New Mexico Minuteman - Fall 2011

Rael shares leadership qualities with
newly commissioned second lieutenants
The following keynote address was delivered by Col. Richard Rael (USPFO)
at the OCS graduation Sept. 11, 2011, at the Onate Complex, Santa Fe, N.M. Maj.
Gen. Kenny C. Montoya, The Adjutant General, wanted to share this with you, the
members of the New Mexico National Guard.
As you start your careers as leaders today, I
would like to offer some brief thoughts on what
I believe are the qualities a young leader must
have to be successful.
For starters, great leaders must have vision,
the ability to get your eyes to see beyond the
day-to-day tasks and problems; to be able to look
beyond tomorrow and discern a world of possibilities
and potential. You must see what others
do not or cannot, and then always be prepared
and ready to act on your vision.
An additional quality necessary for leadership
is self-confi dence. Not the chest pumping, inyour-face
bravado that we read about or see in so
many war movies. Rather, it is the quiet self-assurance
that allows a leader to give others both real
responsibility and real credit for success. A leader
is able to make decisions but then delegate and
trust others to make things happen. This, by no
means, means turning your back after making a
decision and hoping for the best. It means trusting
in your Soldiers at the same time you hold
them accountable.
Another essential quality of leadership is integrity.
Without this, real leadership is not possible. Too
many times in today’s world, it seems like integrity,
or honor or character, is kind of quaint, a curious,
old-fashioned notion. How many times do we have
to read about the successful and intelligent people
in and out of government who succumb to the
easy wrong rather than to the hard right?
Inattenti on, a sense of entitlement and the
notion that rules do not apply to you is a proven
path to failure.
A real leader must have personal virtues: selfreliance,
self-control, honor and morality.
A further quality of leadership is courage: not
just physical courage, (I have no doubt that any
of you would, without hesitation, jump on that grenade
if need be) but moral courage!! The courage
to do what is right and not just what is popular;
the courage to stand alone if need be; the courage
to act; the courage as a military offi cer to “speak
truth to power.” Understand this: for everyone who
becomes a leader, the time will inevitably come
when you must stand alone. When alone, you
must say, “This is wrong; I disagree with all of you.
Because I have the responsibility, this is what we
will do.” Don’t fool yourselves. It takes real courage.
And will you be ready when you are tested?
A fi nal quality of real leadership, I believe, is
simply common decency, treating those around
you and, above
all, your subordinates,
with fairness and respect. A true test of
leadership is how you treat those you outrank, or
as President Truman once said, “How you treat
those who can’t talk back.” Besides, as a second
lieutenant, you really don’t outrank anyone. You
will learn this very soon.
I also ask you to remember that the true backbone
of the Army is the enlisted soldier, the NCO.
Depend on them, believe in them, and always
support them…but don’t cuddle them…develop
them and prepare them for both peacetime and
war, if need be. The most powerful weapon in
the U.S. arsenal is not the F22 Raptor, the M1A2
battle tank, or even the mighty aircraft carrier; it is
the well-trained and ready Soldier. And this will
be your charter, your responsibility.
Whatever your military occupational specialty
may be, use your authority over others for constructive
purposes. Help them to watch out and
care for their families, help them improve their
skills and advance, and ease their hardships
whenever possible. All of this can be done without
compromising discipline or authority.
Common decency builds respect and in a
true democratic society, respect is what prompts
people to give their all for a leader, even if it means
great personal sacrifi ce.
And know this… At some point along your path
you will surely encounter failure or disappointment
of one kind or another. Most of us have. If
at those times you hold true to your standards,
then you will always succeed, if only in knowing
you stayed true and honorable.
In the fi nal analysis, what really matters are not
the failures and disappointments themselves; but
how you respond, how you learn, how to move
forward and how you improve.
The qualities of leadership I have described
today do not suddenly emerge fully developed
overnight or as a revelation after you become a
leader. These qualities have already started to show
once you chose to become an offi cer; it is now up
to you and throughout your career to strengthen
them and resist the temptation of self before service.
I hope you keep these thoughts with you as you
advance in your careers. Above all, remember that
the true measure of leadership is not how you react in
times of peace or times of peril. The true measure of
leadership is how you react when your Soldiers look
you in the eye and say, “Sir, what do we do next?”
Fall 2011 / NEW MEXICO National Guard 15