Ready to 'lean in:' New commander shares his leadership philosophy

Fort Jackson commander Brig. Gen. John 'Pete' Johnson said his main priority for the post is the same as the Army's priority: readiness.

In a meeting with the senior leaders July 6 at the Soldier Support Institute auditorium, Johnson discussed some of his goals for the installation as the post's 49th commanding general.

"(Fort Jackson) is an easy connection to the readiness of our Army," he said. "We say 'Victory Starts Here' (and) readiness is the key ingredient of victory. We generate that readiness right off the bat.

These trainees that turn into Soldiers and go off to units, that's readiness."

One of his primary missions for Fort Jackson is getting everybody at every level working as a team.

"Your mission is my mission and vice versa," he said. "It's about being a team. It boils down to everything that we do here has to be done with a sense of 'what team am I helping out,' and it's not always just your own team. Look left at your adjacent units, look up and outward."

To help build the sense of a team, Johnson said he wants to keep an open door policy for senior command representatives.

He encouraged them to stop by at any time, saying he'd find the time to speak with them.

"That means pick up the phone, call my secretary and tell them you want to speak with me," Johnson said. "I plan on taking time out for you guys."

For the times when he's not available, Johnson urged leaders to reach out to Col. Mark Shade, the deputy commanding officer, Chief of Staff Col. Morris "Mo" Goins, and Post Command Sgt. Maj.

Lamont Christian.

"I have great teammates here that ruck up every day to help get the ball moving forward," he said. "They are ready to lean in. They understand my intent. They have a shared understanding of how I'm trying to move the ball forward with my command direction."

During the meeting, Johnson asked the group of senior leaders to write down what they are proud of at Fort Jackson, what improvements could be made and any suggestions of what he should focus

on during his time here.

"This is about Soldiers, this is about civilians, this is about sailors and airmen, every part of the Department of Defense that touches Fort Jackson is on equal footing here. It takes it all to solve our problems," said Johnson.

"I may only end up being here for six months or may stay for two years, but I want to set goals for Fort Jackson as if I'm going to be here for a decade. I'm thinking about the future," he said.