Unit 2: Leader Identity Narrative

Alexander Roberts

OGL 482: Org Leadership Pro-Seminar II

Dr. Janice Lawhorn

01/18/2023

Word Count: 2079

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Adolescence is a time of life that is fraught with challenges and opportunities. It is also a

time of development and growth, and a time when many begin to take on leadership roles.

Leadership is an essential quality in life and has many applications, from business and politics to

education and personal growth. Developing and honing your own leadership skills is an

important step to achieving success in any field. Leadership is about more than just managing

and directing people; it is about having the ability to inspire and motivate those around you. It is

about having the courage to take risks and think outside the box, and the ability to make

decisions based on what is best for the group rather than what is most convenient for the

individual. Turning points in leadership during adolescence can have a huge impact on the

course of an individual's life, providing the skills, knowledge, and confidence to lead in the

future. They can also be the moment when one realizes the impact of their actions on those

around them, and the importance of taking responsibility for their decisions. Throughout my

formative years, I've experienced a few high and low points that led me to where I am today.
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From weighing in on custody agreements as a teenager, to leading multi-million-dollar projects,

each pivotal event has afforded me the knowledge to make the best possible decisions within my

career and personal life.

I attended preschool and somewhere around the age of five my mom gained licensure to

use our house as a daycare for the suburban neighborhood. From then on, I would be met with

children ranging from infants to pre-teens when I would come home from school. I was never

seen as one of the kids that would be included into the care system and instead, I would assist

whenever and wherever I could when I would get home. Sometime during the second grade, I

signed up to be a part of the school's soccer team and assumed the position of left winger. During

a weekend match, I remember being hopped up on sugar from a local bakery's donuts and being

the most energetic person on the pitch. This led to impressive plays made, as impressive as little

league soccer can be at least, and I ended up being the fulcrum for winning the match.

Afterwards, I began to coach other members and positions of the team, testing the defense of the

backing positions and the goalkeeper. This position taught me that some people have different

learning styles where some would learn more effectively from diagram explanation versus visual

and actual practice. I wasn’t involved in extra-curricular activities as much when entering middle

and high school as I was bouncing between cities and schools routinely after my parents

finalized their divorce. In high school, the movements began to slow down, and I wrapped

myself up with volunteering at the middle school I attended as a tutor. I had taken advanced

English and math courses and decided I could help the community a bit by teaching younger

students. Tutoring a large number of students reinforced the fact that there is no one singular best

teaching or learning style.

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During this time, my home life had taken some weird turns and I was beginning to take

on more responsibilities with my two nephews who were four years apart and being raised solely

by my sister. I’d come home from either tutoring or school and help them out with their

homework, make them dinner, pick them up from school, etc. I became the de facto parent to

them for nearly four years. My sister had many hurdles that she was trying to work through and

the neglect the two children faced steadily rose. This all came to a pinnacle when my mom, who

was also helping raise them with me, pulled me aside one night and asked me my opinion about

what the best course of action would be for my nephews. We both recognized that the situation

they were in was unsustainable and we ultimately decided that she was an unfit mother and that

the boys would have a stronger and more stable upbringing if they lived with their father, in a

different state. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a look of visceral hate before, but the memory of

breaking the news to my sister and the arguing and screaming that followed is seared in my

mind. This was the lowest point for me as I don’t believe any teenager should be making custody

decisions and arrangements. On the bright side, it was an invaluable experience to have been a

part of, and seeing my nephews now made the decision well worth it.

After I graduated high school, I developed an interest in joining the U.S. Air Force and

began talking to recruiters around me. There was a waiting period before flying out to Texas for

basic training and I eventually joined in 2013 at the age of 19. In my early years within the

military, I assisted recruiters with their processes and event planning where we would go to local

high schools and inform potential applicants about what the life is like. Additionally, I had to

listen to the orders appointed from my superiors within the work center. I did not know it at the

time, but I learned about servant leadership, and I evaluated the lessons that I learned during

these early years as a critical step in my military leadership journey. Leadership opportunities
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became stagnant for a while, as it was not my place to be as involved in the higher decisions

within the workplace, at least until I arrived where I am today, at RAF Lakenheath, England in

2017. Something about this particular base draws out the competition in most people and I have

not been able to pinpoint exactly why just yet. Perhaps it is the higher visibility that everyone is

performing under, or perhaps some are not preoccupied with families like they would be if they

were stationed in the United States.

The first section I was assigned to was highly specialized and right away I was working

with components that were worth more than any amount of money I would ever see in my

lifetime. As I became more familiar with the technical aspects of the job, I slowly started to

wiggle my way into a guiding position, both administratively and technically. I had a subordinate

that was getting ready to move to a different base ask me one day what he could do to stand out

among his peers. The typical responses are volunteering free time within the military community

or to seek personal and professional growth by signing up for certain certifications or achieving

higher education. I explained to him the process to achieve his associates degree and the steps

needed to enroll for a bachelors. After the conversation, I paused and reflected on the fact that I

was giving this advice without having followed any myself, and thus I enrolled into Arizona

State University. This position that I was filling was not formal and I can best describe it as an

overall mentor for the junior enlisted, but my input and opinions on performance fulfillment and

task navigation became more sought after. This experience and the knowledge gained from

working in this section afforded me the opportunity to become the team lead, based solely on

technical authority. It was here I got my foot in the door with leadership once more as I had the

authority to guide and supervise the team, and eventually the section as I saw fit, and we began

to either match previous production records or exceed them.

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This foothold led to my highest point, where I transferred the leadership knowledge and

began to lead the busiest section within the work center. No one of my rank had been in this

position in the past, and I felt unprepared for the tasking, but I had a knowledgeable mentor that I

could lean on if the saturation began to be too much. While in this position there were some less

severe low points that I just considered part of the territory. Since I had visibility on task

accomplishment and personnel performance, I was a part of promotion recommendations and

award reviews. Unfortunately, an unbiased and clear line had to be drawn between my close

workmates versus those that performed well, and some were denied their promotions or their

awards. On the positive side, we dug ourselves out an unforeseen hole that had us working 72-

hour work weeks for longer than anyone thought they’d last. I was highlighted and my name

began to make rounds throughout the upper leadership communities for all of Europe and I was

recognized for my efforts.

September 2021, we shipped out a few large components that were destined for Jordan. It

came down while the components were in transit that they might have been built improperly and

they needed to be verified. I was selected for the recovery team and my co-worker, and I flew out

to Germany the next day to meet the components where they were waiting at Ramstein Air Base.

Our luggage for the flight caught us some weird looks as we were carrying a borescope and a

handbag full of random tools. It was a bit awkward trying to explain our way through London

Stansted's security, but luckily, we had orders signed by both governments. Once we got to

Ramstein, we immediately knocked out the inspection we had to do and decided to clean up the

area. We did not bring any material to clean the component, but we knew that the base had a

similar configuration, and we would be able to use some of theirs.

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What we did not realize at the moment was that Operation Allies Refuge, the evacuation

of citizens from Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the U.S. military, was in full swing.

Once we rounded a corner of a hangar, we were met with a sea of tan colored tents, fences, and

stands as far as the horizon. Ramstein was the main hub for transiting citizens that were leaving

the country and awaiting visas to travel onward. Since we had finished our actual purpose with

the components, we decided to get involved with the efforts being made to support the some ten

thousand people that were there. From the coalition forces' perspective that were tasked with

assistance, it must have been weird to see two random people, not affiliated with the base show

up and pitch in. My time in England is coming to an end and to maintain continuity for the

position, I have been tasked with simply training my replacement. Funnily enough, my

replacement outranks me, and I am left in a weird tug-and-pull of authority.

Developing personal leadership qualities is essential to success in any field. It enables us

to effectively manage our emotions, foster relationships, and make constructive decisions.

Leadership skills are not only beneficial in the workplace, but in our daily lives as well. They

help us to think critically and take initiative in order to accomplish our goals. Being a leader also

gives us the opportunity to inspire and motivate others. Ultimately, developing our leadership

skills can help us to become more successful in life and create a positive impact in our

communities. Although my current path of leadership has closed until I move to a new base, I am

viewing the mentoring position I am in with a different perspective. I’ve often recalled on the

days when I would tutor students and apply similar methods to bring my replacement up to speed

as fast as possible. I feel as if I am in a steady high point right now in my career, but I

acknowledge the fact that it will not last forever and I will be met with hurdles further in the

future. I am curious to see, once these hurdles occur, how I will naturally react to them. Have my
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past experiences affected my natural thought process to the point of habit? Or will I be inclined

to reflect on the experiences and think about how to navigate new problems? I intend on

including this narrative into my electronic portfolio if for nothing else other than archival.

Perhaps I will refer to the turning points graph, or the events laid out as a reference for future

struggles.