First Word: CAF's Leadership Vision for the RNZAF

The theme this year is alignment – aligning our leadership from CAF to AC. We need to leave here, not only with a clear understanding of what we need to do to deliver our strategic plan, but also how we need to act in order to achieve our vision of “being the best in all that we do”. Let’s not fool ourselves – we are some way off being the “best in all that we do”.

I hope that this Air Force Leadership Forum will help us to clarify our understanding and to give us the confidence, energy and resolve to take large steps toward being the best. This is what leadership is all about – and it will take courage to change things – but that is why we are leaders of our Air Force.

I am passionate about our Air Force and about developing it for the future – I hope you are too, because without passion we will never move toward our vision.

We are already very good and in some places we are excellent.

But I want to make it GREAT throughout.

I want you to be the best you can be in the softer side of your professional jobs. I want you to really think about relationship building within and outside of the Air Force, I want you to think about your leadership style, and making the most efficient use of our people.

We have exceptional people in abundance – but we are not using their potential. The key to unlocking this is leadership. I want true leadership encouraged throughout the organisation – from AC down to AVM.

Everyone should have a sense of ownership and pride in our Air Force – to understand where we are going and their place in it – “we must all know what it means to be an RNZAF Airman or Airwoman”.

I want everyone to do their best to demonstrate commitment to serve, our values of history & tradition, professionalism, integrity, teamwork and discipline – in everything they do.

I want everyone to have the courage to do what is right – and to lead themselves, their boss, their peer group, and their subordinates – AND in that order.

I do not want “do as I say, not as I do” merchants!

We are great at doing operations.

Why can’t we do stuff at home like we do on Ops?

Why are we often mired in a bureaucratic swamp, bound by precedent, and hamstrung by complex detail and rules?

I know why – WE choose to be. If we really want to be “the best” we need to choose another way, while still preserving our airpower core. I want you to think seriously about embracing these things;

• Following our doctrine of Mission Command – actually delegating and trusting
• Taking risks – embrace risk awareness NOT risk aversion
• Truly celebrate and reward leadership and innovation
• Accept that mistakes are OK…encourage a no blame/no excuses culture
• Trial things and change the rules
• Mentor our people
• Truly embrace our families as integral to our team
• Understand, challenge & use the Y Generation
• Continually improve communication with each other and others outside of the Air Force
• AND have FUN doing it!

If we genuinely commit to these things we can move the RNZAF from being good to great and we will then have our vision of being “ An Air Force that is the best in all that we do” within our grasp.

BUT it all starts with us in this room. If we are not courageous enough then we cannot expect anyone else to be.