Leadership Case-Study

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Apr 3, 2024

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Leadership Case-Study The individual we selected to interview and base our case study to examine a leader in the public sector was Sergio Diaz. Sergio Diaz is currently retired after serving 25+ years in the United States Army and reaching the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5 (W-5), which is one of the highest and rarest ranks within the military. Not everyone is capable of reaching and handling the duties of one of the rarest ranks in the military, it takes certain attributes and drives to achieve this level within the United States Military, which Sergio Diaz had acquired throughout his life leading up to it. Sergio Diaz was born in Chile before the communist regime in the 1970s, his mother passed away in his youth and his father fled to the United States right before the communist regime gained control. He was left in Chile to be raised by his grandmother along with his two brothers. Growing up life was very difficult, especially under the communist regime but he was able to attend college and start a family by the age of 20, after graduating college he was able to find a job in the software industry. Around the time his father called to see if he wanted to come to the United States, which he saw as an opportunity to live a better life he jumped at the chance of bringing his wife and newborn daughter with him. Once in the United States, it was never his intention to join the United States Army, considering he came from a country where the military ruled and had all the power. After witnessing how the U.S. Army changed his older brother into a better person, he realized he wanted to join as well. Starting his journey within the army he did not think it would turn into his career, but after reaching the rank of Sergeant within three years he realized that he was really good at what his job was and wanted the reach the highest rank possible. This being Chief Warrant Officer 5, to be a W-5 means to be the top technical expert and specialized trainer within their field, in this case, radar and software. As well as serve as the principal advisor to the Adjutant General, and the Land Component

Commander. Sergio Diaz worked his way through the ranks with drive and determination to be the best, not only the best radar and software operator but also a great leader and platoon leader. He felt the need to repay the favor and raise the level of leadership within the Army, as he once had his Non-Commissioned Officer set the example of what a good leader is and inspire him to be the best. Once having reached the rank of W-5 besides advising his upper chain of command, he had the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the base he resided in at the time, as well as managing the soldiers below him. Being in the Army his work location mainly consisted of bases in war, being in the Middle East, and towards later in his career he was stationed and in charge of a training base in Washington state. Through the interview, it was seen that there were several qualities that stood out that allowed him to reach his position. One was his drive to be the best was that was the best radar specialist or the best leader he could be, he just wanted to be the best he could be. There was clearly a competitive drive in him that was pushing, and he even mentioned reaching the rank he achieved at one point everyone is the best, but what separates you from the rest will be how much more you want it, and the need for putting in the extra effort to separate yourself. At the end of his interview, he left us with advice, that you must fall in love with everything you do. What is the point of being the best if you don’t love what you are doing or who you are doing it for? Sergio Diaz loved his job and his duties, but he loved his family, the people he was leading, and protecting the United States which led him to his position. With his position, he wanted to set an example of what a good W-5 was and how to lead, he was not perfect and knew he would be, but he tried his best to be perfect. Some of the responsibilities of this leader’s position varied throughout his time in the military. The primary responsibilities described in this interview were from the highest and final rank that he achieved in the military. As a Chief Warrant Officer, one of Sergio’s primary

responsibilities was to know everything there was to know about field artillery. This made him a very unique individual because he was used for his expertise regarding this area of weaponry on and off the battlefield. He needed to understand this vital information because most other members around him did not have the expertise that he did in this subject of weaponry. As a Chief Warrant Officer, Sergio needed to know all the different munitions used by the military which did not just include munitions used by field artillery but also every different bomb used by the military and every missile that was used as well. Tactics was another important responsibility that Sergio needed to know when he worked around field artillery. During his time as a Chief Warrant Officer, there was a time when he was in charge of eight individuals whose job it was to manage and apply everything that was specifically desired for a radar. This radar system was capable of tracking the enemy's artillery munitions. For the first three years, Ser gio was the expert in field artillery radars for his area or (department) when it came to tracking enemy field artillery munitions. When Sergio was in the position of a Chief Warrant Officer, there was a very large group of stakeholders that were affected by his decisions and a great deal of stakeholders that were influenced based on his job and ranking. The majority of Sergio’s stakeholders were units and entire divisions of enlisted military members that were not only under his control but others that were affected by the decisions he made getting orders to do stuff that he had said. In numerical terms, the number of stakeholders affected by Sergio’s position in leadership was from 6,000 members of the military to 9,000 members. The radar under his expertise affecting all these members of the military is one big radar that can track enemy munitions in the region where it is

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placed. With this radar, there are two separate smaller radars helping to track enemy munitions that could reach as far out as 25 to 30 kilometers. This was all done in a combat zone so the 6,000 to 9,000 members of Sergio’s division who were actively in danger, relied on him to do everything accurately trusting that he would not mess up and put them in an unsafe environment. He produced excellent leadership ability in his leadership position being the absolute best out of every radar being used in the entire combat zone in Iraq. There were around 100,000 troops throughout the country of Iraq that needed to rely on radar to stay safe. As a Chief Warrant Officer, Sergio was his own boss only taking some orders and direction from higher-ranking officials. The fourth sectional, third sectional, second sectional, and first sectional officials listened to what he had to say because he was the expert in his field of the military. In every meeting that he had with those other leading officials in the military he would tell them where the radar needed to be located because of whatever conditions that were in effect. They listened because Sergio was the expert in this field showing his worth from leading one of the best radar divisions in an active combat zone. Those leading officials had no experience in his area of radar expertise, so they had to listen to him no matter what instead of taking it upon themselves to do something they did not understand. In his position, Sergio showed a lot of self-leadership because of his job in the military. It was his responsibility to not only lead himself but to influence others as well. The stakeholders whom Sergio influenced were the thousands of troops that he watched over and the higher- ranking military officials who he had to report to and influence to make needed decisions. This

theoretical framework of leadership that he followed helped him to excel at his position as a Chief Warrant Officer as well as excelling at a very important role that he had when he was the expert in charge of the radar system. Another theoretical framework that Sergio used to help in his leadership position was the principle of followership. This was very important to have in his position because almost every stakeholder Sergio influenced needed to follow his leadership when it came to operating the radar. If a group of his stakeholders (troops) decided that they did not want to follow what he recommended, then they could have put themselves in even more danger than what they were already seeing that they were in active combat zones. Keeping track of enemy munitions was vital in telling the stakeholders where to go in order to stay safe from them being fired at the troops. Also, if some members of his division that were actually operating the radar decided that they did not want to follow Sergio’s commands and recommendations it could have cost the lives of the troops on the ground who could have been sent to the wrong location putting them in danger. This leadership position has a lot of ethical responsibility to take into consideration when making decisions. It is very important for Sergio to be clear in every decision that he makes doing what is right instead of taking orders from someone that has their own personal interests put first. If Sergio decides that he would listen to someone that is corrupted instead of using his expert experience to make decisions it could get people killed and possibly civilians killed in Iraq because the ethically correct decision was not followed. Also, if Sergio decided to put his own interests first there could be a major safety issue for troops on the ground. This is especially easy for him to do because he is an expert in his field where most often the higher officials that listen to him could be unaware that he is doing something unethical.

A.) The crisis that Sergio Diaz faced, he mentioned once in which he could not go into detail for security reasons, he described a situation in which he possibly made one of the most difficult choices in his career. While on base overseas his base was under attack, and his commanding officer questioned what the best course of action was. Initially, his commanders suggested they abandon the base and head to a safer location. Putting his career and life on the line he told his commanders that was the worst possible decision and they needed to say. His higher-ups trusted him and did as told ultimately saving everyone. B.) Sergio Diaz decided to put his career on the line for the safety of others. He made that decision knowing it would save the lives of everyone on the base. With his extensive knowledge and having been in situations similar to this, he used his equipment to spot the enemies and his training to make the proper decision. He properly assumed that the initial attack was meant to draw them out and lead to an ambush. Later intel did find that there was an ambush planned. His critical decision-making skills ended up saving everyone. He did so with regard to what would happen to him but was more worried about saving every other soldier. The leadership style that Sergio upheld during his time in the military evolved overtime. It had to constantly change from his beginning where he started at the bottom and had to work his way up to his highest rank. Although he did not start in a leadership position he still had aspects of leadership in his role. He always did exactly what was asked of him and more, he did this because he knew that he wanted to be promoted. Leading by example and being an affiliate of the systems that he was a part of shaped his leadership style in the early years. As he continued to move up through the ranks gaining a higher leadership status over a greater number of people he had to transition his style of leadership. This is where Sergio explained his most important and greatest leadership role. At his position of Chief Warrant Officer W5 he was

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incharge of top secret super confidential and important work. He had to maintain integrity of the operations that were happening while also managing a team of thirty to thirty-five military members and civilians. At this point in his career he gave me reason to believe that his leadership style was mostly authoritative. When saying that his style was authoritative I do not mean that he was a harsh leader but that he was the expert in his field and what he said goes. At one point he worked in the field artillery sector and was the head of running radar. He worked over the top of eight individuals who were also leaders in their prospective units but he led the leaders by teaching them how to properly use and maintain the radar systems. This would put eight thousand people under his leadership to know how to properly use the radar systems that would be used to cover the units in battle. His leadership was stern and straightforward; he was the best at what he did and he wanted everyone else underneath him to replicate what he could do. In this regard his style was participative because although he is in charge of the overall operations he is still on the lines with others doing what he is doing. He led by example from the front to make sure that everyone was doing what they needed to be doing and everything worked well as a unit. Some of Sergios' weaknesses as leader was that at times he had so much on his plate it would be difficult to be in multiple places at once. He had to help anyone that was having issues while also manning his own station. He had to ensure that the men he was running radar for directly were safe while also ensuring the others operating the radars to protect other soldiers were doing their jobs to the highest level. Therefore his greatest weakness as a leader was not delegating time in a way that made his job the most efficient and effective. This was something that he would continuously have to deal with and he said that he never found a great solution for delegating his time to be most effective. Respectively his position is a very high stress and demanding position so delegating time does not come easy. He said that although that was a

shortfall in his leadership and never let that be an excuse to not do his job and do it well. Sergio went on to tell us that a strength to his leadership was his passion that he had for what he did. He knew that his job was crucial to the entire operation and peoples lives were on the line. There was never a moment that he did not fully commit himself to doing his job the best he possibly could. I think that dedication to his position and no matter what, doing the best work that he could is the most important aspect of leadership. Always giving everything to the team and never settling for less than his best is foundationally crucial for all the people under him to see. Sergio radiated passion and enthusiasm for the work that he did. He enjoyed and appreciated the responsibilities that he was able to earn the right to bear. His character to me stood out regarding that once he accepted a role he would not stray from that role. He stays true to what his word is even if he is questioning why he had to do some of the things he had to do. Being a part of the military and being in battle where there is death and horrible things happening everyday is nothing short of a nightmare. For people to dedicate their lives to serving and protecting without much being given back to them is truly one of the most selfless acts one can do. Fighting for a purpose that is so much greater than oneself is admirable, Sergio is one of the many people that chose to dedicate their lives to protecting our country and for that alone his character is off the charts. Where I really saw Sergios' character shine through the most was when I asked him questions about his ethical considerations for the challenges he faced. As you could imagine, war is a place where ethics are a very tricky thing to distinguish and are often very different for people. Sergio was faced with the ethical challenge of being around killing and fighting and this was his life for much of the time he was in the military. This can lead many members of the military into a battle with their minds and leave them lost in their own heads. His outlook and his character today based on the things he had done and he had seen while in the

military is remarkable. He had a balanced and thoughtful outlook on how war impacted his life and the lives of everyone else it impacted. He is inspiring for how he holds himself and how he approaches life after having experienced the things he had. C) Sergio faced several challenges while he served in the military. He told us as specifically as he could about one night where his base was under attack. Sergio, being in charge of the radar systems, had a good understanding of where the enemy was and what they were doing in regard to the base. The higher ranking officers were discussing what should be done and Sergio is there with them while they are deliberating. The Higher ranking officers had come to a decision but Sergio knew that this decision was not for the best. This is where Sergio's ethics came into play, he had to decide whether to go against his higher ranking officers and explain to them why their plan would not be best. He had to accept that if he chose to speak out and he was wrong it would be blood on his hands.The other side of his ethical dilemma was that if he did not speak up with the blood still be on his hands? Sergio spoke up and decided to inform his higher officers of a plan that would be better. They trusted his decision and ended up going forward with his plan, fortunately it worked out for the best and Sergio's ethical dilemma didn't end poorly. D) Sergio addresses these ethical considerations by taking the decision that would lead to the best outcome for all of the people in his division. He was not worried about his opinion being right or wrong, he was focused on making the right decision to help his soldiers. His focus was on saving lives and didn't hesitate to speak up against his ranking officers to tell them they were wrong and what they should be doing. He is addressing the situation directly; there was no hesitation in his decision to speak up. He was confident in his ability and trusted his instincts and training and allowed himself to take charge of the situation. Even in this high stress extremely

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important decision Sergio remained calm and blanched out his ethical concerns and made the best decision not only for himself ethically but for the livelihood of many of his other soldiers. E) The actions Sergio made did not weigh heavily on public interests seeing that much of the public was not aware of the actions being made in this situation. His actions did however weigh heavily on the soldiers' lives that he saved and their families. If he decided not to speak up for fear of being wrong or fear of getting in trouble from the people in charge of the situation there would have been a very negative outcome resulting in the loss of the soldier’s lives. Seeing how the general public was not aware of this situation, Sergio’s actions had little to no effect on public interest.

Leadership Case-Study

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