FORT HOOD, Texas — Leaders from across Fort Hood units filed into the auditorium, shuffling into their seats as they waited for the leadership professional development to begin, Feb 16.
The event’s esteemed guest speaker was retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dan Dailey. After 31 years of dedicated service to the United States Army, Dailey retired as the 15th Sgt. Maj. of the Army.
“When I left the Army, I ran out of a job, but I wasn’t done being a Soldier,” Daily said. “I found a position at the Association of the United States Army that let me continue to do great things for our Soldiers every day.”
Dailey is the vice president of the Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier program with the AUSA which allows him to continue serving the nation’s Soldiers.
Leading the discussion at the LPD, Dailey shared his list of leadership reminders to the crowd of Fort Hood senior leaders.
Examples of Dailey’s reminders included: the importance of Soldiers seeing leaders involved in daily physical training, understanding nervousness can be an asset, ensuring leaders bring more to the table than years of experience alone and recognizing that regardless of rank, leaders are Soldiers like everyone else.
“I know the Army is in good hands when we have great things like the Great Place in the United States Army,” Dailey said.
Engaging with his audience, Dailey was able to present these reminders while sharing his own experiences, combined with supporting photos and videos.
“We are an Army that's bred to say ‘mission first’ and that still is true,” Dailey said. “It’s not mission versus people. But it’s accomplishing the mission by putting people first.”
This core message of turning people into the mission is echoed repeatedly throughout Dailey’s ten leadership reminders.
A few of his people focused reminders were the importance of earning Soldiers respect as a leader, understanding those n the formation should want to talk to their leaders, the power in listening to those being led and communicating to Soldiers that failure is not the same as quitting.
“I think the most precious resource that our nation gives us is our Soldiers,” Dailey said, referring to the moniker given to Fort Hood.
Within his presentation, Dailey explained it was their job as leaders to create environments conducive for their Soldiers’ success.
One of the last reminders he shared was ‘Leadership truly makes a difference’. Elaborating on this, Dailey explained all equivalent echelons are given equivalent tangible resources; but it was the intangible aspects of morale, comradery and leadership that define a unit’s success.
“What I like about the Great Place is one, the community…and two the diversity of our Soldiers and the capabilities that the (III Armored) Corps brings to bear for the United States Army,” Dailey said.
Retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dailey keeps a keen eye on the future of the Army’s force.
“We’re not going to accomplish this incredible mission for this nation if we don’t take care of the most critical resource given to us by our nation,” Dailey said. “And that’s our people.”
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