Approach. They instruct you on how to wear the uniform, Air Force History, Customs and Courtesies like saluting Commissioned Officers, standing at attention when an officer walks into a room, marching, etc.
Towards the end of the training there’s a big field training exercise out in the woods of Texas known as Basic Expeditionary Airman Skills Training or BEAST. It’s a weeklong exercise that culminates and tests the Trainees on everything that they’ve been taught so far. While you’re out in the exercise, the MTI’s take off their legendary “Smokey the Bear” cover, otherwise known as a hat, and don a regular uniform cover to mark the transition to the Supporting Approach because they’re cheering you on as you accomplish all of the tasks and tests. They’re the ones who meet you at the end of BEAST shaking your hand and handing you your Airman’s coin, signifying your transition from lowly Trainee to Airman.
At the very end of BMT the MTI’s then do one more transition to the Delegating Approach where they allow the student leaders to run both of the flights that have up to 100 Airman in them, and they now bow out since they are sitting back and watching as we conduct ourselves for the first time as Airman and members of the Armed Forces. If there’s one place that shows all sections of Situational Leadership, any basic military training, at any branch of the Armed Forces, will display it ever training cycle.
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Kenneth John Dicob says
I think that is an excellent example of path-goal eadership. I like the diagram you added and how you can clearly see how the MITs go from directive, to coaching, to supporting, to delegating. Perhaps many businesses and other fields should look into this model.
With the path-goal leadership the leaders motivate followers to accomplish goals (Nothouse, 2016). In this military basic training and boot camp this is exactly what is happening. You have a bunch of 18 year olds straight out of high school from various backgrounds and understandings. The MITs take them and break them down to build them back up with the same motivation and goal to be a team and work as one. As Northouse (2016) adds, this leadership approach leaders motivates through “coaching and direction, removing obstacles and roadblocks to attaining the goal, and making the work itself personally satisfying” (pg. 115). It seems, from you explanation, that this is the experience you had while in the military.
Thank you for you service.