Buchanan: Trial-and-error, humility at core of leadership

By Damien Salas, Pentagram Staff WriterNovember 21, 2014

Maj. Gen. Buchanan: Trial-and-error, humility at core of leadership
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, commanding general, Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, gives remarks Nov. 13, 2014, at the first joint base chaplain's leadership luncheon in Memorial Chapel... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Leadership luncheon
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, commanding general, Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, gives remarks Nov. 13, 2014, at the first joint base chaplain's leadership luncheon in Memorial Chapel... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - The Joint Forces Headquarters-National Capital Region and U.S. Army Military District of Washington commanding general led the first Memorial Chapel-hosted series of leadership discussions at JBM-HH.

A chaplain's leadership luncheon took place Nov. 13, in the Memorial Chapel on the Fort Myer portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall as the first of what chaplain Maj. Fred Wendel hopes to become a quarterly routine focusing on moral leadership.

Wendel created the concept while counseling Soldiers at several military installations where he previously served. These forums are meant to facilitate discussion on, as he refers to it, "the broad topic of leadership and what it means to be a leader," by bringing in experts from various ranks and branches in the military, as well as private businesses.

"Leadership is an important topic," said Wendel. "[The event] is meant to inspire our young men and women by showing the good qualities of leadership with examples from various walks of life."

At Thursday's gathering, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, commanding general, Joint Force Headquarters- National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, told stories of subordinates whom he says helped earn him the rank of brigadier general, then major general, and who he "learned something significant from."

In an emotional story about his experiences with Lt. Col. Gary Derby, Buchanan discussed the meaning behind one of Derby's favorite sayings, "no free chicken" - a phrase implying that Soldiers need to learn lessons through trial and error. Derby was Soldier from the 3d Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division who Buchanan served with on multiple deployments in Iraq. Derby was killed with three of his troops and an Iraqi interpreter Feb. 9, 2009, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device struck their Humvee.

"As the coaches, we wanted the good guys to win," said Buchanan. "But you'd know [the Soldiers] were going to get smoked in the next engagement and I would want to help them out but Derby would say 'c'mon ... you can't spoon feed these units the lessons.'"

Looking back at Iraq's security forces and progress since his deployment with Derby in 2003, Buchanan realized the importance of learning through hard lessons, through "no free chicken."

"When I looked around I realized this stuff didn't just happen, it wasn't serendipity and it wasn't because of the Iraqi people," said Buchanan. "They couldn't have done it on their own. It was because of a sacrifice of a great number of American men and women, men like Gary Derby. And that really got me thinking there really is 'no free chicken.'"

Derby's sacrifice inspired Buchanan's leadership today, but letting Soldiers fail doesn't go far enough, he said. Once they wipe the blood from their noses, a leader has to show subordinates how to fix the mistakes.

From years of counseling Soldiers of all ages, Wendel says from a chaplain's perspective, the most successful leaders are those who understand the generational gap and use their own experiences as lessons.

"Our Soldiers need to be held to a higher standard," said Wendel. "And they need to be challenged, but youth are going to make lots of mistakes. Their attitude toward fixing problems is what is important."

But where is the line between making a fixable mistake and one that costs Soldiers their careers?

The consequences may be different for a Soldier lacking remorse for a mistake they made versus one who makes a mistake but wants to fix it, according to Wendel.

"What is in the Soldier's heart, and what they are willing to do to rectify and grow from that mistake is key," he said. "I myself learned some things the hard way. Luckily I had the opportunity to grow from that experience."