MONS, Belgium - "A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. A fool learns from his own," Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Wright told a crowd of noncommissioned officers here.
Wright, deputy chief of staff, operations for Supreme Headquarters Allied Power Europe, encouraged the group of NCOs to strengthen their senior leadership skills in the International Security Assistance Force environment. He used the Latin proverb as an example of how leaders evolve.
"You're not going to learn leadership...you have to live it and grow into it with experience," the general said.
NCOs from ChiAfA..vres Air Base and SHAPE, including members of the Canadian, Greek, German and French militaries attended the morning briefing with SHAPE Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Bartelle. Wright asked them what they thought leadership was.
"Setting a vision, being enthusiastic and getting everyone to buy in and focus toward a common goal," one U.S. Airman said.
"If they're not convinced, you must force them to follow that goal," responded a Soldier from Greece.
"Focus on a mission while taking care of the Soldiers while being true to yourself," another U.S. Soldier added.
The general reacted to each interpretation. "Loyalty up the chain and loyalty down the chain that's huge. Be open to at least listening.
"It's a tough road, but when folks are under your charge as NCOs, don't ever forget that you're responsible for them. Do the things that you can at your level," he added.
Wright also said NCOs need to work side-by-side with the commander and give honest evaluations of each situation.
"Be visible with me," the general said. "When you're in that position working with a commander, you need to be tied to his hip. Come in with not just a problem, but with options so we as a team can make a decision."
Wright's interactive discussion with the NCOs was the kick-start to a lively presentation by Canadian Chief Warrant Officer (Master Gunner) Gino Moretti. Moretti was a command sergeant major of the Regional Command-South ISAF in Afghanistan in 2008.
The international environment he led downrange is similar to the structure at the Allied Command Operations at SHAPE.
"You have to build a relationship," Moretti said. "When it's multinational, how you build a relationship is priceless. I did not look at myself as a Canadian. I looked at myself as a command sergeant major."
Moretti admitted that working with a multinational force is challenging, but as he pulled up a list of those killed in action while he was deployed, it showed nearly a dozen countries that lost men and women for the same goal.
"Soldier first or mission first'" he asked the group. "Mission first," he responded. "If you focus on the mission, then you're focused on the Soldier because if you succeed, you bring your Soldier home."
"If you believe in the mission, we will succeed," he said.
Through his presentation, Moretti said effective teams work together, execute tasks, meet or exceed standards, thrive on challenges, learn from their experiences and know that people are the heart of their capability.
He added that the team needs to have a relationship, loyalty, obedience and mutual trust. He reminded the NCOs that they all put their trust in a bank and give their money to a person they've never met. It should be just as easy to have mutual trust in your organization, he said.
"I love what I do as a Soldier," Moretti told the NCOs. "The greatest challenge of a leader is to develop a leader."
Moretti said, developing that senior leader in the multi-national environment involves creating a positive climate and understanding the different cultures.
"Brush up on your coalition force. Ask yourself, 'What's important to them'' That's what brings them together," he said. "You as an NCO can influence more people by talking and taking an active role."
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