In this episode, Jason and Tom explore how Jason was given the opportunity back in April of 2019 to lead a team or squadron of 80 people into a combat situation in the Middle East.
The original assignment was to take over the squadron and be ready for deployment. The timeframe to prepare was about 12 months; however, conditions changed rather quickly after taking command of the squadron and their timeline to get prepared for deployment changed from 12 months to six weeks. The squadron did deploy successfully but the team development work over that six week period wasn’t without its challenges, mistakes and emotional tension.
Col Jason Houston will be sharing his story of how in the spring of 2019 he pulled together a new squadron to be combat ready and deployed within a few weeks.
Col Jason Houston, better known as “Stinger,” is currently Director of Strategy, Plans, and Policy Directorate, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. During this episode, Jason takes us through the journey of how back in April 2019 he assumed the command of the 336th Fighter Squadron, Rocketeers, an 80-person squadron that was being prepared to deploy to wherever they were needed around the world. When Jason assumed his commanding officer position, he was given a year to get his squadron team ready for combat. Within days after taking over his new position, he was informed that the plans had changed due to the things heating up in the Middle East and he needed to be combat ready and deployed within 4 weeks.
Join us on an adventure of what Jason did to prepare his aviators and their families for a full-on deployment. This is a remarkable story of how team leaders can build trust, connectedness and performance capabilities even when operating under time constraints and high tensions.
Furthermore, Col Stinger will remind all of us of the importance of engaging your team members to solve problems and own outcomes, and that despite what we often think we don’t need to own it all by ourselves.
