JROTC students, leadership focus of military affairs breakfast

Top JROTC cadets and the different styles of leadership were the focus of the Enterprise Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee’s quarterly breakfast on Wednesday, March 20.

The top two cadets from Enterprise High School recognized during the breakfast were Cadet Lt. Col. Evan Crawford and Cadet Cpt. Eleanor Thompson.

Col. (ret.) Dennis Griffin spoke about these cadets’ achievements to attendees, focusing on their leadership and future aspirations.

According to Griffin, Crawford is the current cadet battalion commander for the EHH JROTC program. He said Crawford plans to attend Charleston Southern University on a ROTC scholarship and pursue a military career.

Griffin also said Thompson is currently serving as the battalion’s S1, managing the records and paperwork for the group. He said she is also a Pvt. 1st Class in the Alabama National Guard, attending basic training over the past summer and will attend AIT after graduation. He said she will attend Marion Military Institute on a ROTC scholarship.

“As a testament to both of these two students and the (JROTC) program at Enterprise High School, we recently completed our JROTC program for accreditation,” Griffin said. “These students earned the honor unit with distinction, and they carry the tradition and legacy of our service.”

Other JROTC students recognized were Daleville High School’s Cadet Lt. Col. Jamie Peters and Cadet Maj. Joseph Gordon, and Carroll High School JROTC students Cadet Master Sgt. Kesha McCray and Cadet 1st Sgt. Jayden Davies.

Following student recognition, Enterprise East Army Aviation Center Federal Credit Union Branch Manager Philip Axtell spoke to breakfast attendants about five different types of leadership.

He first asked who the greatest leader was in history. Attendants suggested historical figures like Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., Alexander the Great, Mayor William Cooper and even, with laughs, University of Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban.

“Really, what I’ve found over my professional career, and even before I started my professional career, is there’s no real right answer to that,” Axtell said. “There’s really no one right answer. There’s some that are great, but how do you know who’s the greatest?”

He then asked attendants what they believe were characteristics of a leader. He received answers such as honesty, integrity, humility, organization and having communication skills.

“Again, you’re going to come back to all of these round answers,” he said. “It’s not one defined (trait). What you’ll find is people who identify as great leaders live up to a lot of different standards.”

Axtell said he has found, through his professional experience, five leadership styles: the frontrunner, the behind-the-scenes leader, the micromanager, the big-picture leader and the servant leader.

Axtell said the frontrunner is “the person that’s usually a great cheerleader, a great mode of support.” He said the frontrunner leader does have some flaws, such as not being accountable.

Axtell said the behind-the-scenes leader shows “a hesitancy to make a decision” and could worry too much about how others feel about their decisions.

For the micromanager, Axtell stated that Saban is an example of someone who follows this leadership style. He said the micromanager is “hyper focused” and is driven, but can be “blinded by their own processes” and have the ability to alienate people.

Axtell then described the big-picture leader knows “what they’re supposed to do, but they don’t really know how to do it.”

For the servant leader, Axtell used the example of former Marshall University Head Football Coach Jack Lengyel, hired after a plane crash killed former Head Coach Rick Tolley and most of the Marshall University football team.

“This guy, having a servant’s heart and having that leadership in his heart, wanted to do the right thing,” he said. “He gave up that successful football program (at the College of Wooster) and left to take a job they could not pay anybody enough money to take (at Marshall University).”

After his actions, Lengyel was recognized by the National Football Hall of Fame, despite having a losing record during his time at Marshall University.

Axtell told attendees that the different leadership styles can complement each other, such as the micromanager style working well with the big-picture style. He also said people seem to “mimic” these leadership styles, both the positive and negative traits of each.

“The five leadership styles, those are important to focus on, but “I’ve spent months, hours, even years of my life, studying leadership. I said, ‘What kind of leader do I want to want to be?’” he said.

Axtell said he has heard Dr. John Kline, an expert on leadership, speak about an interview opportunity he was presented with. Axtell said Kline told the reporter his leadership philosophy can be summed up in eight words: “hard work, integrity always, serve others and glorify God.”

“Is there any better philosophy?” Axtell asked. “What I will say, particularly to you young folks… most of us in this room don’t know what your path is going to be. I don’t know if you’re going to go into the military… some of you may go into the professional world. Some of you may do something totally different.

“I know if you incorporate that (philosophy) into your life, your path’s going to be lit, you’re going to have an extraordinary life and you’re going to be a beacon of light in this world of darkness,” he said.